Shamus Culhane said in his book Animation, From Script to Screen,
"...over 90 percent of any group of workers are unwilling to further their abilities by study -- unless it happens during working hours and the boss supplies the means. ...So, for the ambitious neophyte, these figures should be reassuring: The competition consists of less than 10 percent of the animation profession."
I post this for every student and newbie animator out there. I hear young animators complain about competition in the field and howt they are not moving ahead in their careers the way they hoped. Guess what? YOU make it happen. When I started out, I was committed 110% to learning everything i could about animation. I didn't go to animation school, so I read every book I could... Animated every day - outside of work, to get better... And, studied constantly. I found mentors who coached me. Back then, there were not even half the resources animators have to day. So, less chatter and more keyframes!