Additional Information
Many colleges and universities are now offering multimedia design courses.
However, many in the industry have a background in related areas such as computer
science, film and video, writing or computer graphics.
Multimedia developer Matthew Cramer has a two-year associate's degree in
multimedia technologies from Pittsburgh Technical Institute.
"I learned web development, 3-D animation, video editing -- all kinds of
things like that," he says.
But is a degree like Cramer's essential?
"I think it really depends how motivated [a person is]," he says. "I think
for some jobs it's very important to have a college degree, but I think in
this field, at least in my experience, it's more about what you know and what
you can do. I mean, if you have a degree, great, but if you don't have the
degree and can outwork others that do, you're going to get the job ahead of
that person."
Bob Gerard is a multimedia designer. He points to some personality traits
that help in this field.
"Multimedia designers need to have a great eye along with great attention
to detail," he says.
"I truly enjoy digging for new ways to accomplish things," he adds. "With
my 'attention-to-detail' nature, nothing gets by me. I am notorious for 'triple-checking'
things. Hey, that's not a bad way to be. It saves me and the quality assurance
department a lot of time!"
There are a few things you can do to get a head start in the industry.
If you're still in school, take courses in computers and art. And it's never
too early to start building a portfolio or website.
Some multimedia designers focus more on graphic design, while others focus
on programming skills. Before you start learning any computer language, be
sure that those in the industry are still recommending it. Things change quickly!
Try getting involved in the industry. Contact a multimedia company and
talk to people who work there. Try to get work as an intern.
Freelance work and interning is what helped multimedia specialist Allen
Ellis break into the field.
"I was heavily weighing the option between going to college and not, because
I'd spent a lot of my high school years learning about multimedia here and
there," says Ellis. "I had a few internships growing up that helped expose
me to the industry, and I kind of naturally ended up with some paid gigs on
the side.... I realized, since I was already being paid for it, I may as well
just continue that momentum and continue freelancing and call myself a professional
and see what happens."
Ellis ended up as a video specialist for an event productions company.
He says being in multimedia involves adapting to constant change.
"We're constantly learning and we're constantly having to evolve our thoughts
and our processes on how we do things, especially as technology changes so
quickly," he says.