Explore career options in animation
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles your animation studies may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
Animators have the skills to produce original films, from script to screen, including concept development, storyboarding, 2D, 3D and stop-motion character animation, editing, sound recording, visual effects and post-production, and the ability to apply relevant information approaches to specific projects.
An animation degree prepares you for work in 2D, 3D and stop-motion animation and visual effects across film, television, comics, computer games and interactive media companies, for print, television, cinema and online. Increasingly, there are opportunities for animators in the health, education and science sectors.
Career fields
- Animation in 2D, 3D and stop-motion
- CGI/visual effects
- Character and environment design in 2D and 3D
- Game production
- Graphic design companies
- Scriptwriting
- Storyboarding and pre-visualisation
- Illustration and comics
- Education and training
- Graphic art
- Compositing and matte painting
- Artistic direction
- Film production and editing
- Production/project management
- Sound production and editing
- Web design
- Software publishing
- Advertising and public relations
- Mobile technologies
Employment roles
- Animator
- Technical artist
- 3D artist, sculptor or modeller
- 3D visualiser
- Gaming artist
- Motion graphics designer
- Graphic layout artist
- Concept designer/art direction
- Storyboard artist
- Comic artist
- Games UI artist
- Graphic designer—video and digital
- Video editor
- Digital designer
- Multimedia designer
- Content creator
- Digital art director
- UX/UI designer
- Production/project manager
- Illustrator
Freelancing
Financial management and networking are important aspects of freelancing.
If you are considering freelancing, you may benefit from the services and advice of these organisations:
- business.gov.au
- Business Queensland
- Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand
- Design Institute of Australia
- Design Research Society
- Australian Graphic Design Association
- The Professional Association for Design
- Australian Design Alliance.
Occupation snapshot
Employed
3,400
Future demand
Strong
Weekly earnings
$1,108
Part-time share
30%
This data is based on the occupation profile for illustrators (including animators), retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia website and the YourCareers website September 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- GradConnection
- Australian Public Service Jobs
- Australian Local Government Directory
- Queensland Government jobs
- NSW Government jobs
- Seek
- ScreenHub
- Adzuna
- Animation World Network
- Artisan
- ArtsHub
- TIGA
- Screen Australia
Notable alumnus: Lachlan Pendragon
Lachlan Pendragon, a Griffith Film School alumnus, gained recognition at the 95th Academy Awards for his stop-motion short film titled "An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It." The film blurs the lines between viewing experience and filmmaking process, featuring a telemarketer who questions reality after encountering a talking ostrich. Lachlan's dedication to animation and breaking stereotypes has earned him acclaim and award nominations worldwide.
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. Relevant associations include:
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to promoting quality education, decent work, and industry, innovation and infrastructure, working towards a world where innovation drives sustainable development.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Similar career options
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.