Jobs for Creative People

If  you’re a creative individual in search of a job that stimulates out-of-the-box thinking, look no further. There are plenty of career options available that not only feed your creative hunger but also provide an excellent salary.

Create a unique design, generate a pioneering idea, or develop a more efficient business process and expect to be highly rewarded. Companies value these skills as they can help them stand out in challenging markets.

You can use your creative talent to climb the professional ladder in almost any field you choose. But, you’ll probably prefer a role that involves problem-solving, regular unique challenges, and perhaps an artistic or design element.

Top Jobs for Creative People

Listed below is a selection of jobs for creative people, to help inspire your future career direction.

1. UX/UI Designer

UX/UI  design (user experience/user interface) is concerned with connecting  products to users. In this role, your primary goal is to ensure products  and services are easy to use and customers are left with a positive experience.

The interface must be simple, functional, and straightforward. If the user becomes frustrated or can’t work out how to interact with  the product, sales decrease and the whole business can fail.

UX/UI  designers are highly sought-after in a range of different industries.  You could be involved in front-end web development and work on designing  easy-to-use websites. Alternatively, you could work on the graphical  user interface (GUI) of a physical gadget like a GPS navigation system  or smartwatch.

For more information on this creative role, read our UX/UI design blog and check out our article on What Does a UX Designer Do?

2. Creative Director

Creative directors are responsible for managing the creative process of a company from start to finish. They're heavily involved in overseeing and conceptualizing a company’s creative projects. This includes being in charge of the concept behind the brochures, multimedia design, web design, marketing, and advertising. Experience in copywriting, marketing, and design is a good way to start a career as a creative director. You can expect to earn around $117,000, depending on the hiring organization, your location, and your experience.

3. Graphic Designer

As a graphic designer, you’ll be responsible for creating logos, graphics, and brand illustrations. You’ll need to master graphic design software like Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. To land an entry-level graphic design position a designed-related degree is preferred, but not always required. More importantly, you’ll need a professional portfolio of design work to wow prospective employers. You’ll also need to know the basics of design fundamentals and be well-versed in technical skills like desktop publishing, web design, and digital illustration. If you're thinking about a career in graphic design, start building your portfolio as soon as possible and learn the necessary skills and tools. Graphic designers earn an annual package of around $56,510.

4. Software Engineer

Software engineers (also known as software developers, computer programmers, or coders) use engineering principles to build software applications. To  get started in this field you’ll need to learn how to design, develop,  maintain, and test software. You’ll need to master programming languages  like Java, C++, Python, PHP, and JavaScript. Creative individuals should excel at solving complex software design problems and coming up with efficient technical solutions. You could be involved in building smartphone apps, video games, or functional websites. Check out our software engineering blog to continue researching this exciting career path.

5. Art Director

This artistic role requires you to have technical and analytical skills along with the ability to manage projects. As an art director, you'll decide on the visual look of ads, product packages, video shoots, photography, and any other marketing material.

You'll work with photographers, graphic designers, set designers, and other creative people to bring your vision to life. The projects you work on can be for internal company stakeholders or external clients. Capturing requirements, staying on-spec, delivering on time,  and on budget will be part of your responsibilities. You’ll be  primarily concerned with overseeing design staff as they execute a  concept.

To land an art director job you’ll need several years of experience in graphic design, photography, or another design-related field. A degree in art or digital media will help. Art directors earn an annual package of around $109,600.

6. Copywriter

If you consider yourself a wordsmith and have a passion for crafting memorable sentences, a career in writing may be your calling. As  a copywriter, your job will be to create captivating content that can  be used to promote brands, products, and services. The text that you see  on websites, product packaging, and brochures is written by copywriters. You might also be asked to write ad jingles, video scripts, or clean up presentation copy.

To become a copywriter, a degree in journalism, advertising, or communications is a good start, but not always required. If you have a solid portfolio of previous work and a real passion for the job, you’ll have no problem getting hired. Copywriters earn an annual package of around $51,433.

7. Technical Writer

Everyone uses tech, but not everyone speaks the tech language. This is where technical writers come in. They translate complex technical documents into simple, easy-to-understand English that everyone can understand.

As a tech writer, you’ll be responsible for creating instructional manuals, user guides, and other software documents. A major part of your job is breaking down complex concepts into easily understandable content. Technical writers can earn $76,860 per year.

8. Public Relations Specialist

PR specialists are professionals who manage an organization’s public image. This is done through writing speeches for different occasions, drafting press releases, and taking questions from the media.

To become a PR specialist, a degree in journalism, communications, or business is preferred. You can expect an average compensation package of around $70,190.

9. Editor

Editors plan and revise content before publishing it to books, magazines, leaflets, newspapers, or websites. You’ll need a solid understanding of language, grammar, and punctuation. You’ll also need a sharp eye for detail to notice any mistakes or off-brand messages. You might be editing articles, titles, technical documents, or instruction manuals.

Editors work in various industries, ranging from publishing houses and online news sites to newspapers and magazines. Starting salaries for editors are in the region of $71,190.

10. Marketing Director

A marketing director runs creative marketing campaigns and overlooks the marketing team that develops strategies for the promotion of a product. Marketing directors are responsible for making long term as well as short term marketing plans.

You’ll need to identify the target market, decide on the strategy, keep the  project on track, control budgets, and measure performance through key  performance indicators (KPIs). Your ultimate goal is to boost sales and increase revenue for the company.

Marketing directors usually have several years of experience in related roles like digital marketing, design, or business. You can expect a salary of around $109,000.

11. Advertising Manager

Advertising managers work on creative projects and make sure that ad campaigns are successful. As an advertising manager, you’ll work with art directors and sales professionals. Industries like TV, magazines, and radio have this position in their organizations. If  this career interests you, you can get a degree or pick up a course in  advertising. This will familiarize you with the structure of the  agencies, the creative process, and concepts like sales and distribution. Advertising managers earn an annual package of around $99,228.

13. Product Manager

Product managers are the rockstars of business. As a PM, you’ll be responsible for the research, analysis, development, testing, marketing, and launch of new products. You’ll also be in charge of providing ongoing support, maintenance, and development of existing products.

The role requires creative thinking and problem-solving to come up with unique product ideas that solve a problem for a specific target market. You could be involved with digital products like apps and websites or work on physical gadgets and devices.

To learn more about the role, read our product management blog. You’ll find plenty of insightful articles including How to Become a Product Manager.

14. Digital Marketer

Digital  marketers use the power of big data and analytics to develop creative  online marketing campaigns and drive sales. You’ll need to generate original marketing ideas to stand out from the crowd and attract customers. Measure your performance with metrics like click-through-rate (CTR), bounce rate, and conversion rate.

This rewarding field leverages the very latest in online marketing tech.  You’ll need to learn paid advertising, search engine optimization (SEO),  email marketing, and landing page design.

How to Fast-Track Your Creative Career

Creative jobs, like any other role, require specialized skills and real-world experience. Employers favor candidates who can hit the ground running and add value from day one.

To boost your chances of landing your dream creative job, enroll in one of our online bootcamps. We provide courses on software engineering, UX/UI design, digital marketing, and product management. Each program has been designed by leading industry experts who understand exactly what hiring managers are looking for. You’ll be taught career-ready skills that will help you impress prospective employers and kick-start your creative career.

Part of your training will involve putting together a professional portfolio and working in teams on real-life projects. This experience will boost your resume and help you achieve your goals. Creativity is a highly valued skill, so leverage it to the fullest extent. Take the first step and invest in your future career.