LONG mundane story...

went to art school, studied design principles/advertising
worked at Six Flags doing caricature for about 4 years; in the offseason worked at an art supply store
got an office job
worked PT at the art store while working FT office job; decided to make my own comics & self publish
somewhere along the way got into messing around with computers(because digital lettering & porn...lol)
took a hiatus from art to do the "parent" thing
just started back doing comics 3 years ago

I'm still working an office gig coz that pays the bills, but I like the fact that I was able to reconnect with making my comics again- it has brought a level of peace/tranquil that I had been missing for years...

After high school I went to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia PA and got my BFA in Illustration. I really enjoyed studying illustration because I got to learn new techniques, color theory, and composition... but I think the best part was having interacting with the faculty who are all professional artists. I learned a lot of things they don't teach you in art books like dealing with clients and agents and prices and taxes and contracts all that stuff that might seem boring but is really important if you want a career in the arts.

That being said, I do think you should consider if you want a career as an artist or if you just enjoy doing it as a hobby. If you choose are as a career, chances are you won't find stability right out of college, you'll be working a job doing whatever (waiting tables, retail, bank teller, dog walker, etc) while trying to find art jobs at night and on weekends. Even once you start finding good art gigs, you might not be able to quit your day job depending on the pay and if you have student loans. I'm not sure how much art school costs in Spain, so maybe that's not as big of a problem as it is here in the US.

That's where I am right now, I'm starting to get freelance jobs more consistently and the pay is getting better and better... but I still don't feel comfortable leaving my day job completely. So right now I'm working 3 days at a little shop that sells "functional art" (a job that I'm pretty sure I got because of my art degree as the other people who work here all studied art too, before that I was a waitress and making much less) and doing graphic novel work pretty much ALL the time when I'm not at my day job. I'm really happy with where I am, but it can get tiring...

In summation: art is hard work, especially when it comes to making that your main source of income, really think about it before choosing it as your focus for university!

I went to school for animation right out of high school. Like... literally, graduated high school on Friday, and had my first day of college on Monday. I went to school for five years, first focusing on traditional animation, and eventually shifting over to storyboarding.

Since I've been out of school I've been mostly doing freelance, primarily storyboards. I worked as an in-house cinematic artist for ~10 months doing animated cutscenes for a game, but outside of that I've been self-employed. I like my work because 1) it's storyboarding so I don't have to ink and colour anything :B and 2) jobs are quick and brief so I don't get burnt out on any one project.

Though to be honest, if I were thinking of art school today, I wouldn't go. I don't know your financial situation, or what kind of programs there are for artists in Spain, but in the U.S. private art school tuitions get higher every year to where I personally don't think it's a worthwhile investment. Especially when there are a lot of less-expensive alternatives like online mentorships.

Basically, student loans suck and if you can avoid being in debt forever, do that! A great thing about being an artist is you don't NEED a degree to find work. I went to school because I wanted to learn the skills faster, but I was under no impression that my BFA would get me jobs. Employers are more concerned with your skills first.

By the way, you have some nice artistic skills already! Keep on drawing and working on improving your skills, and don't fret too much about what kind of work you'll be doing. Chances are you'll find a niche over time that will interest you.

Sat in my room for three months after graduation until I decided what I wanted to do with my life. Season 3 finale of Legend of Korra came out on my birthday, seeing that one tear roll down Korras' face as the credits rolled and the claps still echoing I decided I wanted to make cartoons/comics. Cartoons and comics that can give someone the same feeling I felt that day,that a 2d fictional character was as real as me and had actual emotions.

After I got kicked out of high school I cried.

Then I got this huge wave of relief and felt so free, and all the rage and anger that I thought would plague me for the rest of my life left and I turned into a whole different person.

Then I got a job that wasn't night-shift (had to work at night when going to school)

Got a dog.

Picked up gaming again.

Got back into writing and art.

Lived a fucking happy life I thought I would never be capable of ever having while in school.

