I’ll try to keep this organized, so you guys can just read what you’re interested about Think Tank Training Centre. So right away, let’s just skip to the…
Final Verdict
Overall, I really enjoyed going to Think Tank Training Centre and have no complaints about the school or paying so much money for the course. See below to find out why!
I was too lazy to practice so my 2D drawing skills are still poor. Whatever, I got a job anyways. :P
How It Started
I always liked to sit in front of the computer, whether it were video games, random internet browsing, or any computer related courses. Back in high school I took some basic HTML and Flash classes just for fun, but that’s all the art knowledge I had prior to going to Think Tank. As far as drawing on paper goes… I still can barely draw a stickman. The school taught me life drawing, anatomy, about strong poses, silhouettes etc. but I was too lazy to practice so my 2D drawing skills are still poor. Whatever, I got a job anyways. :P
Why “Think Tank”?
I found out about Think Tank about 3 years ago from a banner on public transit on my way to a warehouse job. Their poster looked interesting and had a link to their site, so it was convenient to check out.
To be honest, I was pretty blown away by my first visit to the school. First, the school owners were really nice and did not seem to try and force me into signing up. They simply just told me what I’d learn, showed me around and answered all my questions. Second, the classrooms were cozy and only fit 8 brand new work stations per class, which meant individual attention. Third, the location was convenient. It was an hour away from home by transit, but the school was right by the sea bus, which made it easy to get to and I could study on the way there. Lastly, the price!
Think Tank Tuition – Taking A Loan And Paying It Back
Back when I signed up for the course, it was $20,000, which to me was a HUGE amount of money. Still, it was almost two times cheaper than VFS or AI, and I didn’t know jack about those other schools so the difference in price played a huge role. I also got a $2500 discount with my high school Flash portfolio, which was a surprise to receive considering my Flash stuff sucked. They just wanted to attract people I guess.
To afford the tuition, my dad and I had to take out a student loan. It was under my name but he had to co-sign since I was underage. To qualify and receive the loan took about two weeks, which was surprising as well. It was a real pain to find a bank to lend us this much money for just ONE year of schooling, but in the end RBC approved us.
After completing the Think Tank 3D program, I got a job 2 weeks after graduating as an animator at Nerd Corps and paid off my student loan in about 15 months. I lived with my family which obviously helped out.
Classmates And Faculty
One of the BEST things about the whole 3D industry is the people. Almost all of them are super friendly, helpful and nice. Many are geeky. Few are WAY too geeky though, where it’s painful to listen to, as they start rambling about dead pixels on their tv or best Lord of the Rings Character for hours, but that’s the minority.
We had a few students at Think Tank who came from different schools (Art Institute/VFS) to upgrade their skills.
We had a few students at Think Tank who came from different schools (Art Institute/VFS) to upgrade their skills, and if there’s space in the classroom they usually started either from 2nd or 3rd semester right away.
Soon all of my classmates and many students from other semesters became friends and we started hanging out, going for beers and were helping each other out. Many I’m still talking to via facebook and occasionally meet up with.
Also, once in a while the school has BBQs and parties to which all the current and ex-students are invited, as well as teachers and family members, which is really cool.
The classes are taught by many great industry professionals. They know what they are talking about. They are friendly, professional and are ready to answer any questions you might have regarding the lesson. Also if you let them, you can become actual friends and end up getting a job in their company with their help.
What Will You Learn?
A Think Tank Program consists of three semesters and lasts 12 months minus all the breaks and holidays, which is usually enough to learn everything you need, complete a demo reel and get a job right after. As mentioned earlier, classrooms consist of 8 dedicated, fully loaded work stations, and constantly upgraded computers. Right now the school is expanding and some classrooms have 12 students, which stay at their desks for the whole semester.
There are tons of things, but here’s a list of the main subjects you might get a job in: visual FX (explosions, fires, breaking stuff, etc.), 3D modeling (characters, game levels, etc.), rigging, animation (for games, movies, tv).
Learning SO MUCH In Just 12 Months… Is It Possible?
I want to be pretty clear on this and I will repeat myself again: YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD!!!
The first semester is pretty simple. You learn the basics of different software, do some really cool projects, learn a lot, but still have a lot of free time. Second semester you have almost double the classes, get tons of homework and learn about 3x more then you did in the first semester. Final semester is all about your final project (demo reel). By then you already know who you want to be, modeler/animator or whatever and will focus on constructing your project around it.
This is the time when you sit down, turn off youtube and facebook and WORK! If you don’t fuck around, put in 8 hours a day, 5 days a week before the economic crisis happened you could probably get a job. Maybe not a good position, but still one in the industry. That’s how I got my job. :D
If you’re hardcore and put in 12 hours a day 5 days a week or more, most likely you will get a good job and be making 35-45 thousand a year.
All of my classmates who finished their demo reels got a job.
Getting A Job
Right now the job placement for the school I think is @ 97%, which is INCREDIBLE, and this isn’t BS. All of my classmates who finished their demo reels got a job. So did the students before me, but I want to make this clear again.
***AND THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!***
You get what you put in. You have to WORK HARD and DO NOT SCREW AROUND.
The 3rd semester is only 4 months long. So just force yourself into putting in the hours, stop browsing the web and don’t just sit there playing games or watching sports. DO IT AFTER YOU GET A JOB!
Most people don’t seem to understand that as much fun it is to sit in front of the computer playing games, actually working on one is a whole different story.
Did I Get A Job And When?
After completing my demo reel 3 years ago, I was lucky to have my mentor from Think Tank help me get a job at Nerd Corps two weeks after graduation, which was AWESOME!
I ended up animating on a cool tv show for a year where I learned a lot. After getting enough experience I moved on to another Vancouver studio, where I ended up getting a raise and working for another year and a half.
Upgrading Free Of Charge
If for some reason you complete your demo reel and do not get a job right away but show that you worked hard, you’re welcome to stay at the school for FREE! and continue working on your project as long as there are free stations available.
The same day I called up the school owners and asked if I could come back and work on a new demo reel.
Recently I got laid off due to the financial crisis (many other companies are letting people go too), so the same day I called up the school owners and asked if I could come back and work on a new demo reel, to which they replied it would be also free of charge. If I wanted to have a mentor though, I would have to split the cost with another student, which is totally fair.
Since I wanted to get into gaming anyways, this opportunity was amazing and I am still currently working on my new project which is starting to look pretty good.
The Industry Catch
Okay, so here’s the catch!
The industry is really fun. Working on video games, movies or cartoons is a blast and relaxing (depending on the studio) atmosphere but it also has its price.
Anyone can learn to animate or model, but to truly understand the art and develop the passion behind it, takes time and not everyone can do it.
I guess what I’m trying to say is if you’re really GOOD at what you do, you will always have a job. But if you just want to get into this for money or to try and do the least amount of work and get a paycheck, it’s not going to happen. You will end up being stuck at a small studio, with a small to medium pay and will never have job security.
For those who are seriously considering 3D as a career and have the passion and a constant desire to learn and advance, you will always have a job in the most fun, exciting, and amazing industry in the world.
If you have any questions check out Think Tank’s site or feel free to e-mail me at xazard@gmail.com.
You can check out my demo reel at the link below. Cheers and good luck!
maxpolozov.blogspot.com
(7 votes, average: 4.14 out of 5)
Loading ...
Max
I searched through this website and discover tttc, I applied, and the tuition is raising non-stop, several years ago it is 20k, right now it is nearly 1.6 times of that, it seems like every semester they raise the tuition of $1000 more, which makes me feel uncomfortable.