Career Surveyor


The Career Surveyor™ is a comprehensive, scientifically validated career test that will help you discover the best career path for you. You'll discover:

  • The best careers for your unique interest profile
  • The top earning and fastest growing careers that suit you
  • How to stay motivated by choosing a career that excites you
  • How to harness your natural talents to achieve success

To get personalized career ideas and individual advice, the Career Surveyor™ will help you choose a path to keep you motivated and successful for many years to come.


Interest Areas


The Career Surveyor™ features six interest areas that match the Holland interest areas -

  • Building = Realistic
  • Thinking = Investigative
  • Creator = Artistic
  • Helping - Social
  • Persuading = Enterprising
  • Organizing = Conventional


Building

Building careers are those that involve mechanics and construction, working with machines, or using physical skills. Builders are often attracted to careers in the military or law enforcement, construction, mechanics, and athletics.


Thinking

Thinking careers are those that involve research, analysis, and solving abstract or theoretical problems. Thinkers are often attracted to careers in the sciences, computers and technology, mathematics, and medicine.


Creating

Your primary interest area is Creating, which means you are primarily interested in imagination, self-expression, and artistic experience. Creators enjoy drama, fine arts, music, and creative writing. They like to work with visual elements such as forms, colors, and patterns.


Helping

Helping careers are those that involve assisting, teaching, or taking care of other people. Helpers are often attracted to careers in education, counseling, health care, social service, and human resources.


Persuading

Persuading careers are those that involve leading, influencing, or managing others. Persuaders are often attracted to careers in business, management, sales, retail, and entrepreneurship.


Organizing

Organizing careers are those that involve managing data, files, and processes. Organizers are often attracted to careers in accounting, computers and information systems, administration, and office management.


Career Surveyor Test


To complete the Career Surveyor Test, you -

  • Mark your interest in each activity listed below.
  • Decide whether you think you might like to do the activity, dislike doing it, or feel neutral about it. 

Do not worry about whether you have the skills or training to do an activity, or how much money you might make.

On the Career Surveyor™ test, simply think about whether you would enjoy doing it or not.


Top Interest Areas


The Career Surveyor reviews your top interest area.



You're a Creator

Your primary interest area is Creating, which means you are primarily interested in imagination, self-expression, and artistic experience.

Creators enjoy drama, fine arts, music, and creative writing. They like to work with visual elements such as forms, colors, and patterns.


Key Values for Creators

  • Individuality
  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Freedom
  • Flexibility


Top Career Fields for Creators

  • Fine Arts
  • Design
  • Performing Arts
  • Language and Interpretation
  • Writing and Communications


Creators like an unstructured work environment where they can be free to express their individuality. They usually like to avoid work settings with a lot of strict rules or standard procedures that must be followed.


Creators like their work best when they can think outside the box and put their own personal spin on what they do. As a Creator, your primary career goal will be to find a job where you can use your imagination and solve creative problems in a unique and original way.


Top Careers


The Career Surveyor shows you all the careers that you might consider, organized by primary interest area. Then, you will see the careers that are projected to grow most quickly in the future, and those with the highest average yearly earnings.


As you browse through the  Career Surveyor™ lists of careers, make sure to bookmark the ones that interest you using the icon to the left of each career listing. Bookmarking a career saves it to your saved careers list so you can easily find it later.


For example:

Announcer        Announce station program information or public-service information, and introduce and close programs.

Art Director        Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual communications, appearing in periodicals, newspapers, and other printed or digital media.

Musician or Singer        Play musical instruments, sing, compose or arrange music, or conduct groups in instrumental or vocal performances.


Detailed Profile


The Career Surveyor provided detailed job profiles.

Announcer

Announcers present music, news, and sports and may provide commentary or interview guests about these topics or other important events. Some act as masters of ceremonies (emcees) or disc jockeys (DJs) at weddings, parties, or clubs.


