Digital media is a new and evolving career field with fantastic growth opportunities. With new jobs opening up in communication, multimedia, marketing, production, and other related fields, it is the perfect time for youngsters to consider pursuing a career in digital media.
If you are a student thinking about choosing digital media as your major but are concerned about your career options in the field and their scope, look no further. This is the ultimate guide to digital media and will tell you all about the careers you can opt for in the field while also helping you decide which digital media degree you should pursue.
Which digital media degree is right for me?
Before you look at the career options that digital media can offer you, it is first important to consider the different degrees you can opt for. While initially, digital media was only taught as a module to marketing and media students, that is no longer the case. Many colleges today offer digital media as a separate undergraduate major, which is a great option if you want to make a career in the field.
We recommend opting for a joint major degree, such as a bachelor’s degree in digital media and communication which can provide an additional boost to your profile. With a joint degree in digital media and communications, you can gain not only technical skills in digital media but other essential skills such as conflict resolution, professional communication, and leadership.
What careers can you pursue in digital media?
Since digital media is a part of almost everything we do today, every industry has a demand for experts in the field. There are many roles in the job market today that require digital media experts. To give you an idea of the options a digital media degree will open for you, we’ve compiled this list of the top seven careers you can opt for in digital media.
Graphic Design
Whenever you go to any page on the internet or access any application on your mobile, the beautiful texts and images you see are credited to graphic designers. Graphic designers use special software to create all sorts of artwork, such as posters, logos, etc. With more and more businesses joining the race to build an online presence, graphic designers are in very high demand. Considering this, it is no surprise that graphic design is one of the most lucrative career options today, as most graphic designers work independently as freelancers and earn without limit.
Journalism
Journalism is another field you can look into as a digital media graduate. Like many other things, journalism is also gradually turning towards digitization. With roles such as web editor and digital reporter entering the market, digital media experts possessing communication skills can make a successful career in journalism. Bonus points if you have a joint degree in communication, as those additional skills will allow you to explore more traditional journalism roles such as news analyst. In any case, your digital media degree will always add value to the job.
Animation
Another related field that is highly rewarding for digital media graduates is animation. Animators are similar to graphic designers, except that they work on creating animated artwork. As children, we’ve all seen cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, and over time we have all seen the quality of cartoons drastically improve. Well, animation today allows us to see vivid qualities, such as individual curls framing Merida’s face in Brave. With animated movies and media becoming more popular, there is a dire need for animators, which makes it a great career option.
Audio/Video Design
Unless you grew up without the internet, you must have spent time on social media watching reels or videos. From travel vlogs and event highlights, to transition videos and parodies, creators use their imagination to come up with new entertaining ideas every day for us to watch. However, have you wondered how a video shot on a regular smartphone transforms into the shape of a perfectly edited 30-second reel? The magic lies in the hands of video editors who do everything from adding effects, captions, subtitles, artwork, music, and other audio in order to create the refined clips you enjoy watching. With a degree in digital media, audio/video design is another fun career pathway you can consider.
Video Game Design
If you’re fond of video games, a degree in digital media can help you land a role as a video game designer. That means you will get to create and program the very games that you play. While a degree in digital media will teach you the artistic and creative skills you need to become a video game designer, you will also need to acquire certain technical IT skills to find a job in this field. Further, you will need to be open to researching gaming trends and player concerns as part of your job. As a video game designer, you can work for a company that develops video games, or you can choose to work independently as a consultant freelancer. Both types of roles offer great compensation and rewards.
Digital Content Production
Simply put, digital content producers are content creators, much like influencers. However, the difference is that digital content producers create content for others instead of building their own social media presence. Digital content producers target a variety of mediums, such as blogs, social media platforms, websites, etc., and are responsible for creating all sorts of content, including videos, advertising campaigns, e-mail marketing, and others. Companies use the content that a digital content producer generates to build their brand and market their products. As a digital media graduate, you can make an exciting career for yourself as a digital content producer.
Social Media Management
Last but not the least, our top career recommendation for digital media graduates is social media management. As a young student, you have grown up in the age of social media, surrounded by Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. This gives you an edge over other generations as your understanding of these platforms is much better than theirs. Using this innate knowledge and a degree in digital media, you can find a great role in social media management. As a social media manager, you will work for brands and organizations and help them navigate the perilous world of social media while creating awareness and building their image. We can’t think of a job we’d love more.
Final Words
Over the past few years, so many new roles have been introduced in the field of digital media, and it is unlikely for this growth to stop. If you choose to study digital media, not only will the above career pathways be open for you, but we guarantee that there will be plenty of new roles you can choose from.
