Digital Media Careers
Plus: What can I do with my degree in Multimedia?
As well as this page see our
- Introduction
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Graduate
Destinations
- Animation
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New
Media -
Educational
Multimedia - Web Design
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Recruitment
agencies - Applying
for jobs - Links
Multimedia covers a wide variety of job areas including web design, computer games design, advertising graphics, animation and new media. Multimedia is used in libraries, museums, security systems, cable TV, publishing houses, schools, retailers, films, games, training and video conferencing.
Much of the work is freelance work and can be done working from home. You need to be adaptable - able to cope with constant change. Able to learn new things quickly, client focused with good team skills and able to work in project teams.
There is a need for multimedia developers - Flash Developers, network engineers, legal and “rights” experts, publishers, graphic artists, sound experts, animators, authors/content providers, project managers, picture researchers.
Employers look for knowledge of specific packages e.g. Flash, Dreamweaver, AJAX etc. and preferably knowledge of more than one package. There is plenty of opportunities for "skills transfer". A web-based portfolio can be valuable.
Common job areas:
- Web Designer/Developer
- Multimedia Designer
- Software Developer/Programmer
- IT Support/Helpdesk
- On-line publishing – editorial/design
When I was a student I was never aware that you could offer your skills in the corporate world putting into practice all areas of multimedia. I always thought my options were limited to website design, and the animators of the class had animation. As well as IT and educational companies corporate companies also employ many multimedia designers. I was surprised to find that what I thought was my basic knowledge in multimedia was very much needed in areas where people’s main jobs were not related to computers. For example showing a lawyer how to watch a video on their computer, making a well designed flyer, etc. Seun Sarayi, Kent Multimedia Graduate |
Destinations of Kent Multimedia graduates
Destinations of University of Kent Multimedia Technology & Design Graduates
These statistics only cover the first six months after graduation. Destinations for all subjects (1999-last year) can be found at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/fdrbases/destinations.htm
YEAR |
07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 |
FURTHER STUDY
|
9 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
EMPLOYMENT
|
32 | 38 | 28 | 36 | 40 |
NOT AVAILABLE to work e.g. time out to travel/ill |
1 | 2 | 5 | - | - |
STARTING WORK SHORTLY |
- | - | - | 1 | - |
SELF EMPLOYED e.g. Web Designer (7), Multimedia Designer - Blue Slug, Comic Relief, Franki & Jonny, Freelance Flash Developer, Director - Mesh Design, Multimedia Artist - Jam Flicks, Network Engineer, Freelance Film Director, Video Producer - Illegible Studios, 3D Generalist - Two Rivers, Graphic Artist - Manga High, Software Engineer - Blue Art Computer, Social Media Consultant - TalkWeb Freelance Set Builder, Freelance Designer, Heating Engineer , Internet Sales/Laptop Technician. |
2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
VOLUNTARY WORK New Frontiers Media Intern, Parental Helper |
- | - | 2 | - | |
STILL LOOKING for work or study 6 months after graduation |
1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
UNKNOWN |
20 | 11 | 7 | 17 | 8 |
TOTAL |
65 | 76 | 57 | 73 | 67 |
Destinations of Kent MSc Computer Animation Graduates
|
Destinations of Kent MSc Digital Visual Effects Graduates
|
Once you have read this information, visit the Careers Centre (in Keynes Driveway). You can browse in the Careers Centre as you would a library or ask at reception if you need help.
Bruce Woodcock - Careers Adviser for Multimedia
Animation
The animation industry ranges across many different segments of the audio visual industries including television, feature films, commercials, websites and computer games.
There are about 2000 employees in UK. Often your first job is as a production assistant or runner. You need to network and send out speculative CVs and need a quality portfolio- The Animex festival www.animex.net in Teesside each February has a student award for best animation, and ‘BAF’ in Bradford in November. Regional Screen Agencies receive money from the Film Development Fund, so will offer different prizes at a regional level.
- Skillset www.skillset.org/animation/index_1.asp Excellent information on animation careers.
- Animation Industries Database www.aidb.com
- Animated Film Association asifa.net
- Animation World Network www.awn.com advertises a range of animation vacancies including storyboard artists/cartoon illustrators.
- Aardman www.aardman.com animation studios, site includes jobs and work experience details.
- Framestore CFC www.framestore-cfc.com/jobs/index.html largest visual effects and computer animation studio in Europe. Recruited at least 1 Kent graduate in 2005 as a runner.
- PACT Directory www.pact.co.uk/pactdirectory fully searchable information about UK independent producers and digital members, including programmes produced, projects, and contact details, and brief company profiles.
