A Look At The Audiovisual Industry (NAPSA)—You probably don’t have to look hard to find job opportunities in the audiovisual (AV) field. In fact, the $75 billion industry is one of the fastestgrowing in the world—and it offers a range of career paths. You can see evidence of AV’s popularity every day, whether it’s the flat-panel displays found in school auditoriums, projected images and light displays at concerts, touchscreens used by Homeland Security or the slick look of broadcast studio sets on MTV and CNN. Even new types of networked digital signs used in restaurants and malls are designed and installed by AV professionals. There are many different AV careers to choose from, making the field a good choice for creatives and techies alike. Here’s a closer look at the field: Getting Started AWM pits trade association for the professional audiovisual industry, can prepare high school graduates for AV careers. Students can learn the basics in their school’s AV department and enhance that knowledge with several online courses. Getting Certified After reviewing the free certifi- general managers earn as much as $100,000 or more. Building A Career InfoComm International, the cation handbook, available at www.infocomm.org/certification, students who feel ready can take an exam at an area testing center and become certified by InfoComm. More than 7,500 industry 1Comm The audiovisual industry is one of the fastest-growing fields in the U.S. professionals have earned their Certified Technology Specialist credential. Students can also post their resume and search for jobs at www.infocomm.org, as well as access CareerCorps programsthat include basic technical education and interviews with employers in the AV industry. Getting Ahead Salaries in the AV industry are growing. Audiovisual technicians earn a median incomeof $42,000. Design engineers and systems engineers earn $55,166. Sales rep- resentatives earn $75,000. And AV career opportunities exist with large manufacturers of AV products, as well as with a variety of other companies. AV professionals are also often entrepreneurs who own their own AV companies, designing and integrating AV technologies into conference rooms and classrooms and for staged events. To learn more, visit www.info comm.org.
