People may say that medical, engineering or legal professions are among the most stable and (financially) rewarding. It’s become somewhat of a cliché. However, all this is now being challenged.
Parents used to want their kids to land gigs in these industries and the mere mention of a career as an artist or creative talent could elicit hostile responses.
These days, it seems that things are changing, with creative careers transitioning away from being stuck in a “broke and struggling” basket.
In a new era of opportunities for creative students, aspiring artists can look forward to becoming serious contenders in burgeoning sectors of the economy. Here are a few up-and-coming creative career options that you might just find highly in demand and potentially very very lucrative.
Videographer
Businesses and independent creators battle with each other for a piece of the enormous online pie. Written content, as well as videos (and a combination of both), are integral to many content activities online.
Digital marketing channels and social media platforms are rife with video content, so studio-quality videos developed by talented videographers can be found to be in demand.
As a career choice, working with video can be creative and fun, yet serious and sophisticated. It’s a professional calling these days and, to get in, you should have a good grasp of concepts related to lighting, editing and more.
Photographer
Who isn’t on Instagram these days? It’s one of the leading social platforms/apps and it’s driven by imagery. Instagram’s not the only one (ever heard of Pinterest?) and companies, brands and influencers can all be found super dependent on skilled photographers who don’t just take good pictures, but actually understand visual trends. Online magazines, content-heavy websites, ad agencies, newly wedded couples and more seek out good photographers with the skill (and the eye) required to get the job done.
Graphic designer
Graphic designers can be found aplenty, especially in countries like Malaysia. Yup, we’re a creative lot (or at least many of us are) and, not to mention, graphic design is an important job. It’s integral to multimedia, which, in turn, drives a lot of the content found online. Graphic designers are even involved in designing those humungous online platforms and can be found specialising in logo design, posters for upcoming events, as well as marketing collateral for big (or small) companies and agencies across the globe.
These days, you’re probably going to find no shortage of job opportunities in graphic design too (despite a possible rise in competition).
Animator
Many students these days can also seriously consider a career as an animator. With demand for creative talent in the country, popular animated shows like “Upin and Ipin” have paved the way for an accepting market that understands (and supports) the need for a strong and vibrant local animation scene.
Expect film studios, commercial and video production houses, agencies and independent filmmakers to all have a need for skilled animators.
Fun fact; Malaysia has been a source of animation work for many world-famous animated productions (you may have even seen some of them).
Web designer
These days, we have ‘newfangled’ concepts like E-commerce, online retailing and internet businesses. So, what’s one of the main things holding all these concepts together? Websites. They’re shifting into a more advanced phase (Web 2.0 is the sooo Year 2000), and this can be seen in aspects ranging from Search Engine Optimisation to user experience and beyond.
Web designers could be considered by some to be among the ‘elites’ of creative talents. With practically everything shifting to the digital sphere, businesses look for ways to make their websites and apps stand out from the crowd. Good web designers fill the gap with creative flair and knowledge of white space, user experience, interfaces and more.
Copywriter
Let’s not get carried away by all the shiny objects and pictures. While video and audio are important, they simply carry messages. The written word is still a core part of how businesses get these messages out into the world. Copywriting (which can be defined as the art and science of writing content that spurs people to action) is still in demand.
Copywriters deal with taglines, website sections, banners, billboards and more. It can be a demanding career path which requires years of practice and experience to master, but if you stick with it, you can look forward to an ‘evergreen’ career that’s personally and professionally rewarding.
If expressing yourself and seeing the fruits of your labour being put to real are among the things that get you jumping out bed in the morning, do your research. There are so many creative career paths for you to explore, and so many of them hold very real potential for monetary gain and personal satisfaction.
All you right brain thinkers, rejoice! Creativity is in…
