If you’ve chosen to study a creative subject at college or university and you’re wondering what’s next, we’re here to help. Although creativity is not always valued in school, with other subjects taking priority, there are many careers with high earning potential for creative graduates. We explore some of these exciting employment options to follow from your creative degree.
Fine art
Studying fine art equips students with a range of unique and transferrable skills highly valued by employers. If becoming an artist isn’t your main aim, or you need to work alongside your craft, you might be wondering what industries would most value your skills. Firstly, as a fine art graduate you will have the ability to work in a team, generate new ideas and think outside the box. These skills are useful for the following creative sectors:
Advertising
If you’ve got a keen eye for detail and are pedantic about the aesthetics, you could consider a job in advertising. Creativity is key in this industry, and you’ve got to be able to come up with new ideas and use your imagination to capture a range of audiences. So, whether you have a way with words or a flair for imagery and design, there are many advertising agencies looking for graduates from creative fields.
Most advertising roles will require a degree and if possible, some work experience. However, graduate schemes are also offered by many of the major advertising companies which can be a great way to get your foot in the door.
Art therapy
Becoming an art therapist is one way to use your artistic talents while also helping others. This role involves supporting and advising people facing difficulties in their lives such as addiction, behavioural disorders, mental health, illness and so on. Art therapy is a way of helping people to overcome these challenges through self-expression and therapeutic activities such as painting, pottery, and dance.
To qualify, you typically need a degree in an art-based subject followed by a postgraduate diploma or degree in art therapy or psychotherapy. However, course requirements will vary according to each institution to don’t worry if you didn’t study fine art, this could still be a viable option for you.
Illustration
Ready to use your artistic skills to earn some money? Illustrators use their drawing and painting skills for a variety of products such as cards, newspapers posters, animation, clothes, and books. Typically, illustrators work as freelancers, but some in-house roles are available. The great thing about illustration is that you can start building a portfolio whenever you are ready, and you don’t need any specific qualifications.
The major challenge is getting your work published, particularly as you start out but once you gain some experience, you should be able to develop relationships with agencies who can help you find work.
Drama
This subject teaches students to express themselves, use their imagination and collaborate with others on different projects. Students also gain employable skills such as confidence, critical thinking skills and the ability to improvise. While some graduates may pursue acting, others may wish to use their skills in a different creative environment such as:
Broadcast presenter
Another useful skill that drama students possess is the ability to project their voice. This makes becoming a broadcast presenter a particularly suitable career. Plus, you will have experience of entertaining and performing for an audience as well as writing and memorizing scripts. Broadcast presenters can work for local or national radio stations and on television.
There’s no academic requirement to become a broadcast presenter but having a creative degree can give you an advantage over other candidates. It will also help to gain some experience before you graduate. This could be working for your university radio station or interning for a TV production company.
Talent agent
Prefer to be behind the camera? You could consider turning your talents to sourcing people for the film and television industry. Talent agents represent actors, models, musicians, writers and so on. Your role would involve promoting your clients and helping them to find work that will benefit their careers. This requires a strong knowledge of the industry which you can gain through a degree and/or work experience. You need to have excellent personal skills as this role is all about working with different types of people.
Although a degree is not necessarily needed, it can demonstrate your knowledge and experience of the industry. However, the ability to network is also a vital asset when finding work as a talent agent.
Film studies
As a film studies graduate, you will possess a range of skills suitable not only for the TV and film industry. For example, many students develop an eye for detail, creative thinking, and research skills which can be used for many roles. The following are a few examples of careers that you could pursue after a degree in film studies:
Videographer
During a film studies course, you may be given the opportunity to work with cameras. This experience would be beneficial if you wanted to become a videographer. While a degree isn’t compulsory, it would reflect your determination to work in the field. During a film studies degree you may also have the opportunity to use editing tools and software such as Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro which would increase your chances of finding work.
Community arts officer
Want to give back to your community once you graduate? Use the skills gained from your creative degree to help local people as a community arts officer. For this role, many subjects are relevant, including but not limited to film. Other suitable fields include fine art, music, event management, drama and so on. This job involves using artistic activities such as creative writing, dance, music, and theatre to engage with different community groups.
One thing to note is that your experience, drive and interest in a role can be as valuable as qualifications. However, creative fields are known for being competitive so having a degree and experience will make your application stand out.
Still looking for a creative degree? Use our site search tool to find the right university and programme to suit your preferences.
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