<p>Not sure what the ‘animation ghetto’ is but I’ll take a shot at answering some of your questions. </p>
<p>Availability of 2d vs. 3d will depend a Lot on the school of course. Some may be more focused in a specific area while others will give a broader education. Is your son interested primarily in becoming an animator or all aspects of animation, eg design, characters, story boarding, backgrounds etc for 2d. </p>
<p>There are definitely more jobs in 3d than 2d. A lot of today’s 2d animation is very stylized stuff done in flash for both web and tv. There’s no pay hierarchy but often 3d gets paid more if your expertise is in an area of demand. Top 2d artists are paid well also but those folks often come from a solid traditional art and illustration background. Check the California local animation union pay rates PDF for an idea of general union wages. </p>
<p>Maybe clarifying areas of interest and artistic vs technical leanings will help with replies also</p>