Illustrator Rachel Gyan understands how daunting it can be to embark on an animation career by relying on YouTube tutorials and blogs.

Her initial attempts to learn by herself bore some fruit, but as curiosity turned to passion, she found it increasingly difficult to make the skill gains she wanted.

"I decided to try and teach myself how to use After Effects but quickly realised I wasn't really getting anywhere with it," Rachel said. "I think it's difficult if you don't know what to Google, or the terminology."

Rachel's trial and error led her to Jumbla Academy.

"I was really interested in pursuing animation and motion design to see where I could take the illustration I'd been doing on the side," she said.

"Jumbla Academy was really aligned with the sort of work I like to do - lots of characters. I also really liked that there were different tiers of courses. It specifically called out that 'if you're a beginner, we can teach you'."

Rachel was among 32 graduates in Jumbla Academy's class of 2018 and she's now well on her way to industry employment. In fact, her time at academy was so impressive that she secured a spot in Jumbla's 12-week animation internship program in mid 2019.

Rachel said while there were challenges along the way, the rewards were worth the effort.

"I quickly learned that this was a fast-tracked course, but the thing is, you get the support you need," she said.

"Halfway through, I was finding it really challenging, just managing freelance life with study. I shared all my concerns with Lahiru and every single day I was in here he would take the time to sit with me, go over stuff if it wasn't making sense, and he really nurtured me. It was a really tailored experience.

"I've come out better for it because of that one-to-one interaction. I would consider this as a career changer for me." 

Ready to launch your career in animation? Find out which Jumbla Academy stream suits your goals and download a course infopack today.