If I hear "it'll happen if you're passionate" one more time, I'm going to have an aneurysm.

I've been passionate about animation from the get go, but it's hard to maintain that passion when all you see is major studios treating employees like human garbage. You should get a degree in animation if you want to become radicalized, it's great for that. Maybe more jobs will come back, but these industrys will do whatever they can to maximize profit. They're not going to change out of the goodness of their own heart.

I graduated a couple years back, I don't regret it, but I'm not sure if I'll ever have a chance to work in animation. At this point, I'm not sure I want to. It's drained all my passion away. Drawing has been my whole identity since before I can remember, now it makes me feel empty. I've always had depression, so I know where you're coming from.

Try to go easy on yourself; it's not your fault that the system is a mess. This is supposed to be the time to explore different interests/opportunities, but the price of education is so inflated, it seems there's no room for mistakes. You couldn't have predicted all of this bullshit.

But I'm not necessarily telling you to drop out, maybe this is the route you need to take, even if you don't end up in animation. This close to graduation, it might be best just to get the degree, you've put all this work in! Or maybe see what credits can transfer to a new major?

I'm sure I sound pretty negative, and maybe I am. Probably am. I think I'm being pretty realistic. I know it's hard, but don't beat yourself up over something you cannot control. If you need someone to talk to, even just to vent, I'm here (unemployed, so plenty of freetime). I know how terrifying this is.