Jobs in social media and online creation aren’t always taken as seriously compared to traditional corporate jobs. However, the growth and opportunities for young graduates make a case for why internet-native jobs shouldn’t be ignored. Internet careers also break down common barriers of high-paying STEM jobs.
If your student is more creative than analytical, it doesn’t mean they can’t score a lucrative technology job, thanks to the rise of social media and online video production. Nurturing those technology skills early may be the strategy that allows a career path to fall into place. Don’t let your child miss a unique job opportunity in a new subsect of technology that engages all types of learners!
Social Media Manager
Social media may provide the biggest advantage for young entry-level job seekers. Even though anyone can run a personal social media account, it takes strategy and creative adaptability to create social media for a business. The average salary for a social media manager is $54,000, but as a relatively new career path, there are unique growth opportunities and new creator jobs waiting to be discovered. A recent survey found that 88 percent of companies planned to hire at least one social media employee in a year—that means job opportunities in the corporate world and with small businesses alike.
Social media careers give young people an upper hand in the job market, as companies specifically seek out employees who grew up with social media and can keep up with trends. As social media power users start entering the job market and online consumers increasingly trend younger, being a young person in the job market without formal job experience may be a unique advantage for the first time.
Video Editor
Film and video editing jobs are projected to grow 29 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the general job market. Video editing careers have distinct advantages around skill mastery and flexibility. Video editing relies primarily on familiarity with standard editing software anyone can buy and learn. Gaining an advantage for a future editor career is possible for students right now, even before pursuing a college degree or without a degree at all.
There’s also a variety of career opportunities for those with video editing skills. A salaried video editor makes an average salary of $60,000 a year. With growing trends towards in-house editors and producers for media publications, the editor job outlook promises growth in more ways than one. Another fantastic opportunity is the world of freelance video editing. Many company-contracted social media influencers hire video editors for their social media content. With 46 percent of businesses planning to increase influencer marketing budgets in 2022, freelance opportunities are easy to come by. Working freelance allows an editor to put a price on their own talent. Industry professionals say beginner editors might request $25 to $35 an hour, while an expert editor can quickly begin making $75 to $100 an hour.
Machine Learning Engineer
Indeed awarded machine learning engineers as the best job in 2019, citing an average salary of around $146,000 and 344 percent job growth! What is this buzzy, high-paying job all about? Machine learning engineers are the reason a streaming service recommends a certain show or why your social media feed shows certain posts first.
Even beyond career prospects, understanding the concept of algorithms is an important building block of media literacy to grasp. Made possible by another growing field, artificial intelligence, engineers teach computers to learn how to evaluate collected data and predict what each internet user wants to see more of. This career path provides an opportunity for those with a passion for the internet and an analytical mind drawn to finding patterns.
User Experience Researcher
Coding skills are a hot commodity for young job seekers to boast on their resumes. The reason goes beyond getting a coding job and comes down to having job candidates who understand the inner workings of a website. The internet is the world’s largest marketplace and opportunity for businesses to make money, but that wouldn’t be possible without a clear, easy-to-use website.
That’s where User Experience (UX) Researchers come in. One of the fastest-growing jobs in the US, with an average pay of $95,000, young people hold an advantage in understanding what makes a reliable website. If your child naturally looks for how something can be improved, looking at jobs focused on user experience may make for a satisfying career path.
How Online School Helps
Generally, younger job candidates have the upper hand when it comes to internet-based jobs due to early familiarity and built-in connections to the age group that decides internet trends. But as more students enter the workforce, the more your child will have to stand out from the crowd. The best way to ensure an edge over other candidates in internet literacy is through an online school. Online school students can market their increased familiarity with navigating and using tech programs to potential employers. If your child already learns best with technology, why not turn their ability to work online into a career?
Stride K12 schools supply many skills needed for internet careers not available anywhere else, even getting an internship while in high school. Our Career Prep program provides a variety of courses focused on career training, including Information Technology and Digital Journalism. Stride K12 also offers tech-specific enrichment programs for accelerated learning in the trendiest job fields.
Is your child interested in a career involving the internet? Consider enrolling them in a Stride K12 online school to increase their chances of scoring a dream job in tech.