Careers Exploration
Major: Communications
Specific career(s): Producer/Director for entertainment, Sports Broadcaster, or potentially Public Relations or Art Director
Median wage for communications on a broad scale: $60,000
Number of people employed for Communications: 3,007,870
Producers and Directors:
Producers handle the business and financial aspects of a production, including raising funds, hiring key staff, setting the budget, and ensuring the project is completed on time. On larger productions, multiple producers may share responsibilities, such as an executive producer overseeing the whole project and a line producer managing daily operations.
Directors make the creative decisions, from casting to rehearsals, and work with crew members to bring the vision to life. They collaborate with set designers, costume designers, and editors to ensure the final product matches the intended style. For larger productions, assistant directors assist with various tasks to support the director.
Broadcasting:
Broadcast announcers and radio DJs present music, news, sports, traffic, and weather updates. They stay informed on current events or specialized fields, work with producers to create content, and often schedule guests. Many announcers and DJs maintain social media profiles to engage with listeners and promote their shows. They often make public appearances at community events. Podcasters and talk show hosts, a type of announcer, create focused content on topics like sports or politics, interview guests, and interact with their audience.
Public Relations:
Public relations specialists, also known as communications specialists, manage communication between individuals, groups, or organizations and the public, including media, consumers, and investors. They write press releases and reach out to media outlets to have their material broadcast or published. These specialists also adapt press releases for social media and respond to questions or concerns online. Unlike advertisers, PR specialists aim to gain media coverage without buying ad space.
Art Director:
Art directors oversee visual projects across industries like advertising, publishing, and film, ensuring that a message is communicated effectively through design. They work with creative teams to develop visual styles, manage budgets, and meet deadlines. In advertising, they shape the overall look of campaigns; in publishing, they manage layouts and cover designs; and in film, they collaborate with directors on set design. Art directors guide teams of artists and designers to bring their vision to life while staying on time and within budget.
Chart 1 – Types of Communications
Personally, I am thinking of going into communications on a journalism or film path–which could be considered mass media. In chart 1, Journalism and Mass Media combined, make up 34% of 100% of people with those career paths with a degree in communications.
Income(s):
Art Directors, as of May 2023…
Median annual wage: $ 106,500 per year/$ 51.20 per hour
Fun fact: lowest 10% on the scale made less than $ 60,440 and highest 10% made over
$ 209,800
Median wage for directors in motion picture and video industries: $133,260
- 3% of all Art Directors specialize in motion picture and video industries
- Between 2023-2033 there is projected to be a 5% growth in available jobs
Media and Communication workers, as of May 2023…
Median annual wage for all occupations: $ 87,900 per year/$ 41.89 per hour
Annual wage for:
- Motion Picture and Video industries: $ 114,110 per year/$ 54.86 per hour
- Radio and television Broadcasting: $ 75,840 per year/$ 36.46 per hour
- Advertising, Public Relations: $ 83,620 per year/$ 40.20
I take interest in the potential salaries and income growth when considering my future career because money is one of the most important concerns I have. My family are all educators, and as we know, they aren’t paid a whole lot in the state of Maine. And when you are factoring in that 4 of us are trying to live off of that salary instead of just the person making the money, it can get a little tough. I am not ignorant of the cost of living, my parents made sure I grew up with such knowledge and truly understood the importance of management. So I was aware of every time my parents would get together to talk about budgeting and trying to pay the bills with money we may not have had at the time–especially the struggle we’ve had when it has come to college and trying to make payments on time while also making ends meet at home for everyone else. I knew from a young age that I wanted to go into a career that I would enjoy, but as I grew older and I became increasingly aware of the monetary value of things that surrounded my life, I started to really look into the potential income of my career(s). I started to want a career that would allow me to financially support myself, my current family, and be stable enough for when I start my own family. This dependence on income when considering a job, instead of how it will affect your mental health and other aspects of life, is kind of sad to me, but it is unfortunately the common thought among the masses of society.
Chart 2 – Employment Distribution
As of right now, I am looking to be a sports broadcaster or filmmaker, which falls under the “Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations” occupational group in chart 2. Judging by this graph, 12% of communications graduates work in creative industries, which could include jobs in media production, journalism, broadcasting, graphic design, or roles in sports management and promotion.
*Arts and Design occupations are projected to have a growth of about 87,900 job openings each year, on average*
These two graphs indicating employment levels caught my attention under Media and Communication Workers. I already know a lot about this career field, so it is unsurprising to me that California has the highest employment level–9,710 with an annual mean wage of $121,760 (graph 1), and LA has the highest employment level for a metropolitan area–7,130 with a similar annual mean wage (graph 2). This state and area also has the highest percentage rate of employment per thousand jobs. Which means that for every 1,000 jobs in California, 0.54 of them are in this “media and communication, all other” category. And since it’s a larger number, it suggests that this job category is more common compared to the total number of jobs in the state.
The other locations I already knew to be pretty high for employment with a communications degree and career specialization in media were NYC, and San Francisco–the reason why my cousin moved there after college. I was not completely sure of the other areas that had high employment, but had an inkling that they were many of the metro areas listed, as they have increasingly high populations, and are rich in entertainment centers. What this means for me, is that to increase my chances of becoming successful in this desired field, I would potentially have to move to one of these areas or nearby. What’s not-so-nice about this, is that I do not enjoy high heat climates, or desert environments, unless it is just a quick couple-of-weeks vacation trip. So having to come to terms with the fact that I would have to potentially live in an environment that is uncomfortable for me, and something I do not enjoy, especially in the beginning as I work on getting my name out there, is a hard pill to swallow.
Table 2: Percent Growth
Within table 2, the occupational group that best fits my intended career is producers and directors. What stands out to me is the expected growth of jobs by 2033 is 8%, whereas for art directors in the motion picture and video industries it is only expected to grow by 5%. The 8% is considered moderate growth, but it also suggests good job prospects for the future, which is important to note as I move forward in my current path. I would also only need a bachelors degree to enter the field of producing and directing, which is much different than what my parents had to do to get to where they are in their careers today–they both hold a Masters. However, as 17% of people working as a producer or a director, have an advanced degree, there is potential that I pursue a master’s degree or higher at some point in my life, especially since it could provide additional opportunities or advantages in the industry. Most communication fields are pretty competitive, so having those additional qualifications and experiences added onto my resume could help me greatly in the future. What surprised me is that only 2% of people working in this field hold a communications degree. That means that communication graduates represent a pretty small share of this workforce. This relates back to my comments before–since only 2% of current workers in this occupation have a communications degree, building strong and specialized skills in media production is essential to your success and ability to compete with others who are pursuing the same jobs around you.
Reflection:
Reflecting back on the labor statistics data and what I’ve learned from this occupational outlook handbook, I have been able to learn more about the specific locations throughout the U.S. where my field is most successful, and can now start to think more about where I would like to move to or nearby after college in order to give me–potentially–the best chance at getting my work and name out there, or more importantly, where the most job opportunities are available. Before starting this assignment, I hadn’t really thought about that too much as it felt too far in the future, but time starts to move faster as you grow older and it’ll be upon me before I know it. I also didn’t know that you could get a master’s degree in this field, especially when considering producing and directing, so that will be something that I will have to look more into as my life continues to move forward.
