“I learned that my degree has not given me anything really substantial.”

Nikkos Horaitis graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a degree in media arts. Years later he is working as a lifeguard while attending a Utah-based online school to earn a certification in 3D animation. Horaitis understands the importance of a conventional four-year education, but has come to realize that employers in his field are hiring for skills, not diplomas.

Nathan Brown: Can you tell me about your past experience with higher education?

Nikkos Horaitis: I can say that it may not have been the thing for me, you know, you live and learn. I learned that my degree has not given me anything really substantial. There are some problems with the program that I found. But I also see that there is a need for higher education, such as Whitewater, for other aspects. I do not expect you to go into the medical field without a good old biology degree or something in biology and chemistry. God, I hope you do.

Q: Can you tell me about your past experience with higher education?

A: I can say that it may not have been the thing for me, you know, you live and learn. I learned that my degree has not given me anything really substantial. There are some problems with the program that I found. But I also see that there is a need for higher education, such as Whitewater, for other aspects. I do not expect you to go into the medical field without a good old biology degree or something in biology and chemistry. God, I hope you do.

Q: Could you tell me about some of the problems with your program?

A: The problem with the program at its core was that it was trying to make us jacks of all trades; when any industry in media arts wants you to be specialized. I had to dig around and ask one of the professors to give me a one-on-one class to learn how to start animating properly. There are a few things in that program that were substantial enough, like graphic design, and even maybe motion graphics, but not other things.

Q: Since the program wasn’t as specialized compared to the industry standard, did the university provide any opportunities for internships to get more of the specialized knowledge and skills from the workforce?

A: It’s hard to say, this might be where I dropped the ball myself. There was a career opportunity and assistance center, but I always felt I was too busy to go to it. I wanted to be a 3D animator. Who in that department was going to know some local spots to get animation internships? I had to ask my own professor how to do that. I think that might have been how it was for a few others who wanted to really get into the arts. But even then, we were not all completely up to industry standard. So why would jobs want to look to us?

Q: How do the classes you took and your degree at Whitewater compare to the courses at your animation school?

A: All the fat is trimmed off. Over the course of almost two years now, I’ve learned way more in that school about animation than I did in Whitewater. My school has a reputation to hold. If you graduate from there, you should have some opportunities. They want you to be very good. They’re very critical of their own students sometimes too. Their whole mission was to get you the job in animation. That was the end goal, teach you how to be good at animation so you can get the job. I think that’s the big difference. My current School just wants me to get that job. Whitewater, I’m still figuring out what their objective was. I’m sure they maybe wanted me to get a job, but I think the results kind of speak for themselves.

Q: Do you believe that with the reputation of that school, you’ll have an easier time finding an internship and a career in animation?

A: In the animation industry the reputation from a school only means a little. Let’s just use an extreme example. ‘Oh, you came from Harvard? Well, good for you. Show me rocket science right here in this office. Can you do it? No. Well, you didn’t get the job.’ That’s sort of the same thing in the animation industry. ‘Oh, you came from that school? Show me how to do an acting shot within three days. Oh, you didn’t do it? I don’t care if you came from that specific school. You didn’t do good.’ I think what really matters is that my school holds itself in high regard because of the work its students have created. Our reputation isn’t just something to get people in the door. Whoever came from our school has a better chance because they learned from us, not because of our name. That’s sort of the goal. At least that’s what I was told early on. You don’t even have to put our name on the resume, even though it would help, just put out good work.

Q: One final question. If you could go back to your 18-year-old self, just out of high school, what advice would you give yourself?

A: If I’m going to mess with the laws of physics and time, I’d just tell myself that it’s going to be okay, to have confidence in the process. Even though I didn’t get much professionally out of Whitewater, I still got a lot of good experiences, and I learned lessons. What I would tell myself to change is to pursue more ventures in bettering my artistic abilities. I’d tell myself specific things like better yourself in figure drawing, go to those drawing classes, draw daily, do something so you have that skill set, or ask that professor that you knew earlier for those one-on-one classes. That’s really all I would tell myself, just to have confidence because it’s worked out. It’s been a pretty solid ride so far. There were bumps in the road, you know, those four years in Whitewater, but it’s working out.