People with artistic aspirations, whether literary, musical or visual, often hope to apply their talents in their professional endeavors. Although it's difficult to find secure employment writing novels, performing or painting, there are many solid jobs that require creative thinking.
People with artistic aspirations, whether literary, musical or visual, often hope to apply their talents in their professional endeavors. Although it’s difficult to find secure employment writing novels, performing or painting, there are many solid jobs that require creative thinking.
The following careers for creative people are drawn from the U.S. News & World Report Best Jobs rankings. Data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Web Developer
Median salary: $67,990
Education required: associate degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 15 percent
Web development is all about design. Web developers translate client goals into attractive sites that work well for the businesses that host them and members of the public that view and use them. While these professionals need sharp technical abilities, they also need creative ideas to make their work stand out.
Learn more about web developers.
(iStock/Thinkstock)
iStock/Thinkstock
Interpreter/Translator
Median salary: $47,190
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 18 percent
Converting one language to another is the responsibility of interpreters, who deal with speech, and translators, who work with the written word. These professionals strive to convey the true essence of messages and texts, which means they can’t exercise too much poetic license. But getting the phrasing exactly right in order to connect people requires a lot of creative thinking and an appreciation for the nuances of multiple languages. Plus, interpreting during performances or high stakes meetings requires stage presence and a high level of expressiveness.
Learn more about interpreters and translators.
(David Woo/The Dallas Morning News via AP, File)
David Woo/The Dallas Morning News via AP, File
High School Teacher
Median salary: $59,170
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 8 percent
Some teachers deliver dry recitations of facts in front of yawning teenagers. Others pour their energy into thoughtful, interactive lessons that fire up the imaginations of their students. If you take the latter approach, teaching high school can provide a satisfying outlet for creativity. The profession can be especially meaningful because it provides opportunities to inspire creativity in young people.
Learn more about high school teachers.
(Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
Technical Writer
Median salary: $70,930
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 11 percent
Like translators and interpreters, technical writers extract substance and explain meaning, but they work with corporate jargon and scientific texts instead of foreign tongues. These workers use clear language, drawings and charts to enliven dull instruction manuals and transform formal reports into material that’s easily digestible.
Learn more about technical writers.
(Lizalica/iStock/Thinkstock)
Lizalica/iStock/Thinkstock
Fundraiser
Median salary: $55,640
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 15 percent
Convincing people to part with their dollars to support a cause requires a lot of creative thinking. Fundraisers design marketing materials, plan media campaigns and host huge gala events to support the missions of their organizations. They also have to apply their persuasive powers in personal conversations with potential major donors.
Learn more about fundraisers.
(iStock/Thinkstock)
iStock/Thinkstock
Public Relations Specialist
Median salary: $59,300
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 9 percent
Public relations specialists are professional persuaders of a different variety. They work to draw positive attention to their clients, writing press releases, running social media accounts, designing media campaigns and planning events. They may be called on to devise creative ways to minimize damage when bad news breaks.
Learn more about public relations specialists.
Letitia K. Baldrige is shown in New York City in April 1987. Baldrige, White House social secretary during the Kennedy administration, is head of her own public relations and marketing consulting firm since 1964 and has published six books.
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
Art Director
Median salary: $92,500
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 5 percent
Visionary thinkers with an eye for good design, art directors are responsible for the overall style of magazines, movie sets and marketing materials. They use props, photography, graphic illustrations and other elements to set moods and convey information. Art directors often manage teams of workers who are responsible for executing their plans.
Learn more about art directors.
Dr. Clarence Epstein, foreground, director of the Max Stern Art Restitution Project, inspects the back of “Young Man As Bacchus” by Jan Franse Verzijl during a ceremony to formally return the painting to representatives of the Max and Iris Stern Foundation, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. Federal investigators recovered the 1630 oil painting in a 2015 art fair.
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
Sound Engineering Technician
Median salary: $55,810
Education required: post-secondary certification
Projected job growth by 2026: 6 percent
The quality of theater productions, music albums and movie dialogue depends on the skills of sound engineering technicians. These workers, also known as audio engineers and sound mixers, operate the equipment and computers that record and reproduce sound during performances, events and studio sessions. They may later combine tracks to create effects.
Learn more about sound engineering technicians.
In this Jan. 25, 2016 photo, multiple Grammy nominee Bob Ludwig poses in his sound engineering studio in Portland, Maine. Ludwig could make history by winning the Grammy for album of the year for his work on Alabama Shakes’ critically acclaimed “Sound & Color” at the Feb. 15 awards show. He has won the award for the past three years.
(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
