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Recording Engineers
Overview » Industry Pathways » Audio and Video Technologies 
Recording engineers operate and maintain video and sound recording equipment. They may operate equipment designed to produce special effects on television shows or in movies, such as the illusions of a bolt of lightning or a police siren. They use their inventive imagination to create those powerful sounds.
The transition to digital recording, editing, and broadcasting has greatly changed the work of recording engineers. Software on desktop computers has replaced specialized electronic equipment in many recording and editing functions.
Most radio and television stations have replaced video and audio tapes with computer hard drives and other computer data storage systems. This transition has forced recording engineers to learn computer networking and software skills.
Lots of people get excited about the possibility of working in these fields, especially in television or the film industry. People seeking entry-level jobs as recording engineers in broadcasting are expected to face strong competition in major metropolitan areas, where pay generally is higher and the number of qualified jobseekers is typically greater than the number of openings. It is probably easier to find entry-level positions in small cities and towns.
Overall employment of recording engineers is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2012.
Employment of recording engineers in the cable broadcasting industry should grow as the range of services is expanded to provide such products as cable Internet access and video-on-demand.
The best way to prepare for a job as a recording engineer is to obtain technical school, community college, or college training in electronics, computer networking, or broadcast technology. Recording engineers need the electronics training necessary to operate technical equipment, and they generally complete specialized postsecondary programs. Be prepared to do some hard work and put in some very long hours, but this can provide a big pay-off with the important networking that is necessary to break into this industry.
In the motion picture industry, people are hired as apprentice editorial assistants and work their way up to more skilled jobs. Employers in the motion picture industry usually hire experienced freelance engineers on a picture-by-picture basis.
Television stations usually pay higher salaries than do radio stations; commercial broadcasting usually pays more than public broadcasting; and stations in large markets pay more than those in small markets.
If you are interested in this occupation or are wondering about related occupations, use the links below to continue your exploration. Always remember, the more effort you put into exploring possible careers, the easier it will be for you to discover the best career choices for you!
For career information and links to employment resources contact:
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Occupational Information Network, O*NET Online: http://online.onetcenter.org/
National Association of Broadcasters: http://www.nab.org
Society of Broadcast Engineers: http://www.sbe.org
For information about planning and paying for college, visit Junior Achievement’s Financial Aid Center.
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