Considering a Career Change? Best Creative Jobs for 2016
If workplace misery and boredom have you watching the clock obsessively up until the last minute before the holidays begin, then it’s probably time to take your career in a new direction. Fortunately, the ball’s in your court. Demand for creative professionals is soaring, which means your upcoming New Year’s resolution of finding a new job is looking favorable.
But what creative career direction is best for you? Below, we check out top salaries, best work-life balance, and best cities for creative professionals. We’re hoping it’ll give you some inspiration.
Creative Jobs with the Highest Salaries
While we’re all fully aware that money doesn’t buy happiness, most of us do agree that financial security and comfortable standards of living are high priorities in our lives and careers. Though accepting a high salary job offer with a company that is sure to bring you misery is always a bad idea, it’s good to have a general idea of what you can expect in any position you aspire to. Below, we’ve researched the national average salaries of some of the top 10 highest paying creative jobs.
Chief Marketing Officer – $162k
Vice President of Marketing – $139k
User Experience Director – $130k
Sr. User Experience Designer – $99k
Information Architect – $86k
Product Marketing Manager – $84k
Creative Director – $83k
User Interface Engineer – $81k
Marketing Director – $80k
Interactive Media Director – $78k
Best Creative Jobs for Work-Life Balance
Money isn’t everything. Many creative professionals value work-life balance over income (just think of the “starving artist” stereotype). Glassdoor recently compiled a list of the top 25 jobs in which employees rated the highest levels of work-life balance satisfaction. Incredibly, 10 of those 25 are creative or creative technical jobs. We’ve listed them below.
#2 SEO Manager
#4 Social Media Manager
#7 UX Designer
#8 Digital Marketing Manager
#9 Marketing Assistant
#10 Web Developer
#15 Marketing Analyst
#17 Web Designer
#21 Content Manager
#25 Front End Developer
Best Cities for Creative Professionals
Looking for a change of scenery? Cost of living and work-life balance look very different in various regions of the country, not to mention regional lifestyle, culture, and demand. A recent study looked at the correlation between cost of living and demand to determine the best cities for creative professionals. Although this study didn’t include every type of creative position we typically staff for here at KORE1, it does inspire people to start asking about why they live where they live. Here’s the top 10:
New Orleans, LA
Salt Lake City, UT
Kalamazoo, MI
Austin, TX
Nashville, TN
Columbus, OH
Omaha, NE
Des Moines, IA
Durham, NC
Kansas City, MO
Where Will Your Career Take You?
Ultimately, your career goals are unique and personal, and depend upon any number of factors beyond salary, work-life balance, and location. These are helpful considerations if you’re thinking about a career changes, but keep the big picture in mind. What are you good at, what makes you happy, and what path will make for a successful career years down the road?
At KORE1, we work closely with creative professionals to determine the best fit for their aspirations and experience. Tell us more about yourself. We’re excited to work with you.