Top Job Thursday

9 Jobs For Creative People

 

Ever since you were allotted a blob of Play-Doh to build anything your kid-size imagination could come up with, you've always had a bit of a creative side. But even if you can't commit to the lifestyle of a starving artist or don't see yourself as becoming the next Brad Pitt, there are plenty of creative jobs that keep your right-brain in shape and allow you to think differently.

With the help of career-portal Glassdoor and Bureau of Labor Statistics data, AOL Jobs has compiled a list of nine jobs that have creative potential. The list is subjective and isn't meant to be definitive. As Glassdoor notes, there are certainly dozens more jobs that have a creative component. Still, these nine careers cover a range of aptitudes in the hope of providing something for everyone. There may be a few you haven't thought of:

1. Teacher
What could be better than being a kid again and working with children whose imaginations are limitless? Teachers deal with this every day, including finding creative ways to keep kids engaged. Even physical education teachers are challenged to be creative every day, working increasingly within funding constraints and kids who are increasingly strapped to computer screens and mobile devices.

• Median annual pay: $51,380 (kindergarten and elementary); $53,230 (high school).*
• Typical education: Bachelor's degree.*

2. Fashion Designer

You've seen the wild ride on Project Runway. Breaking all the rules with risky colors, mixing and matching, and over-the-top accessorizing -- all leading up to seeing your gallery of sketches come to life as it walks down a bright runway. In fashion, you take a sewing machine, some thread and create a masterpiece.

• Median annual pay: $64,530.
• Typical education: Most fashion designers have some formal education, but a college degree isn't required.

3. Chefs/Cooks
Don't let your failed 10th grade art class crush your dreams of being an artist. At Subway, sandwich preparers are actually referred to as "sandwich artists," who thoughtfully craft a palate of ingredients and flavors into one big mouth-watering snack. Really, though, all chefs lead incredibly creative lives, as all the steps from preparation to presentation are truly a careful blend of art and science.

• Median annual pay: $19,100 (food preparation workers); $40,630 (chefs).
• Typical education: Less than high school and high school graduates, though additional education in the culinary arts is common.

4. Software Engineer

Think engineers aren't creative? Think again. Though not traditionally thought of as a creative job, many engineers actually do think of themselves as artists creating content, design, animation and interactive sites out of thin air. As they say on WordPress, "Code is poetry."

• Median annual pay: $90,530.
• Typical education: Bachelor's degree.

5. Management Consultant

Yes, business, but definitely not your cog-in-the-machine type of business. Consultants are actually some of the most creative thinkers out there, as their job is to think outside-the-box and offer creative solutions where conventional ones have failed. As a matter of fact, questions such as, "Give me 20 things you can do with a paper clip," aren't uncommon for consulting firms to ask and test your creative thinking in a job interview.

• Median annual pay: $78,160.
• Typical education: At least a bachelor's degree, but certification may boost employment chances.

6. Landscape Architect

As a landscape architect, your job is to paint color into a city or space and bring it to life. Bringing a breath of nature into more urban areas, keeping sites environmentally friendly, and beautifying the concrete jungles of the world are all part of your job.

• Median annual pay: $62,090.
• Typical education: Bachelor's degree.

7. Public Relations Specialist

In public relations, you're there to tell a story. How do you give depth, color and personality to a company and help it communicate its message and values to its customers? Brainstorming ways of engaging fans in events and putting company funds to good causes also allows you to be imaginative and resourceful. On the flip side, dealing with bad press and crisis situations require quick problem solving and creative approaches.

• Median annual pay: $57,550.
• Typical education: Bachelor's degree.

8. Human Resource Specialist
If you work at a competitive company like Google Inc. or Mitre Corp., you have a lot of human capital to attract, and a lot of different ways to do it. Many companies offer family events and company parties, while some even deck out the office with pool tables, slides, and graffiti-filled walls. Whatever your company's culture, you can let your entire office be a blank canvas on which to express it.

• Median annual pay: $52,690.
• Typical education: Bachelor's degree.

9. Game Designer

Right -- is that even allowed to be a real job? Not only do you get to spend your days playing games for "testing" and "research," but you actually get to come up with all the big ideas about what is going to be fun and entertaining in the next generation of games you've always been passionate about.

• Median annual pay: $58,510.
• Typical education: Bachelor's degree.

*Median annual pay and education information are based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2010, the most recent available. 

 

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