- BBC Article on getting a job in special effects http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7853461.stm
- See the Prospects Occupational Profile for Animator www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Animator
New Media (Internet Consultancies)
This covers everything from WAP 'phones, to interactive television, to e-commerce. Employers include web design companies, software houses, dot.coms, and media companies.
- Require Java programmers, project managers, project architects, graphic designers.
- Web designers need advanced HTML, Dreamweaver (web design), Shockwave, Illustrator (2D images), Flash (web page animation), and JavaScript skills, plus Oracle, SQL Server and ASP skills for backend work. You also need good visual design skills and commercial awareness - commercial web sites have to keep their customers and make money.
- Often involved in globalisation issues - cultural differences.
- Young, fast growing, informal companies.
- Jobs include web designers, web journalists and editors, and marketing and customer service staff.
- The IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) www.ipa.co.uk has produced a brochure outlining some of the top digital agencies that are on the look out for fresh, enthusiastic digital talent. It can be downloaded here
Major companies include:
- Sapient www.sapient.com
Digital Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation
See our page on this: www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/digital-marketing.htm
Educational Multimedia
- World Open Learning Event www.wolce.co Takes place each November at the NEC. Most exhibitors produce CD-ROM training materials.
- The BETT exhibition www.bettshow.com 'The UK's leading educational resource event'. Takes place in January. Over 500 suppliers attend.
- Contact the Education Department of your local Council. They will advise schools on educational software
- Use www.yell.com and www.google.co.uk using search criteria such as Educational Software, Multimedia, Educational Publishing.
- Companies
- Dorling Kindersley http://uk.dk.com
- www.pearson.co.uk
- www.granada-learning.com
- www.sanako.com language teaching technologies
- Trade magazines
- Other resources
- www.nln.ac.uk
- Training Pages www.trainingpages.com directory of training courses on the web
- See also our teaching links
Web Design
- Web Designers with HTML and multimedia skills - networking, XML, AJAX, PHP, Flash, JavaScript and Java skills are in demand.
- Web database skills are very important
- Lot of jobs are with small firms but most large organisations now employ in-house web designers and developers
- Need to keep skills up to date
- Good area for self employment
Starting salaries for 2009 Kent Multimedia graduates entering web design/development typically ranged from £16K to £20K, averaging about £18k.
Web content producers seem to have salaries around the £25-30k mark which would normally put them slightly out of the range of new graduates as they would normally require a couple of years experience, although there are a few vacancies for junior content producers which might be ideal.
Some content producer roles focus more on the text side where the role is closer to journalism and would normally require evidence of strong writing skills.
The key skills are CSS, AJAX, Dreamweaver, PHP and JavaScript. Flash Actionscript is now based on JavaScript so this should be easy to learn if you know Flash. Look at a range of jobs in web design and development, junior content production and Flash. If you can get any one of these you should be able to move on after a year or two to a more senior role where you can specialise more.
PROFILE: Multimedia Designer/Web Designer
INVOLVES: Designing & producing multimedia CDs & Internet Web Sites using text, graphics, sound, animation & video. Discussing requirements with clients. Prototyping - providing an initial quick draft of the solution for clients to see. Programming - often using a simple programming language called a scripting language. Liaising with graphic designers, musicians & video producers regarding content. Completing projects on time & budget. Keeping up to date with rapid developments in software & hardware.
EMPLOYERS: training organisations, educational institutions, educational software producers, IT consultancies. Almost any company with a Web Site. Self-employment & freelancing possible.
RELATED JOBS: applications programmer, systems analyst, graphic designer, publishing editor, advertising copywriter
SATISFACTIONS: Creative Design. Seeing the results of your work on screen. Problem solving. Intellectual challenge
NEGATIVES: Always needing to keep up to date with the latest technology - skills can rapidly become outdated.
SKILLS: analysing & investigating, planning, creativity, artistic ability.
ADVANCEMENT: To head of design team. Can move into the marketing & sales side. Can set up you own business.
DEGREE: computer science or graphic design degree.
POSTGRADUATE STUDY: A postgraduate computing conversion course or multimedia course would be the best route for graduates in subjects other than those above.
TIPS: Get experience of computer graphics, sound, video & programming. Look at Web Sites & Multimedia CDs to see what makes them stand out. Learn the key skills: html, Flash, Photoshop etc. Design your own web page - make it look professional, then send out speculative CVs to multimedia employers with instructions of how to access your web pages. Web Designers with HTML and multimedia skills - networking, HTML, Flash, CGI, JavaScript and Java skills in demand.
