Animation Career Information

The animation industry has changed radically with the advent of computer animation, and the use of complex animation software. However, the animator still has to have much of the traditional artistic talents, along with the ability to pay attention to detail in order to produce animation that is consistent across a large piece of work.

The kind of animator characteristics you will have to develop if you wish to become an animator are the ability to be able to work in a team; an animator is responsible for their own work, but it is a part of a much greater whole, and the animator may have to subsume their own artistic style to merge in the general feel of the whole piece of animation. Communication is important in a team, and as an animator you will have to learn to communicate with the team.

The animation industry is growing fast, as the demand for content for new media is great. Animators will be in increasing demand, but competition will be fierce, and you will need to be able to demonstrate that you will make a good animator. If you have the right animation characteristics, you can develop a good career in animation.

Animation Tools of the Trade

Animation software has gone through a major evolutionary cycle during the last ten years. Different packages have concentrated on different aspects of animation, or have looked at a particular set of applications that can benefit from their software, and so there is considerable market differentiation between different software.

Perhaps the package that most people will have come across is Flash by Macromedia. The software is aimed towards animation on the web, and has become the most popular package in this environment, mostly because it has a quick download time and is very robust. 3D Studio Max has become quite popular for the video games market, although it is beginning to make headway in film production as well.

Alias/Wavefront produces Maya, a very powerful and complex 3D graphics program. This is primarily aimed at the experienced computer animator, and produces professional modeling, texturing, animation, rendering and paint effects. Because it is so complex, Maya takes a great deal of time to become proficient in its use, but the level of professional results makes this investment worthwhile.

There are many other animation tools on the market, but if you are considering a career in animation, it is worthwhile remembering that animation software is simply a tool to use, you need to know the basics of animation and design, and you will need good drawing skills - expertise in animation software is no substitute for these skills.

About the Author

Peter provides career information related services and career counseling. In his spare time, Pete enjoys graphic design, digital photography, animation, and technology in general.

It was on January 1, 1776 that the Continental army was restructured and adjusted according to a Congressional resolution which heralded American forces to the command of George Washington. On that day, the American Continental Army was blockading Boston which had been taken over by the British army. It has been said that the first American flag was made in May of 1776 by Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress who was actually a friend of George Washington and acquainted with other prominent and high-ranking Philadelphians.

Ross suggested that the five-pointed star be used instead of the star with six points. This is because the five-pointed star can be cut off easily with a few trims of the scissors. It is also said that Betsy Ross was the one who made the flags for the Pennsylvanian navy. However, the first unofficial flag of America was called the Grand Union Flag, also known as the Continental Colors. It was raised at the order and command of General Washington close to his headquarters outside Boston January 1, 1776. This first unofficial flag was composed of thirteen alternating white and red horizontal stripes, with the British Union Flag in the canton. However, the first official American flag was accepted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. This flag was also known as the Stars and Stripes for it consisted of 13 stars which represented the first 13 colonies. However, there is no assurance of who actually designed and made this flag. It is said that it was Francis Hopkinson, a Continental Congress member, designed the flag.

However, between 1777 and 1960, the Congress implemented procedures that varied its shape, design and structure of the flag. And it was decided that there was a need for additional starts to represent all the states of America. It was on January 3, 1959 that President Eisenhower issued an executive order which states that the arrangement of the stars should be in six horizontal rows of eight, each single point of every star directed upward. In 1791 and 1792, after Kentucky and Vermont were added to the Union, two stars and two stripes were added during 1795.

This brought inspiration to lawyer Francis Scott Key to write and compose a poem which later became the U.S. National Anthem. It was in 1818 that five more states had been added and declared and the Congress decided to pass legislation that fixes the number of stars and stripes. The stars would have equal numbers as the states. On July 4, 1960, the last new star was added after Hawaii became a state, which gives a total number of fifty stars. The American Flag has been the emblem of the nation’s power and harmony for more than 200 years. It serves as the binding material that brings millions of citizens together in attaining one goal.

About the Author

Jeff Linaker has an interest in general knowledge topics. To access more articles on American flags or for additional information and resources visit this American flag related website.

Civilian Careers in the US Air Force

This article gives you tips on applying for a civilian job with US Air force/

 3 step process of applying for a job

• Submit a properly formatted resume
• Review vacancy at http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/afjobs  
• Apply for jobs

   

Dos and Donts when applying for air force civilian job

                Use the resume writer at Resume Writer at: http://ww2.fpc.randolph.af.mil/resweb/resume.htmhttp://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/afjobs

 You can also submit your resume by regular mail to

HQ AFPC/DPKRS

Attn: Recruitment Service Center

555 E Street West Suite 01

Randolph AFB TX 78150-4530

Bases

United States

Air Intelligence Agency (AIA) http://aia.lackland.af.mil/homepages/dp/jobs.asp

Hill Air Force Base, Utah http://www.hill.af.mil/civpers/outside.htm

Robins Air Force Base http://www.robinsjobs.com/

Tinker Air Force Base http://www.tinker-af.org/jobs/employment.htm

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base https://www.wpafb.af.mil/personnel/civilian/employment/

 Overseas bases

 Aviano Air Base, Italy http://www.aviano-cpo.org/

 Incirlik Air Base, Turkey https://wwwmil.incirlik.af.mil/

 Lajes. Azores http://www.lajes.af.mil/job_vacancies.html

 Mildenhall Air Base, England https://wwwmil.mildenhall.af.mil/index.htm

 Ramstein Air Base, Germany https://wwwmil.ramstein.af.mil/index1.htm

 Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany http://www.spangdahlem.af.mil/52MSG/CPF/default.asp

