Mmm, as a fellow potential art major, here are my two cents on the matter.

A lot of what gets popular on Deviantart is popular simply because it is geared towards the target audience of dA. dA is not really a good representation of the real world, or even the majority of the internet at all, no matter what it seems like. The target audience here is quite young, around 11-18, and as such, their tastes are pretty different from the rest of the population.
Similarly, the Anime/manga style is almost entirely limited to the internet and the denizens thereof. You should know as well as I do that anime/manga fans, while plentiful, only make up a fraction of the population. It's a pretty limited range, and there's not too much you can do with it.
From my point of view, a good base will open up a lot of doors. Knowing proportions, anatomy, figures, color theory, composition, and all those elements that make up art work will never harm your work and will enhance your art no matter what style you choose. Knowing how to draw realistically will enable you to better draw in what ever style you want, whether it is anime or realism, or some other style that is neither of the two. These are essential to the creation of good art, no matter what.

You can apply a lot of stuff you learn from traditional drawing to anything else you do. I always remember my color theory, figure drawing, and artistic sense when I'm doing realism, painting, or anime. Having a strong base is what will get you ahead in the real world. Chances are, your employer will not know what Naruto is, but will be looking for someone who can be flexible in terms of style and have something unique to offer in terms of creativity.
For an art site more representative of the professional world, you might want to check out [link] . You don't have to join, but I guarantee taking a look will be helpful for seeing the other stuff out there.

Honestly, I'm not too big a fan of dA, since it hosts a large amount of low-brow art (like consuming empty calories) but there are some amazing artists.

Anyway, in terms of tl;dr-ing (since this is a massive chunk of unintentional text), having a good base is important. It lets you do what you want to do, not do what you can do. If you still want to do anime art, nothing stops you from doing it if you enjoy it, but you can still do it at the same time as realism. They're not mutually exclusive at all, as long as you know how to separate them (but also enhance them).

Take confidence in your own ability! Skill will always be acknowledged and will definitely get you further in life. Go do some figure drawing! It's very fun, but it takes a bit to get used to.


Anyway, that was really long. I had this whole debate in my head before so...yeah. I know that feeling.
What are you thinking of doing for the CS part? It sounds really interesting : D
Game design maybe?

--
I say "HEY" and you say "YOU" and I say "Go visit [link]"

Wow, that was really helpful. *bows down to the wise* I forgot that there's a world beyond the community of the internet that actually likes art that isn't anime. Wow. I need to take a vacation to RL.

I am not a tl;dr person! *sulks* All of it was quite enlightening, actually. It seems like you really thought this over too once! One frustrating thing is that I adore using Photoshop and a tablet, and still life doesn't really allow for that unless you're drawing something that can fit on your desk. A model = lolwtf. BUT I SWEAR I WILL WEASEL MY WAY INTO ART 290 IN FALL AAAAARGHHHH (model drawing class. impossible to get into, only 15~ish slots)

As for CSE, if I can survive the hellishness, I will SO be a game designer. Coupled with art and some 3D modeling skills, I could make my own rudimentary games! Ohyes. ohyesohyesohyes.

--
Etsy Keychains Galore: [link]
Lotsa WoW and MS fan keychains
Take a look, mention your dA name when ordering and get a free magnet!

omg
how old ish you? ._.
i think you has a future in jewlery design and that stuff ^.^
well..
my opinions are usually off so..
yeah
well...
like Alranth said, i agree that manga/anime style is meant for the younger people ..
sure its a start if you want to get your name out there first, but in the long run, unless you want to become a manga-ka.. i don't think i'd stick with the anime style stuff...
i should have more to say.. but my brain is like dead now..
i'll write more later maybe

--
will you be my fwend?

[link] moar pageviews pl0x

Hahah, I've completely buried my head in the internet too.

But yeah. People'll always acknowledge skills unless they're seriously weird conceptual elitists. Don't worry about those people, though.

Anyway, for computer art, I think it's fine to diverge away from realism and go more into the color and composition category, since that is more what the computer was designed for. To me, there's other art that's more suited to the digital medium than realism. I just like painting shiny things on the computer xD

Traditional mediums really do help though! (They do, however, make me crave a Cintiq).

Fight tooth and nail for that class! It sounds awesome x3


Hahah, I somehow knew it. That sounds like a metric tonne of fun! Game designing sounds really awesome x3

--
I say "HEY" and you say "YOU" and I say "Go visit [link]"

You already have your own style ! I don't know hundreds girls doing plushies, jewels and anime drawings the way you do. That's why I follow your work !

You shouldn't worry about audience nor about "finding your own style". This style already exist and will grow up as you do what you like ! And you'll find people that like what you do.

Even if you would try your best to be normal, you won't succeed ! Everything you do is unique (unless you use a photocopier ^^)!

Maybe you shouldn't even bother about technical drawing style that much. Is it really important ? Can't a plushie be cute even if it's not looking realistic ?

(I have so much things to say, but it's quite painful to translate everything in English ^^)

Lawl!

Well, I'm 18. I'd love working in jewelry and plushie making and stuff like that, but well... You need epic funds for that. You need money to buy the wire, the beads, the gems, and why would people want to buy expensive homemade jewelry when they can get flashier stuff from a local shop for cheap? And with plushies, the cost/income ratio is just horrendous. HORRENDOUS.

I guess I could build a teensy business in anime-themed accessories (like the wing clips) but well... with the crap economy, no one really has the kind of money to drop $10 for a clip or necklace. =__=

graaaghblaargh.

--
Etsy Keychains Galore: [link]
Lotsa WoW and MS fan keychains
Take a look, mention your dA name when ordering and get a free magnet!

woaaahz

--
will you be my fwend?

[link] moar pageviews pl0x

what were you expecting? -sweatdrop-

--
Etsy Keychains Galore: [link]
Lotsa WoW and MS fan keychains
Take a look, mention your dA name when ordering and get a free magnet!

i was expecting u to be my age or younger ._.

--
will you be my fwend?

[link] moar pageviews pl0x