10-17-2014, 09:49 PM
First!
I've only done CGMA environment design 1 with James Paick. First, some stuff specific to my class.
8 weeks. 600US. About 40 students spread over 2 classes.
Weekly 1 hr recorded video demos followed by an assignment, about 4 to 8 hours work per assignment, or as much as you wanted to put in
5 minute personalised crit videos on assignment each week, of minor use.
1 hour weekly live webinar, somewhat interesting, get to pose your own questions.
In my opinion it was totally worth the money for a few reasons.
1. I paid, so I was determined to get the most out of it. Definitely pushed me more than if I was on my own.
2. Crit, while brief, was to the point and useful, but not the highlight I had imagined it was going to be.
3. C&C : cameraderie and competition. I met some cool people in the same position (and not) as me, and I wanted to be better than them, so I tried even harder!!!
4. Structure, technique and workflow helped my own workflow immeasurably.
5. The biggest learning for me was that I realised that no matter how pro you get, fundamentals ALWAYS need to be applied and thought of with purpose, and not just known about or "kept in mind."
Downside was shitty time scheduling with a global classroom, and 1 on 1 crit with a 40 person class wasn't that great.
Overall I totally levelled up 3 times over what I could have done in the same time on my own. To me the combination of factors more than justified the price.
In general I find the basic rule is, as with anything, what you put in you get out.
Self teaching guides can be great, but sometimes you do need the extra push of money, mentor, competition and variety to help you push your own boundaries, and I believe this is the thing that always doesn't get mentioned when people moan about "how expensive" some online courses are. Tbh 600 US for an 8 week course is very cheap if you look at other businesses and professional training. It is probably understandable why this can be an often heard opinion on forums like CD given that most self learners in this game are young, poor and too inexperienced/immature to realise this.
As with anything to do with education the teacher really makes the most difference.
I believe courses with some measure of direct guaranteed 1 on 1 time and contact with peers and the instructor is great. A good engaged teacher with the right motivation will do wonders for you. Things like Noah's art camp where some mediocre dude gives you a few exercises and puts minimal effort in for hundreds of dollars based on purely their own internet hype are a total waste of time for anyone but the most beginner. Ironic given the rant about expensive inneffective art education espoused by said person, which if one were cynical, one might look dubiously at the temporal proximity between that post and the arrival of art camp. Just do a few google searches, scour a few forums and you can construct a study plan for only the time it took to do some research.
The lesson: smart and sneaky marketing goes a long way, so watch out for that shit.
I find the older one gets the better you get at self teaching and the less you will benefit from something that is generic like art camp. Real interactive teaching where the teacher is all about helping others rather than themselves will always be worth more. James Paick for example was a great and genuine teacher.
Gum road tutes and their ilk are a great insight into technique and workflow ideas, but worth about what you pay for. Watching a vid only doesn't make you better, having said that, there are gems to be found like the YouTube series by Shaddy Safadi which I would gladly pay money for after the fact, because of how awesome they are. Does he charge 600 for the recorded gold? Nope. Because he's not a complete ass. Lol
I've only done CGMA environment design 1 with James Paick. First, some stuff specific to my class.
8 weeks. 600US. About 40 students spread over 2 classes.
Weekly 1 hr recorded video demos followed by an assignment, about 4 to 8 hours work per assignment, or as much as you wanted to put in
5 minute personalised crit videos on assignment each week, of minor use.
1 hour weekly live webinar, somewhat interesting, get to pose your own questions.
In my opinion it was totally worth the money for a few reasons.
1. I paid, so I was determined to get the most out of it. Definitely pushed me more than if I was on my own.
2. Crit, while brief, was to the point and useful, but not the highlight I had imagined it was going to be.
3. C&C : cameraderie and competition. I met some cool people in the same position (and not) as me, and I wanted to be better than them, so I tried even harder!!!
4. Structure, technique and workflow helped my own workflow immeasurably.
5. The biggest learning for me was that I realised that no matter how pro you get, fundamentals ALWAYS need to be applied and thought of with purpose, and not just known about or "kept in mind."
Downside was shitty time scheduling with a global classroom, and 1 on 1 crit with a 40 person class wasn't that great.
Overall I totally levelled up 3 times over what I could have done in the same time on my own. To me the combination of factors more than justified the price.
In general I find the basic rule is, as with anything, what you put in you get out.
Self teaching guides can be great, but sometimes you do need the extra push of money, mentor, competition and variety to help you push your own boundaries, and I believe this is the thing that always doesn't get mentioned when people moan about "how expensive" some online courses are. Tbh 600 US for an 8 week course is very cheap if you look at other businesses and professional training. It is probably understandable why this can be an often heard opinion on forums like CD given that most self learners in this game are young, poor and too inexperienced/immature to realise this.
As with anything to do with education the teacher really makes the most difference.
I believe courses with some measure of direct guaranteed 1 on 1 time and contact with peers and the instructor is great. A good engaged teacher with the right motivation will do wonders for you. Things like Noah's art camp where some mediocre dude gives you a few exercises and puts minimal effort in for hundreds of dollars based on purely their own internet hype are a total waste of time for anyone but the most beginner. Ironic given the rant about expensive inneffective art education espoused by said person, which if one were cynical, one might look dubiously at the temporal proximity between that post and the arrival of art camp. Just do a few google searches, scour a few forums and you can construct a study plan for only the time it took to do some research.
The lesson: smart and sneaky marketing goes a long way, so watch out for that shit.
I find the older one gets the better you get at self teaching and the less you will benefit from something that is generic like art camp. Real interactive teaching where the teacher is all about helping others rather than themselves will always be worth more. James Paick for example was a great and genuine teacher.
Gum road tutes and their ilk are a great insight into technique and workflow ideas, but worth about what you pay for. Watching a vid only doesn't make you better, having said that, there are gems to be found like the YouTube series by Shaddy Safadi which I would gladly pay money for after the fact, because of how awesome they are. Does he charge 600 for the recorded gold? Nope. Because he's not a complete ass. Lol