9781422270684

CAREERS IN BEAUTY AND FASHION CAREERS IN BUSINESS CAREERS IN CONSTRUCTION CAREERS IN ENGINEERING CAREERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT CAREERS IN NURSING CAREERS IN SAFETY AND SECURITY CAREERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE WEB CAREERS IN SPORTS CAREERS IN THERAPY AND REHABILITATION

BY ANDREW MORKES

PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4751-8 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4759-4 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7068-4 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Project Manager: Andrew Morkes Cover and Interior Design: Tara Raymo • CreativelyTara Layout: Priceless Digital Media, LLC Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted.

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CONTENTS

Introduction................................................................... 7 Chapter 1: Is a Social Media or Web Career for You?..........11 Chapter 2: Career Paths for Social Media and the Web......19 Chapter 3: Charting Your Path in Social Media and the Web..................................................37 Chapter 4: Exploring Education and Careers in Social Media and the Web...............................59 Chapter 5: Learning More about Career Choices in Social Media and the Web...............................79 Index............................................................................92 Photo Credits................................................................94 Educational Video Links.................................................95 Author’s Biography .......................................................96 Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Series Glossary of Key Terms: The Key Terms glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

There are opportunities in social media for content creators (such as podcasters) and for those who like to work behind the scenes on the technical or marketing aspects of the field. 6

Introduction

Students are often interested in learning more about careers, but many don’t take the steps necessary to do so, according to a survey of 14- to 18-year-olds by the nonprofit ECMC Group. It found that while 74 percent of respondents believe it is important to have their career plans determined when they graduate from high school, only 39 percent have taken classes or participated in programs to explore occupations. Many young people are not aware of the wide range of activities that are available to help them explore the field they’re considering, discover career paths, and learn what it takes to train and be successful in a given occupation. If you are a middle school or high school student, here are just a few of the exploration activities in which you can participate. • competitions • school clubs • interviews and job shadowing experiences with social media and web professionals • summer exploration camps • volunteer opportunities • tours of places where social media and web professionals do their work • books, websites, podcasts, and videos • mentorship programs • resources from professional associations, companies, and government agencies • being creative and exploring on your own (e.g., launching a blog or podcast, trying to become an influencer, taking photographs, learning programming)

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Web developers at work.

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Getting Started: Careers in Social Media and the Web

The Getting Started series provides everything that you need to know about exploring careers while you’re in middle or high school. It also includes a wealth of information about dozens of occupations in each title, educational requirements, paying for school, and many other resources. If you’re looking for some great—and fun—ideas on how to learn more about a specific occupational field, you should check out this series. After trying some of the suggested activities and learning more about occupations in social media and the web, you may be inspired to become a search engine marketing specialist, podcaster, or web designer, or enter one of dozens of other careers in this field. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s begin exploring education and careers in social media and the web.

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Introduction

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

code: instructions that tell a computer what to do consultant: a person who provides professional advice and expertise to clients hacker: the term for both people who seek to use their computer and hacking skills to do good, and those who use their talents to do bad industry: a particular area of business, such as fashion or technology professional association: an organization that is founded by a group of people who have the same career (e.g., web designer, nurse) or who work in the same industry specialty (e.g., social media, health care) salary: money one receives for doing work

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1 Chapter

Is a Social Media or Web Career for You? What’s So Great About Careers in Social Media and the Web? Social media and web professionals are the writers, podcasters, photographers, and videographers who create content for social media sites. They are the social media consultants and marketing professionals who help clients promote products, services, and content over social media. And they are the people who design and manage websites and ensure that they are protected from hackers and other cybercriminals, and the ones who write the code that allows social media and websites to function properly. Many are creative and artistically gifted, while others are experts in business, finance, and sales. Social media and web careers are available for people with high school diplomas all the way through graduate degrees—although only a bachelor’s degree is required for many occupations. Some well-known social media stars are either still in high school or college, or never earned a college degree. You can even train for some positions via an apprenticeship (a formal training program that combines supervised practical experience and classroom instruction).

