There are some obvious things that you need to get started. You need to have skill, talent and a portfolio or demo reel. The skills require a significant investment in time and study. How much money you invest depends on how you approach your education. You can acquire the necessary skills at school or through diligent study at home with some good software and time.
Talent comes with practice and experience.
And jobs come from having a good portfolio and demo reel that show an employer what you can do. The Academic Approach When evaluating schools there are some key criteria I suggest you keep in mind. Some schools teach just the technical skills. While that might qualify you to be a computer operator, it's a sad experience to graduate and realize you don't have the design and conceptual skills necessary to be an animator. So, take a careful look at that school before you enroll.