Career Paths in Digital Media
Everyone wants a job that offers flexibility, allows for creativity, requires minimal supervision, and pays well. West Valley College has an excellent training program that offers just this. You can be a graphic artist, web designer, technical writer, or audio and video technician, with a starting salary ranging from $40,000 to $60,000 or more per year.
Most digital media careers allow you to work from home, set your own hours, and use your imagination to create websites, animations, posters, business cards, and logos. If this type of work interests you, there is a demand for people with these types of skills. Here are some common job titles for the industry:
Web Designer / Web Developer
desktop publisher
graphic design artist
Media Director/Editor
SEO Copywriter
technical writer
There are books and articles available on this subject if you would like more information. Many prefer to learn in a formal setting, whether in a classroom or online. West Valley College has an excellent digital media curriculum, offering degree and certificate courses with varying emphasis. Classes include HTML/XHTML, CSS, Adobe Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, SEO Search Engine Optimization and many others. See if any of the following interest you:
Degrees / Certificates
Design and production of digital media
digital publishing
Web design and production: emphasis on design
Web Design and Production: Emphasis in Production
What about the salary? Depending on your level of experience and education, you could earn between $35,000 and $40,000 starting at $100,000 or more per year. You can work full-time for a large corporation earning a base salary, or you can start your own business working on sites for small and medium-sized businesses. The average salary for a web designer by years of experience from PayScale.com lists $38,436 for less than 1 year, $41,487 for 1 to 4 years, $50,680 for 5 to 9 years, and $58,862 for 10+ years. Check out some of the other salary scales for jobs related to digital media:
Graphic Designer: http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Graphic_Artist_%2f_Designer/Salary
Digital Media Director: http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Media_Director/Salary
Seasoned professionals to recent high school graduates can benefit from these courses! In today’s economy, businesses are looking to cut costs to get the best return on their investment. If you’re in an interview, or if a company is considering a layoff, a better skill set can mean the difference between getting a job offer or making it through a round of downsizing.
In closing, the Internet continues to grow at a rapid pace… and there will always be a need for someone with digital media experience to help create and manage a corporation’s web presence. The web is constantly evolving and is here to stay. So why not choose a rewarding career in Digital Media?