Consider the Titanic. When the great ship sank in April 1912, it represented the state-of-the art technology of its day, including communications. The Titanic was equipped with one of the most powerful wireless telegraphy sets in existence at that time, which allowed it to communicate with other ships—provided they were within 300 miles. The loss of the Titanic was the largest media event o…
Good jobs do not magically appear. Anyone who has been in the job market knows that landing the right job takes planning, preparation, perseverance, and patience. This is true whether you are looking for your first job, reentering the job market, trying to get a new job, or planning a mid-career change. This essay is designed to guide you through the process of finding a job, from helping you defi…
Education and Training: On-the-job training Salary: Average—$12.04 per hour Employment Outlook: Very good Costume attendants help performers manage their costumes and keep track of the costume changes they must make during a show. Their job includes selecting, fitting, and taking care of the costumes. A costume attendant may be in charge of all the costumes for the entire cast of a play, or…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$32,630 per year Employment Outlook: Good Makeup artists are experts at giving people a desired look through the use of makeup, wigs, and other tools of the trade. Many makeup artists work in a theater or performance environment. Others apply makeup for television and film. Some makeup artists put lipstick and mascara on depar…
Education and Training: None Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Models pose for still photographers, television cameras, and artists. They also display clothes and accessories for clothing manufacturers and stores. There are several different kinds of models. Artists' models typically work for individual painters, sculptors, and photographers, but most also work for …
Education and Training: None Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Poor Stagehands perform a variety of behind-the-scenes functions in many kinds of productions. Although most often associated with the theater, they also work in film, commercials, and television. Stagehands are responsible for building, maintaining, moving, and storing sets. They take care of the many changing deta…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good To the audience acting seems like glamorous work, but it is a profession that requires unusual talent and years of training and study, offers a minimum of security, and is physically and intellectually demanding. However, most actors report a great deal of satisfaction from their work, whet…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$10.64 per hour Employment Outlook: Poor Radio and television announcers work within the field of broadcasting. Their main goals are to capture the public's interest, build a large audience, and provide accurate information on a variety of topics. Radio announcers may have a wide range of duties, depending on where they…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Fair Art occupations are usually divided into two categories: fine art and applied art. Although the nature and aesthetic value of what any artist produces may be the subject of debate, an artist is someone who creates art. A fine artist creates paintings, sculptures, prints, or other artwork th…
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Poor Broadcast news analysts—often referred to as anchors or newscasters—host and synchronize news programs on radio or television. Their duties include reading news stories, providing lead-ins for reports by others, interviewing guests, and conducting panel discussions. Some may w…
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Median—$28,010 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Behind the headliners who produce, direct, and act in radio and television shows, there is a cast of skilled workers who put the shows on the air. Broadcast technicians operate and maintain the electronic equipment that makes it possible to transmit radio and television shows. This equ…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$37,610 peryear Employment Outlook: Varies—see profile Camera operators film motion pictures, videos, television shows, and commercials. They are needed for documentary, industrial, educational, and feature productions. Camera operators who work on major feature films usually work with a crew. The director of photograph…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Unlike visual artists, cartoonists are artists who communicate ideas through a combination of words and pictures. They use their work to tell stories, instruct and guide, and offer commentary on life and society. Cartoons can be used to present important issues to millions of people in an e…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$33,670 per year Employment Outlook: Good Choreographers create and arrange original dances, combining steps and movements to form an artistic whole. They also develop new interpretations of traditional dances. Choreographers usually audition performers and teach them a dance at rehearsals. They often stage and direct presenta…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Craftspeople in every part of the nation make and sell a variety of handmade items such as ceramic pots, silver jewelry, and printed scarves. Handmade objects and articles of clothing are becoming increasingly popular among consumers and are sold at many venues, from small shops to huge cra…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Dancers express feelings and act out stories through the movement of their bodies. Some dancers specialize in classical ballet or modern dance, while others perform in musical shows or do tap, folk, ethnic, modern jazz, or ballroom dancing. Dance is also used in opera, musical comedy, and t…
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Median—$43,590 per year Employment Outlook: Good Film editors are an important part of the film staff and are responsible for the technical quality of a film. Editors, with the guidance of a director, edit film until it meets with the director's approval. The director tells the film editors how to rearrange the scenes that hav…
