Your location, available funds and the subject you wish to focus on will affect your choice of school, however your success really does come down to your hard work and dedication to improvement and quality. It is for example, possible to learn without schooling, however it would be much more difficult and you would miss the opportunity to meet and work with others that share your passion. These friends will also help you when you need it and form part of your professional network, which could also be important as you get into your career.
As to the implications of school choice, this can affect working internationally due to visa requirements, so depending on your intentions for destinations, this might be something you would want to research. For example, gaining a degree, diploma or a non-recognised certificate from some online courses will affect the visa entry requirements for some countries.
Studying abroad can be a great opportunity and life experience. If you think you might want to study abroad, we encourage you to do your research the destination, the school/university, the program and fees associated with the program. An example of an oversees program that we are proud to be part of is the Master of Animation and Visualisation at the UTS Animal Logic Academy based in Sydney, Australia, where you have the benefit of both Academic and industry professional learning opportunities with artists from our Sydney studio.