Long-Term Prospects

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Job Satisfaction

General quality of life statement

What you choose to do with a film-video degree is up to you, but it's likely you'll want to become one of the main moviemakers, i.e. the director, screenwriter, producer, or cinematographer. The salaries of film-video graduates can vary wildly, depending on what they go into. But their salary isn't really what's going to make them want to get up in the morning. It's actually pretty average.

If you really want to make it big as a director, you need to be a member of an elite club called the Director's Guild of America (DGA). To be a member, you need money, and you need to know members who will endorse you. But hey, George Lucas isn't a member, and look where he is.

You might dream of becoming rich and famous as a film-video graduate, but the reality is that only a few make it to the Oscars. For the vast majority, they're getting by on an average salary, with long hours, and an unpredictable work schedule. That might be why only 29% of film majors like their jobs. Boy, that's low.

However, job satisfaction might also be low because the industry wasn't what they thought it was going to be. Maybe they dreamt of being the next Steven Spielberg or Wes Anderson without calculating the odds. Shmoop believes in you, but we also want to be realistic here.

25th Percentile Salary

Median Salary

75th Percentile Salary

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