In this competitive and rapidly changing global economy students are having to make hard choices about whether they can really afford to study what they are passionate about. Choosing a degree just because it has a defined career outcome is becoming more prevalent, and students often feel they are forced into a narrow field of study before they’ve had a chance to explore options, in what should be an intellectually adventurous time of their lives.

Animator and COFA digital media graduate Philip To has won an Annie Award, the animation industry’s highest accolade. The College of Fine Arts (COFA) at the University of New South Wales in Sydney is Australia’s premier art and design school.