Career: Broadcast and Sound Engineering Technicians
If you’re an electronics geek who gets pumped up setting up a home entertainment system or tweaking the knobs on a stereo, listen up: there are careers for people like you.
Broadcast technicians are the wizards behind the brilliant colors on our TV screens and the rich, clear sound of radio and TV broadcasts. Audio and video equipment technicians play a similar role at concerts, sports events, meetings, and news conferences. Sound engineering technicians record and mix the music you hear on CDs and in sporting arenas, theaters, videos, and movies.
Broadcast technicians, audio and video equipment technicians, and sound engineering technicians produce the sounds and sights of TV, radio, concerts, CDs, and more.
Did You Know?
- Living in a digital world has meant big changes for people in these professions. Instead of working with tape, they now work with computers.
Are You Ready To...?
- Set up, operate, and repair equipment
- Connect wires and cables
- Monitor the mixing board
- Mix music, voices, and sound effects
- Regulate signal strength
- Log outgoing signals
- Work out the “bugs”
- Be a stickler for perfection
It Helps to Be...
A mechanical person with a knack for electronics and computers. A sharp eye and a keen ear are other essentials. High energy helps, too, since long hours are common.
Make High School Count
- Sign-up for electronics classes and tinker with gadgets.
- Build computer skills. Most recording, editing, and broadcasting is now done on computers.
- Pay attention in physics. You’ll learn about electricity, sound waves, and other scientific concepts basic to this field.
- Volunteer to help your school’s theater arts or music department with sound, lighting, or video work. Your work may help you decide whether this career is the one.
Did You Know?
- If you want a steady nine-to-five gig, this isn’t the career for you. Evening, weekend, and holiday work is common.
Outlook
The job outlook for these professions varies. Government economists expect job growth for broadcast technicians and sound engineering technicians to be as fast as the average for all careers through 2016. However, audio and video technicians should see much faster job growth.
The cable and pay TV industry, which is growing rapidly, is the best bet for broadcast technician and sound engineering technician jobs. Keep in mind that competition for jobs in broadcasting is toughest in big cities. Beginners should have better luck in small cities and towns.
Compensation
In 2008, sound engineering technicians scored the highest salaries in this group, averaging $53,110 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Audio and video equipment technicians came in at $41,310, and broadcast technicians earned slightly less, averaging an annual income of $38,070. TV stations usually pay more than radio stations -- and the bigger the market, the bigger the paycheck.
