The animation industry offers some grown-up careers using today's sophisticated technology - and your artistic skills.

By Erin Jourdan

Saturday morning cartoons used to only be for kids, but today's animation industry offers a host of grown-up opportunities (even if you still get to watch cartoons!).

With technological advances and more entertainment companies using modeling, rendering, and CGI, animation has become a multi-billion dollar industry. With an animation degree, you can use your creative talents and work in this fun, fast-paced environment.

The historical giants of animation, companies such as Warner Brothers (think Bugs Bunny) and The Walt Disney Company (think Mickey Mouse), are now far from the only companies using animation.

Below are some of the types of businesses that are hiring animation students and the kinds of skills you will need to get hired.

Cool TV 'Toons

When most people think of animation, cartoons are the first thing that comes to mind. But cartoons today are not what they used to be. Animation in shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, or shows on the Cartoon Network is weird, wacky, and very adult.

Creating these modern characters and drawing their quirky backgrounds rely on artistic abilities in sketching and drawing, along with training on the proper software. While there are a variety of job responsibilities on shows like these, storyboarding is a good place to start for an entry-level job in a production studio.

By getting a two-year associate's degree in 2-D animation (often linked with studies in illustration) you can learn storyboarding skills and Photoshop while creating a portfolio that can make you eligible for these entry-level jobs.

With a four-year bachelor's of science in media arts or animation from an accredited institution, you can take a few more steps in building your career. You might be able to advance your knowledge of necessary high-end software or also develop some business and management skills to help you further your career in the long term.

Animated Films: Taking it to the 3rd Dimension

Today's animators create models out of pixels and motion-capture graphics rather than simply the older methods of using clay and masks. By using a mixture of CGI (computer generated animation) and real-life models, films such as Beowulf and Polar Express have the best of both worlds: fantastic special effects with a realistic look.

By completing a 4-year bachelor's degree in animation, you can the hands-on training you need to get hired by a studio or production company. Programs include classes such as Visual Effects, Maya Character Animation, Photoshop Compositing, Stop Motion Animation and much more.

Well-known film companies that hire graduates of accredited animation programs include Pixar and Industrial Light and Magic. Many opportunities can also be found on a "project by project" basis in which a team of animators (both junior and senior) is hired to work on a specific film for a given length of time.

Get Interactive: Video Games

The video game industry alone makes around $7 billion dollars a year. This industry is comprised of console-based games played on hardware such as Xbox and PlayStation, PC games, and multi-player online games such as the enormously popular World of Warcraft.

There are bachelor's programs in animation that focus specifically on the video game industry. Some schools offer programs that incorporate animation training into a larger video game curriculum. These degrees focused on video games are a recent development in response to the enormous growth of the industry. These programs often include a software or programming component. Classes to prime you for a job in video game development might include Game Analysis and Playability, Texture Mapping for Games, and Digital Color Theory.

Advertising: Animation That Sells

Advertising agencies and smaller design firms are always looking to create eye-popping campaigns for their clients. They need animators with skills in web design to create web shorts, animated banner ads, and web sites that create visual excitement with the aim of reaching consumers and differentiating a product in the crowded marketplace.

Many two- and four-year programs in animation add the option of taking classes in web design. Classes such as Web Page Design (which might include training in Dreamweaver or other web design software), Digital Illustration and Layout, and Multimedia: Audio-Video will give you the skills to start your career in the interactive advertising world.

Not-So-Funny Money

The U.S. Department of Labor has reported that the average median salary for animators is $56,330 a year - or approximately $27.00 an hour. The demand for multimedia artists and animators is expected to continue to grow as audiences want more realistic visual effects in their entertainment and companies continue to demand high-quality visual effects to promote their products.

With a degree in animation, your office could be a TV studio, major film corporation, commercial post-production facility, or any number of companies that are hiring animators today.

The animation business is all grown up!