Communications The Arts - employment opportunities in communication arts

Careers and Colleges, Jan, 2001

Growing up in the tiny town of Osceola, Nebraska, Jeremy and Jeff Lacy often sketched fanciful images in the margins of their notebooks during math class and built elaborate tree houses in their backyard after school. The brothers never dreamed they'd one day find careers that would combine their artistic sensibilities with their design know-how.

But after receiving full scholarships to the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver, Jeremy and Jeff discovered the field of industrial design, which involves designing products, packaging, exhibits, interiors, and in some cases, corporate identities.

Now employed at the design firm Ideations, Jeremy, 26, sketches out concepts and uses a computer to build 3-D models of his designs for projects like exhibit booths for industry conventions. Then he works closely with engineers and architects to build and install the final product.

"Industrial design incorporates a little bit of everything in the design field," Jeremy says. "Right now we're working with a client--an ad agency called The Integer Group--on their office lobby. We want to transform it from looking like a dentist's office to something that looks more like the funky, hip ad company that they are."

Coincidentally, Jeremy's brother Jeff, 23, works as an industrial designer at that very same ad agency, designing products like pool table lamps for the Coors Brewing company.

The Lacy brothers, like many others, have discovered that a career in the arts doesn't have to be synonymous with struggle and strife. It can be rewarding and even lucrative. The Industrial Designers Society of America pegs starting salaries at just under $30,000, and those with more than 20 years in the field may earn well over the six-figure mark.

Opportunities on the Rise

The image of the starving artist, the out-of-work actor, and the struggling writer just might be a thing of the past. Careers in the arts are flourishing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which reports that jobs in the arts are expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations over the next eight years.

"There are definitely opportunities out there in all of the art fields," says Elisa Kurland Klyman, director of career services at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. "But the really hot fields are the ones related to new media and design."

Jobs in the performing arts are growing, too. New cable channels and Internet entertainment outlets, as well as rising foreign demand for American productions, will stimulate the need for actors and other production personnel, according to the B LS.

Communications careers will also see a boost. The BLS projects demand for writers, editors, and publicists thanks to the growing number of Web sites that need content providers and the number of print magazines that need to cover the wired industry.

"Definitely the trend is upward," says Bonnie Bell, director of placement services at Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Illinois. "What the dotcoms are doing is raising the bar in terms of salaries. At the same time, newspapers seem to be keeping pace."

Not Just Singin' and Dancin'

While only a tiny group of truly talented people will ever win a Tony award, have their artwork exhibited at a major gallery, or write the Great American Novel, there are plenty of jobs in the arts and in communications that, while perhaps less glamorous, can offer job security and a steady income.

"Students need to remember that jobs in the arts aren't just the ones that are out front-on stage, on exhibit, in concert. That's only a small percentage," says Nancy Shankman, director of creative and performing arts for Bronx high schools in New York. Shankman likes to quote the motto of a New York City high school for the arts: "It ain't just singin' and dancin'."

Some artistic types end up working in unusual or nontraditional fields. Maryellen Schroeder, director of career services at Massachusetts College of Art, has placed jewelry design graduates, who are experts at manipulating small pieces of metal, at companies that make musical instruments such as flutes and clarinets. She also has placed fine arts graduates--who are adept at drawing and sculpting--at medical centers where they create prosthetic body parts.

"Lots of people imagine the artist as a person with a beret on his head, standing in front of a blank canvas," says Schroeder. "An artist is actually a problem solver. You take that artistic skill and solve problems about how to manipulate materials to express your creative vision." And while problem-solving skills are in demand everywhere, they are especially needed in the tech field.

Technology: A Tool for the Talented

The digital revolution has spurred tremendous growth in fields like Web design, Shroeder says. She points out that not only will traditional graphic designers benefit, but fine artists will reap the rewards as well. "There has been a move to capture people's attention online. Fine artists will see an opportunity in creating images on the computer screen," she says.