Television Stations

If you think you are interested in this field, you'd be advised to obtain an undergraduate degree in a related field such as communications, broadcasting, or journalism, and seek relevant work anywhere from a hosting gig at your college television station to an internship at a major network. This experience will be crucial as you apply for jobs, as the industry is very fast-paced and offers little opportunity for on-the-job training. You will be expected to come in and fulfill your role immediately. There are plenty of entry level positions available to get your foot in the door, but many of these will be found at smaller stations, so you should expect and be willing to potentially change employers and even relocate in order to move up the ladder to that big producing or on-air gig you covet. Additionally, you can expect to work a hectic, unbalanced schedule with potentially strange and/or long hours.

Production positions will typically include a director, producer, script supervisor, production assistants (PA), various crew members, and a chief engineer who supervises various "on-air operators," aka the guys who work the equipment. Being an on-air operator is a good way to break into the business and can provide steady work, but it probably won't give you a chance to move into many production opportunities. If you secure this type of job to start, take it, but be on the lookout for opportunities to change positions if you're more into the creative aspect of broadcasting. If this is not where your interest lies, there are many opportunities in sales, marketing, scheduling and trafficking. If you feel you are more of an administrator, this is where you should be looking. In this role, you'd have more of a typical office lifestyle in terms of hours and day-to-day schedules, as opposed to your production-side colleagues.