I dropped out of the thing I'd call highschool when I was 15 to do some artschool for lower educated people. (People rarely drop out in my country) I finished it in 3 years instead of four, and went to an higher level artschool. (The school I wanted to go to ever since I was a little bean)

Too badly, the school changed a lot over the years, and I really hate how it is now. But dropping out twice wouldn't look very good on my resume

I've rather unhappy the past 2 years, while I was very happy back at my 'lower education art school'.
I hope one day I can go back there, to become a teacher or a janitor for all I care

Decided to go into 3D after being introduced in highschool. I attended SVA and majored in computer arts. Seems to be a good field for work as well as vfx or graphic design. It pays unlike other art fields. Right now i've graduated college and looking for work in 3D animation.

I started to be a youtuber, got 50k suscribers but then I got to a fight of one of my youtube best friend (cilio gamer) who had 300 k subs at that time and I decided to stop being a youtuber.
Now I'm studying English Literature and doing comics in my free time, and I'm friend again with Cilio XD

I went to art school to study animation. I just graduated this year.

After graduating high school, I started college right after summer break was over. I went for 5 years, completing a major and attempting a second one, but dropped the second one part way through it because I had to pay entirely out of pocket for it. A few months after I graduated, I got another job.

I got back into working on my comic, but it's only this year that I've been able to update it regularly.

When I went to college, I expected that I could only do art as a hobby if time allowed for it, and work full-time. I don't regret going to college, but feels bittersweet to think that after graduating, I eventually wanted to be a freelance artist. I still have a job, and I don't expect to be able to do freelance work full-time, but I'd be happy if I could make some income through it.

From Latvia.

Took a humanitarian program in high-school but the school fucked us over and that exact year didn't get psychology which was the whole point of me choosing it.

After graduating in 2012, I had no idea what to do with my life. So for the time being I worked in the UK at a place my brother got me. I would occasionally return to Latvia for hanging out with friends and so on but other than that I basically lived with my brother in UK for 2 years.

I meant to take just one gap year whoops. I tried applying to an art school in the UK but I didn't have a sufficient portfolio nor a good understanding of the schooling system nor what to do, so that flubbed. I decided to go back to Latvia and go to university for psychology which is where I am now.

Art and storytelling -wise I am self-taugh and chill about it. The internet is full of resources so I don't much feel like paying for art-related schooling when what I want can be achieved by just doing it. I took psych because it's interesting and helpful with thinking about characters. Art school would be good for connections, mainly.

I'm drawing and finally doing a webcomic so... Yeah. That's what's up. I'm still at a point where idk what my future will be but eh.

Well, I immediately enrolled in college and while in college; I majored in English, worked freelance designing tattoos, album covers for local bands, posters (for said local bands as well), freelance portraiture, and involved myself in art galleries (everything on a shoe-string budget, mind you). After college, I took the first job I could get (which was IT and nothing to do with what I went to college for), used it to pay off my loans, and once that was paid I ended up getting the kind of job I actually associated with what I went to college for: Editing. So, now I work as an editor, I also write books, make comics and on occasion I do artwork for youtube videos. : D

¡Hola colega!
Yo también soy española, y estuve en tu lugar. Tenía mis webcomics, y amaba pero el arte, pero para cuando terminé el instituto (mis padres me obligaron a meterme a la rama tecnólogica) estaba hasta las narices de estudiar. Así que decidí no meterme en la universidad.
Antes de terminar siquiera el insti, empecé a trabajar a tiempo completo en hacerme un portfolio artístico, acepté trabajar gratis en fanzines españoles como 1936 y empecé a conocer a tantos artistas como podía. En tan solo unos 5 meses ya estaba trabajando, y van cuatro años ya. Con tan solo 21 añitos, hoy día trabajo en DC Comics y Blizzard, y también tengo mis propios cómics
Solo quería darte un poco de perspectiva sobre el hecho de que NO necesitas estudiar arte para meterte en este mundillo, es todo práctica y contactos.

¡Un saludo, y mucha suerte!

After graduating from high school I went to the university. But art was never my main focus. I studied German Philology, I wanted to be a translator. But at the end of the 3rd year I changed my mind and canceled. Studying wasn't fun anymore. Actually it was a struggle from day one, but gradually getting worse. The system was rigged and disorganized. Meh.

I traveled Southern Mexico, given that I was expelled in 11th grade. It was rather nice.