Are there promising
art careers for Artistic personality types out there? You bet. In part 3 of our 6 part
Promising Careers 2011 series, we list careers that are compatible with
Holland's Artistic personality type. Visit
part one for an introduction and tips for "how to use" this list.
Unsurprisingly, there are few Artistic jobs given a "bright outlook" by the U.S. Department of Labor. Maybe if you lived in Renaissance Florence, creating art would be considered a "growth industry," but in today's world, pursuing an Artistic career with a living wage requires - well - a little creativity.
Expand your career options: Combine your Artistic interests with other strong interestsOne way to expand your Artistic career options in a creative way is to combine your Artistic interests with other strong interests you have. For example, when you take
The Career Key test, we recommend that you explore at least your two strongest personality types indicated by your test scores. Make sure you read this
short summary of Holland's Theory that explains the relationship between personality types and which ones are more compatible than others.
Common combinations of top two strongest types might be:
Artistic and InvestigativeArtistic and SocialSo we added a few Investigative and Social careers that can have a strong Artistic aspect to them. For a complete list of promising
Investigative Careers, go to Part 2 of this series. For Social Careers, I'll post that list later this week and link it up.
Combine Art with a Growth IndustryWhile they may not have a large number of job openings, you may be able to find your niche in growing industries like the sciences and healthcare. Try combining:
Photography with the sciences:
Scientific PhotographerIllustration with the Health Sciences and Medical Field:
Medical and Scientific IllustratorGraphic design with Computer Science:
Video Game DesignerLast caveats:
- A few of these careers did not meet the U.S. Department of Labor's "bright outlook" standards but have at least an average or above average rate of growth if data is available.
- You can combine artistic interests with the commercial world in ways that you might not have thought of - and in ways that satisfy your values. Keep an open mind.
- Make sure to read the Occupational Outlook Handbook summary on Artists and related occupations. It will be updated in late March 2012 (from 2010) but is still relevant now.
- Self-employment is common in the arts. Learn more about Self-Employment here and whether self-employment might be right for you at the Self-Employment Key website.
Promising Artistic Careers by
Career Key Work GroupHolland's Theory of Career Choice and a description of the Artistic personality typeLiterary Arts
Technical WritersVisual ArtsArchitectsGraphic DesignersLandscape ArchitectsMulti-Media Artist or AnimatorScientific PhotographersMedical and Scientific IllustratorsCommunications
Interpreters and Translators
Promising Social Careers with a strong Artistic aspect (SA)Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder CounselorsSelf-Enrichment Education TeachersPreschool Teachers, Except Special EducationElementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationSpecial Education Teachers, Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary SchoolTraining and Development SpecialistsPromising Investigative Careers with a strong Artistic aspect (IA)AnthropologistsBiochemists and BiophysicistsSociologistsVideo Game Designer; learn more in "
Work for Play: Careers in Video Game Development" in Occupational Outlook quarterly, September 2011 PDF article.
Explore other posts in this series (I will link to them as they are posted):
Promising Realistic CareersPromising Investigative CareersPromising Social CareersPromising Enterprising CareersPromising Conventional CareersRelated Blog Posts on Artistic Careers that might interest you:
Self-Employment and Artistic careers - including my grandfather's story as an artist (illustrator and sculptor)
Artistic Careers Job Outlook (2009)