Interest Area Creating

Average Yearly Pay $25900

Education Needed Vocational Training or Associate Degree

Employment Growing More Slowly Than Average

Job Growth -4%

Job Prospects Competitive


Job Duties

Radio and television announcers typically do the following:

  • Present music, news, sports, the weather, the time, and commercials
  • Interview guests and moderate panels or discussions on their shows Announce station programming information, such as program schedules and station breaks for commercials, or public-service information
  • Research topics for comment and discussion during shows


Career Overview

Announcers present music, news, and sports and may provide commentary or interview guests about these topics or other important events. Some act as masters of ceremonies (emcees) or disc jockeys (DJs) at weddings, parties, or clubs.


Duties

Radio and television announcers typically do the following:

  • Present music, news, sports, the weather, the time, and commercials
  • Interview guests and moderate panels or discussions on their shows
  • Announce station programming information, such as program schedules and station breaks for commercials, or public service information
  • Research topics for comment and discussion during shows

Radio and television announcers present music or the news and comment on important current events.  Announcers are expected to be up to date with current events or a specific field, such as politics or sports, so that they can comment on these issues during their programs.

Radio and television announcers also may be responsible for other aspects of television or radio broadcasting. They may operate studio equipment, sell commercial time to advertisers, or produce advertisements and other recorded material. 

The following are examples of types of announcers:

DJs broadcast music for radio stations. They typically specialize in one kind of music genre and announce selections as they air them.

Talk show hosts may work in radio or television and specialize in a certain area of interest, such as politics, personal finance, sports, or health. They contribute to the preparation of program content, interview guests, and discuss issues with viewers, listeners, or the studio or radio audience.


Work Environment

Radio and television announcers held about 41,300 jobs in 2012. About 70 percent were employed in the radio and television broadcasting industry, and about 24 percent were self-employed.

Public address system and other announcers held about 10,700 jobs in 2012. About 32 percent worked in the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry, and about 25 percent were self-employed.


Work Schedules

Although most announcers work full time, many work part time.

Many radio and television stations are on air 24 hours a day. Some announcers present early morning shows, when most people are getting ready for work or commuting. Others do late-night programs.


Education and Training

Educational requirements for announcers vary. Radio and television announcers typically have a bachelor’s degree in journalism, broadcasting, or communications, along with work experience gained from working at their college radio or television station.

Education Although public address announcers do not need any formal education beyond a high school diploma, radio announcers should have a bachelor’s degree to be competitive for entry-level positions. Television announcers typically need a bachelor’s degree in programs such as communications, broadcasting, or journalism.

College broadcasting programs offer courses, such as voice and diction, to help students improve their vocal qualities. In addition, these programs prepare students to work with the computer equipment and software used at radio and television studios.


Training

Public address system and other announcers typically need short-term on-the-job training upon being hired. This training allows these announcers to become familiar with the equipment they will be using during sporting and entertainment events.


Advancement

Because radio and television stations in smaller markets have smaller staff, advancement within the same small-market station is unlikely. Rather, many radio and television announcers advance by relocating to a station in a larger market.


Important Qualities

Speaking skills. Announcers must have a pleasant and well-controlled voice, good timing, and excellent pronunciation. Computer skills. Announcers, especially those seeking careers in radio, should have good computer skills and be able to use computers, editing equipment, and other broadcast-related devices.

Interpersonal skills. Radio and television announcers must be able to interview guests and answer phone calls on air. Party disc jockeys (DJs) and emcees should be comfortable working with clients to plan entertainment options.


Pay

The median annual wage for radio and television announcers was $28,020 in May 2012. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $17,270, and the top 10 percent earned more than $78,630.


Job Outlook

Employment of announcers is projected to show little or no change from 2012 to 2022.

Employment of radio and television announcers is projected to show little or no change from 2012 to 2022. Employment of public address system and other announcers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations.


Job Prospects

Strong competition is expected for jobs as a radio or television announcer. Many of the openings will be due to people leaving jobs and the need to replace workers who move out of smaller markets or out of the radio or television field entirely.


For More Information

For more information about the broadcasting industry, in which many announcers are employed, visit National Association of Broadcasters

For more information on sports public address announcers, visit National Association of Sports Public Address Announcers


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  • Writer or Author
  • Broadcast or Sound Engineering Technician


Cost: $29

Click on the link to start on the Career Surveyor Test.