Rarely

Very rarely do I actually care about anything that isn't related to my wife or videogames, but I've had a very longstanding dream to become a professional animator. My plan has always been something like this:

1. Do Art
2. ??
3. Make Cartoons
4. Profit!

Unfortunately step 2 has always eluded me, but now that my enlistment is coming to an end, it's high time I get my shit together to fill in this missing step.

Right now that would be getting in to CalArts' Character Animation program. Although I picked CalArts a while ago, I didn't really realize how prestigious it actually is. CalArts, and more specifically, the Character Animation program, is one of the most difficult art programs in the country to get accepted to. It's something like an 8% acceptance rate, and 15 students per semester. While that's somewhere between holy shit and omygawd, I honestly think I have a chance.

Now, I know it would be weird to think that someone without a high school diploma, degree, or even good grades would be able to make it into a program such as this. However, CalArts is also notorious for not basing their acceptance off of grades, they look for talent. This, and probably only this, will put me in the position I need to get accepted. Honestly, I have to be an extremely unique case at CalArts. This will make it easier for me to get noticed there.

When going up against what I can assume is mostly high school graduates, 18 years of age or so, I have a couple of things on them.

-I have prior college experience, with decent grades.
-I'm not 18, I'll be 23 and thus viewed possibly as being more responsible.
-I'm a combat artist. I doubt any of those kids have either been to Iraq or done any kind of unique professional work.
-I am already educated in art to a point that I know is above the majority of 18 year old kids.
And lastly...
-I'm awesome.

I've already been talking to a counselor, and before that my emails were flooding the CalArts help desk so much they referred me to someone specific--thus letting me know that they probably know my name by now.

I'm pretty confident, even though the odds would seem to be stacked against me on paper, that I will get accepted into CalArts. The only thing I don't have going for me is the GI Bill and California not being too happy together. Hopefully these issues will be fixed soon and it won't cause me any problems while I try to pay the costly $34,000 a year tuition.