What is the difference between multimedia and animation? what are the types of animation? which course is the best way for career growth?

I am sorry to say but I don't agree with the previous answer which you got for your questions. That answer is vague and distracting. 

Actually Multimedia as the word is "Multi and Media". There is degree called Multimedia Design, then within it there is specialty which is Animation. In short a Multimedia Designer is a person who have good grasp on different aspect of Design.

If you are talking about what Multimedia is then, this word is used for different type of Media there are e.g. Print Media, Social Media  and TV Media as a whole.

Animation as I stated in the start is a branch of Media! 

There are different type of Animations. 

• Stop Motion Animations
• 2D Animations
  • Motion Graphics
  • Hand Drawn Animations (traditional cartoons like Loony-tunes)
  • Digital Animations (like modern cartoons)
• 3D Animations
• Claymation or Clay animation

and many others.

Then there are many disciplines in the animation industry. You have to choose one discipline and really work hard to master it.

On the other hand a Multimedia Designer can have enough knowledge of different discipline but he will not be a master of any. 

If you want to enter in the field of Design, I will suggest if you focus on UI/UX. In my opinion this field is always be available no mater the time. People always need to interact with technology and you are going to be bridge between them. But for animation it require really hard work and good luck to be some where.

Well, Multimedia is a set of different kinds of interactivity on the display. According to that, animation is a huge part of it because any content that is moving on the multimedia screen is actually an animation. It can be simple text, photos,3D objects or even combination of everything.

Animation specifically is a wide subject with layers and layers of specific workflows. It can be very direct, traditional, abstract, experimental... depending of style and needs. To simplify this answer, animation can be

- traditional made with hand drawings, stop motion or similar techniques from real life and or

- digital, with things made on computer that further can be2D or3D of a kind.

The most important is the magic. All these techniques can work together beautifully just with a little technically and artistic creative approach to the subject.The best way of career growth depends on what you really want to animate considering wide range of styles and techniques available but all of them requires a certain talent, love and will to work. Lets take for example "the character animation". It might be done on traditional or digital way. Anyway, you need to study closely  the character you animate. Further on that is subject for it self that studies movement, timing, spacing and so on... Other kinds of animation like commercials of even simple info-graphs has its own workflows that might NOT be a MUST if you are not comfortable with it ir software you create on. The most important is result. Software is just a tool and considering digital animation, animator should learn to not serve the tool but to learn how tools can serve him in his creativity. But that is another brick in the wall...