Further Information: UK Web Designers Association www.ukwda.org
Jobsite: Graduate Jobs www.jobsite.co.uk/jobs/it/webdevelopment
List of 57 web design companies in Kent (also has lists for other counties)
www.approvedindex.co.uk/indexes/webdesigners/counties/kent/directory.aspx
SourceThatJob media specific job board. Jobs for journalists, PR professionals, advertising people, web designers and marketers.
Games/Multimedia/Graphics/Web Design Recruitment Agencies
- Chinwag http://jobs.chinwag.com digital marketing, online marketing, digital media, mobile, interactive TV (iTV), web development, e-commerce, web-based CRM jobs.
- www.creativepool.co.uk Recruitment Agency covering the creative industries including: Advertising, Architecture, Graphic Design, Journalism and Writing, Media Careers, Multimedia and New Media and Publishing
- Hyperion Gaming www.hyperiongaming.com recruits for iGaming companies: online casino, poker and sports companies worldwide. Marketing, analyst, trading, journalistic & technical posts. Have graduate roles & have placed several Kent graduates.
- WebDesignJobs www.webdesignjobs.co.uk lot of the roles are junior web designer roles
- Aardvark Swift Interactive Consultants www.aswift.com Computer games jobs including graphic design
- Animated People www.animatedpeople.com
- Answers Recruitment www.answers-recruitment.com
- Change Ltd www.change-job.com
- Datascope Recruitment www.datascope.co.uk Their Gateway to Games provides links to most of the UK's games companies and contains a comprehensive list of useful games-related sites.
- DS Interactive www.dsinteractive.com
- GamesJobs News www.gamesjobsnews.com
- Games Recruit www.gamesrecruit.co.uk work with companies such as EA, Microsoft, Codemasters, Ubisoft, Rockstar Games, Real Time Worlds
- Guru www.gurucareers.com Kent based IT and New Media Recruitment Agency.
- Interact Jobs www.interactjobs.com
- Job Hopper www.thejobhopper.com jobs and freelance opportunities from the UK's Advertising, Broadcast, Creative, Design, Games, IT, Marketing & PR, Media and Web industries.
- Pelican Consultants www.pelican-consultants.com
- Planet Recruit www.planetrecruit.com See ‘Media and Arts’ and ‘New Media’ sections
- Substance or Style www.substanceorstyle.com/new fashion and graphic design jobs
- Technojobs www.technojobs.co.uk/ jobs/ web-designer web design jobs page of technical recruitment site featuring jobs in the IT industry.
- totallydigital UK www.totallydigitaluk.com talent base of creative media professionals for both short-term projects and permanent, full or part-time, employment. Opportunities in leading design and marketing agencies and other sectors.
- Graphic design agencies
- Adlink Freelancewww.adlinkfreelance.co.uk
- Media recruitment agencies www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitesmedia.htm#Recruitment
Applying for jobs
Most applications for multimedia jobs will be made by CV and covering letter.
See www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm for help with these.
You will find example multimedia and creative CVs at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm
Also there is an Example Media CV and Media Covering Letter
You may also find our creative jobhunting and lateral thinking pages of value here.
For IT job interviews see www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/ivcomputing.htm
You will need a PORTFOLIO to showcase your work. Nothing impresses more than a beautifully presented portfolio. See our portfolios page
One Kent graduate looking for work as a multimedia designer, sent his CV as a computer program dressed up as an old fashioned analogue phone, dialing 1presented the personal details, dialing 2 gave education, 3 personal details etc. which were typed on screen as you watched on an old-fashioned typewriter.
Magazines
- The Edge www.edge-online.co.uk has a jobs section.
- MCV Magazine www.mcvuk.com
- Develop Magazine www.developmag.com
- Revolution magazine has on-line jobs section www.revolutionmagazine.com
Other multimedia links
- British Computer Society www.bcs.org professional body for those working in IT. 65,000 members in more than 100 countries. Qualifying body for Chartered IT Professionals (CITP).
- Adobe www.adobe.com Own Flash, Dreamweaver, Acrobat and other major multimedia products.
- Transition Tradition www.transitiontradition.com provides work experience and publication opportunities for students. Links to creative industry organisations - from independent publishers to arts funding bodies - to help students and graduates access fast changing, niche resources. Magazine and forums enable student to share experiences.
- See the Prospects Occupational Profiles for Multimedia Specialist www.prospects.ac.uk/links/MultimedSpec and Multimedia Programmer www.prospects.ac.uk/links/MultiProg
- Bubble Jobs www.bubble-jobs.co.uk specialise in advertising the latest digital, online, ecommerce, online marketing, web development, social media and web design jobs
Last fully updated 2011