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This training method—unlike college—is free, and you will earn a salary while you learn. What Is Social Media? It’s likely that you’re familiar with social media, but some people have never used it. Let’s take a moment to define it. Social media is an internet-based form of communication that people use to have conversations; share opinions and fact-based information, photos, videos, podcasts, and blog posts; promote themselves or the work of an organization; advocate for causes; and sell products and services. Marketing professors Michael Haenlein and Andreas Kaplan identified the following types of social media in their article in Business Horizons , “Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media.” Keep in mind that some social media sites can be listed in more than one category, other experts have created larger groupings of social media types, not everyone agrees about what is and what is not social media, and some social media sites have fallen out of favor and are no longer used. • Blogs and microblogs: e.g., Twitter, WordPress, Blogger • Collaborative projects: e.g., Wikipedia, Google Docs/Sheets • Content communities: e.g., YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr • Social-networking sites: e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace • Virtual game worlds: e.g., World of Warcraft and Adventure Academy for Kids Ages 8–13 • Virtual social worlds: e.g., SecondLife, The Sims, The Sandbox In recent years, social media has become immensely popular. In 2005, only 5 percent of American adults reported using at least one social media platform, according to the Pew Research Center, which today reports that 72 percent of the American public uses some type of social media. In 2021, more than 4.26 billion people worldwide used

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Getting Started: Careers in Social Media and the Web

Information security analysts earn a median annual wage of $102,600, according to the US Department of Labor. 13 Is a Social Media or Web Career for You?

social media, according to Statista.com. This number is projected to increase to 6 billion in 2027. When it comes to earnings, social media and web professionals often receive higher salaries than workers in many other fields. For example, workers in art and design earn a median annual income of $48,220, according to the US Department of Labor (DOL). The median annual wage for computer and information technology professionals is $97,430. These salary figures are higher than the median annual wage ($45,760) in all occupations. The best-known social media influencers can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and a few make millions of dollars a year. With that said, it’s important to remember that many social media professionals have much lower earnings. You might think that it’s easy to earn big bucks working as an influencer, blogger, or podcaster, but statistics show that most people who work in these fields do not earn a great living. Social media influencers earn an average salary of $41,223, according to ZipRecruiter.com, and the average salary for bloggers is $45,082. The employment outlook for social media and web professionals varies by career. Opportunities in computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow 15 percent from 2021 to 2031, according to the DOL. This is much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand is strong for workers in these professions because there is a need for technology services in almost every industry, and because the internet and other technologies continue to evolve and require skilled programmers, cybersecurity professionals, web developers, and other tech experts to keep them running. Job opportunities in social media should be good during the next decade, although it will be more challenging to land the top jobs because many talented people want to become influencers, bloggers, podcasters, consultants, marketing professionals, and other social media specialists. As of January 2020, 49 percent of

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Getting Started: Careers in Social Media and the Web

people in the world had used social media, according to Statista. com. This percentage is expected to grow as developing countries receive improved internet access and inexpensive mobile devices become available. The bottom line: The social media industry is highly competitive, and it takes extreme talent, drive, and ambition to land the best jobs and become a well-known public figure or work at a top company. An easier way to break into the industry is to enter via business, technical, marketing, and advertising positions. Many more job openings are available in these careers, and they also offer better opportunities for advancement.

What Type of People Are Interested in Social Media and Web Careers?

People with many different interests can find social media and web careers that suit them. But if you’re unsure about your interest in the field, answer the following statements to determine if a career in these fields is the best fit for you. • Social media and technology are fascinating to me. • I like sharing my opinions and/or knowledge with others. • I am interested in learning more about how products and services are marketed. • I like collecting and studying data. • I like taking and sharing photographs and videos. • I would like to own a business one day. • I enjoy programming. • I’m interested in web design. If many of these statements describe you, then you should consider a career in the field. But don’t be deterred if you didn’t check most of the boxes. So many additional social media and web

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Is a Social Media or Web Career for You?

People who love taking photos and videos may enjoy careers in social media and the web. Above, friends make a video that they’ll post on social media. 16 Getting Started: Careers in Social Media and the Web