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Varies—see profile Lighting in film, television, and theater is a subtle art, generally not meant to be noticed. Lighting technicians use lights to create different effects and moods from scene to scene. To make a major feature film, many lighting technicians are needed. In film, lighting…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Music teachers instruct individuals or groups in vocal or instrumental music and foster music appreciation. They may work full time or part time at home, in a studio, or in an elementary or secondary school, college, university, or music conservatory. The specific nature of a music teacher&…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Fair The enormous success of music videos has opened a new and highly creative field to producers. Video producers are now in demand by record companies and recording artists who want visual interpretations of the songs they are promoting. A music video producer is responsible for seeing that th…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$26,080 peryear Employment Outlook: Varies—see profile Photographers combine artistic talent and technical skill to produce professional photographs. To use their tools—cameras, lenses, and lights—they must be highly skilled technicians. To create meaningful photographs, they must be able to arrange whatev…
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Poor Have you ever noticed that books and magazines have few, if any, mistakes? It isn't by luck. It is the job of proofreaders to catch mistakes before anything is printed and distributed to the public. Proofreaders are involved at several stages in the process of turning manuscript into…
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Median—$38,110 per year Employment Outlook: Good Creating sound for radio, television, stage productions, and motion pictures is a relatively new craft. The radio became widely used in the early twentieth century, while television did not come into popular use until the 1940s. Movies began "talking" in the late 1920s; b…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$54,410 per year Employment Outlook: Good Advertising copywriters work closely with other members of an advertising team to create snappy, unified, eye-catching advertisements. The team usually includes an account executive, an art director, and a media expert. The account executive asks the client or advertiser what he or she would like the ad…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$63,750 per year Employment Outlook: Good Art directors oversee the artistic design of advertisements and print materials, as well as the filming of television commercials. They are the decision makers who are responsible for the quality of the finished product. The art director chooses a photographer, an illustrator, models, …
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$34,570 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Composers create original music ranging from pop to jazz to classical. They may write music for film scores, operas, ballets, other stage productions, or even television commercials. The musical themes and background music for television shows are created by composers. Some composers a…
Education and Training: College plus training Salary: Median—$32,340 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Desktop publishing software programs allow people who are not typesetters to prepare professional-looking publications at home or in the office. A company can save money and time using desktop publishing software because its employees can design and prepare its own publications. A com…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$52,840 per year Employment Outlook: Good Directors are the main creative force in the making of films, television shows, and plays. They are responsible for making a wide range of artistic decisions. Together with the producer, the director hires the actors and staff. It is the director who works with the staff from day to da…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$43,890 per year Employment Outlook: Good Book editors work for publishing companies to prepare an author's work for publication. They work closely with design artists, compositors, production personnel, marketing departments, and experts in the field to design an attractive product, guide it through the various levels of production, and…
Education and Training: College Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Varies—see profile Editors strive to make the text of newspaper articles, magazine features, and books error free. Copy editors edit for mistakes in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. They also check a manuscript for form, length, and completeness. All publications have what is called a "house styl…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$43,620 per year Employment Outlook: Good In general, magazines fall into two categories: business and professional and those intended for the general public. A magazine's success depends largely on the work of its editors. There are different kinds of editors on a magazine, and their specific duties vary. On large magazines, the executi…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$43,620 a year Employment Outlook: Fair A newspaper's content is determined by its editors. The managing editor decides which stories are newsworthy and gives reporters their assignments. To an editor, there are two kinds of news: hard news, such as the election of a president or the signing of a peace treaty, and soft news. Soft news in…
Education and Training: Bachelor's or associate's degree Salary: Median—$55,840 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Every shoe, piece of clothing, and accessory on every hanger and shelf at every store has been designed by a fashion designer. Fashion designers examine trends in the kinds of clothing people are wearing, draw designs based on their ideas, choose colors and fabrics…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Fair Fiction writers compose short stories, plays, and novels using imaginary characters and events. Ernest Hemingway, Toni Morrison, J. K. Rowling, Sandra Cisneros, Steven King, and John Grisham are noted fiction writers. Writers generally work alone. They may write on assignment for a specific…
