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5 Creative and Artistic Careers

By Amelia Gray
Learning & Life Columnist

Is your current job sapping your creative energy? Do you doodle all day on your notepad, or monopolize your whiteboard with dry-erase murals? Have you petitioned to get the office chairs upholstered? No matter how you express it, creativity is essential to your life. With a degree, you can turn your passion into a career that inspires.

1. Animation

   It's not just for flipbooks, anymore. Animators in the field today can expect to work mostly with computers to create characters, visual effects, and other three-dimensional work that can't be done on the movie set. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that animators have among the best job prospects in the motion picture industry.

2. Video game design

   You grew up on the classic consoles, but you might not realize everything involved in creating the games you love. Software publishers look for trained, imaginative designers to bring the game's story to life. The BLS notes that education influences earnings a great deal among workers in the software publishing industry, including video game designers.

3. Fashion

   If you've got every Project Runway on TiVo and you keep clothing catalogs on your coffee table, the fashion industry may already be a big part of your life. Artists for an eye for clothing design can make an average of $55,900 a year, according to the BLS. One in four designers were also self-employed, allowing you to vogue wherever you want.

4. Web design

   Web designers merge artistic invention with current technology to create a professional web presence for their clients. That expertise comes with a price: Salary.com estimates that web designers in New York bring home an average of $72,700 a year. Taking classes in CSS and HTML can give you the edge.

5. Interior design

   The BLS estimated that interior designers made an average of $40,700 in 2004. They make that paycheck by taking a client's style and translating it to the space - most airports, hotels, and offices require a professional designer's touch. If you're tuned to the frequencies of feng shui, a degree in interior design can revitalize your personal space.

These exciting, challenging, creative careers have one thing in common: they're all competitive. Getting an education in any of these fields can help give you the edge among applicants who are also looking to trade in their boring day-jobs for something a little more outside the lines.

Sources

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Salary.com

Learn More about these Careers

About the Author
Amelia Gray is a teacher and freelance writer in San Marcos, TX. Amelia earned a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Arizona State University.

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