 Read the FAQ at

https://webcolab.afpc.randolph.af.mil/Scripts/employment.cfg/php.exe/enduser/std_alp.php

Other Usefule websites 

9 Tips on Creating a Professional Emailed Job Application

by: Angela Wu

With the advent of the Internet, many of us have the opportunity to apply for work through email.
However, just because this is the Internet and email is so fast and convenient, that does NOT mean you should give up professionalism and polish!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT.  I recently looked over a few emailed applications, and let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience!  Here are a few examples of how *not* to do things…

One person simply forwarded the job description to the hiring company.  There was no explanatory letter, no name (just some garbled email address), no nothing.  Why should a company want to hire someone who can’t be bothered to make an effort?
Several people got the name of the hiring party wrong. Some misspelled it, others substituted someone else’s name.
Spelling mistakes, typos, grammatical errors, and formatting problems like you wouldn’t believe.  One person said that her greatest strength was her attention to ‘detal’ (should have been ‘DETAIL’); another said it was his responsibility to ‘a tent to customers’ (’ATTEND to customers’).

It almost goes without saying that you should always follow the application instructions provided. If you’re inquiring or applying for a job - regardless of whether it’s online or in the ‘real world’ - there are certain rules of etiquette that apply:

GREET THE PERSON.  Don’t just barge in and start writing.  A simple "Dear ___" is great.
CORRECTLY SPELL THE COMPANY NAME AND THAT OF THE HIRING MANAGER.  If you don’t know how to spell them, take a few seconds and find out.
INDICATE WHAT POSITION YOU’RE APPLYING FOR.  Be specific; the company may be hiring for more than one job.
PROVIDE A BRIEF SUMMARY OF YOUR RELEVANT SKILLS. Keep it short and to the point.
CHECK YOUR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR.  It takes just a few minutes.  If you are not confident about doing this yourself, ask a friend or family member to check it over for you.
BE COURTEOUS!  Don’t make demands.  Remember that the *only* thing the hiring manager sees is your email - he or she can’t see your facial expressions or body language, so take extra care in the words you select and how you put them together.
FORMAT YOUR EMAIL TO 60 CHARACTERS PER LINE. Many email programs automatically ‘word-wrap’ somewhere between 60 and 70 characters.  Add a hard return when you reach 60 characters on a line; this will ensure the company gets a nicely formatted application, just like you intended.
TELL THEM HOW TO CONTACT YOU.  As the bare minimum, leave your phone number and email address.
AND FOR GOODNESS SAKES, TELL THEM YOUR *NAME*. This is so obvious it’s painful, yet I’ve seen dozens of applications there are not signed.  End your letter with ‘Sincerely’, ‘Regards’ or ‘Yours Truly’, and then sign your name.

Competition for home based jobs is fierce, and companies can afford to be choosy.  Don’t give them a reason to pass you by!  Professionalism still counts - even on the web.

About The Author

Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical guide for eBusiness beginners. You can find OBB along with solid home business ideas, freelance and telecommuting job updates, free magazine subscriptions, and much more at eWorkingWomen, http://www.eworkingwomen.com/join.html. Come find out how you too can work from home

Less than 7% of applicants are successful in landing that ideal job. Competition is fierce, so to avoid disappointment it’s useful to know what not to do in order to increase your chances of interview success. In a recent research study undertaken by Extra Sensory Perception Limited, commissioned by on-line recruitment company Ifoundwork, over 50 recruiter’s from key industry sectors in the UK were questioned about the traits that they most like and dislike in an applicant. When asked about the things that made a negative impression on them during the interview process certain trends emerged. The eight traits below are the trends that most annoyed prospective employers.

Should you want to give yourself the best chance of impressing a prospective employer, review the eight traits below and avoid them - like the plague! To get this ‘things not to do in an interview’ list, the question that the employer was asked was "Remembering back to the last time you interviewed for a position, of the people you rejected, how could you tell that they were not really suited to the job?" The qualitative answers provided were then clustered into generic areas. Qualifications were excluded from the sample, so only the impression left from the interview process was counted. It’s the remaining outputs from the general clusters that make up the eight traits.

The research suggests that employer’s dislike and will not employ applicants who:

1. A lack of real interest or enthusiasm.

2. Unkempt unsuitable or untidy personal appearance.

3. Little or no ability to communicate clearly.

4. A lack of rapport, especially little or no eye contact.

5. Poor, incomplete or sloppy application form.

6. Being late for the interview.

7. An unwillingness to start low and work up the corporate ladder.

8. Negative attitude, specifically about past employers.

Not surprisingly, if more than one of these traits that were noticed during the interview the chances of success significantly reduced. So, avoiding any of these common pitfalls will dramatically improve your chance of landing that perfect job. If you would like to see full copy of the research findings they are available as a free pdf download from www.virtual-therapist.com Either way if you avoid all of the above at least you’ll give yourself a chance to become one of the 6-7% of applicants who are successful. Good Luck!

About the Author

Jim Brackin contributes tips, help and advice on popular psychology to variety of magazines like Cosomopolitan and Women’s Own. He is the body language expert for Sky News (UK) and developed www.personaliteye.com that provides free visually based personality profiles and contributes to www.virtual-therapist.com