Education and Training: College plus training Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Varies—see profile Illustrators and graphic designers are both in the business of creating original art to decorate or to convey information. Illustrators draw pictures for books, magazines, and other print materials, including greeting cards and wrapping paper. Graphic designers use art to c…
Education and Training: College Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Very good The widespread use of computers as teaching tools has created a need for instructional software. College courses, job training programs, how-to projects, and other types of instruction are now offered through software programs. Instructional designers carefully plan each program so it meets users'…
Education and Training: College plus training Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Agents represent and promote actors and writers, connecting them with the producers or publishers who need their talent. Most theatrical and literary agents work for large agencies with many clients. Well-known agents may start their own agencies. Theatrical agents look for news about new plays…
Education and Training: College Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Traditionally individuals interested in working for the "media" settled on one medium as a career—print, broadcast, or film. The advent of computer technology and digital communication has given rise to an entirely new class of communications that combines elements of traditional media w…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Musicians play instruments for a living and may work in symphony orchestras, bands, rock groups, or jazz "combos." Most musicians study for many years before they become professionals. They usually train in some area of specialization such as popular or classical music. Musici…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$31,320 per year Employment Outlook: Poor News reporters and correspondents, also known as journalists, gather news and keep the public informed about important events. They may obtain the information they need from a number of sources, including personal interviews, news briefings—question-and-answer periods during which journalists mee…
Education and Training: College Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Photo researchers find and secure reproducible artwork for their clients. The artwork and other graphics may appear in books, advertisements, film, television, video games, computer software, or other visual projects. Photo researchers work primarily with digital images of photographs; however, they may also…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Producers have financial and administrative control over the making of movies, plays, and television shows. A lot of money goes into productions of this kind, and the producer's job is to raise the money needed and see that it is wisely spent. The producer is responsible for ultimate…
Education and Training: College plus training Salary: Median—$70,000 per year Employment Outlook: Very good A public relations (PR) manager supervises staffs of public relations workers, some of whom may be specialists in a particular kind of media. They also direct publicity programs that are designed to improve the public image of the organization that employs them. In industry they direc…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$43,830 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Public relations (PR) specialists, sometimes called communications specialists or media specialists, perform a variety of functions depending on where and for whom they work. Above all, they create and promote a positive image for their employers. They also keep the public informed of their employe…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Scriptwriters are skilled writers who prepare scripts for commercials, soap operas, comedies, and dramas that appear on television, in films, and on stage. One type of scriptwriter, known as the continuity writer, creates station announcements, previews of coming shows, and advertising copy…
Education and Training: Bachelor of fine arts degree or associate's degree in design Salary: Median—$35,890 per year Employment Outlook: Fair or poor Set and exhibit designers design the physical sets for television, movie, and theatrical productions and for special exhibits of all kinds. They collaborate with directors and study scripts and plans to determine the appropriate style f…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$16.28 per hour Employment Outlook: Very good Sign language and oral interpreters bridge the communication gap between those who can hear and those who cannot. Sign language interpreters use their hands and fingers to translate spoken English into American Sign Language (ASL). These signs are understood by the deaf person, who…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Singers use their skills to entertain. Some perform on stage in front of live audiences; others record their voices for television, films, and CDs. They interpret music by using their knowledge of voice production, melody, harmony, and rhythm. Many singers teach voice either through private…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$53,490 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Technical writers explain in simple language scientific and technical ideas that are difficult for the average reader to understand. Some write articles and reports on current trends in fields such as science and engineering. Many technical writers in this specialty are former scientists and techni…
Education and Training: College Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Very good Translators and interpreters convert one language into another. This service allows concepts and ideas to be exchanged between languages and cultures. Translators and interpreters are employed all over the world, helping people to communicate. Perhaps the hardest job in this field is literary translatio…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary Range: Median—$59,894 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Web designers are responsible for creating the look and feel of World Wide Web pages for a client's Web site. This involves developing a graphic design that effectively communicates the ideas being promoted by the Web site. A web designer may take part in the initial …
