Post-Broadcasting School Career Spotlight: Production Director/Recording Engineer

Have you been considering a career in radio, but you're not sure that you want to work on air as a DJ? If you're electronically inclined and interested in starting out working behind the scenes for a radio station, then you'll be well-trained for a career as a recording engineer with the education you'll receive in broadcasting school.

In addition to the DJing skills you'll learn in broadcasting school, you'll round out your knowledge by learning how to work sound boards and handle the more technical aspects of a broadcasting career. Depending on the size of the radio station you hope to work at, you may be doing some of your own sound engineering or none of it, but either way it'll help you to better understand what you're working with when you're given trained instruction in a hands-on work environment.

If you're more interested in creating short commercials, PSAs, and various other programs than being on the air full time as a DJ, a career as a recording engineer could satisfy your needs. In broadcasting school you'll learn how to handle the equipment you need to know how to work in order to create these things while you're also learning the ins and outs of DJing. You'll be introduced to music beds and sound effects libraries, and learn your way around multi-track mix boards and multiple format recording systems. Once you have a handle on these, you'll be prepared to start a career as a recording engineer.

After you've gotten your foot in the door through your broadcasting school connections, you'll be well on your way to a fast-paced and rewarding career behind the scenes of radio broadcasting. At smaller stations, you might very well be the only person working on a station promo or a commercial, giving you a fair amount of creative free reign in what you ultimately come up with. You'll get guidelines of what you need to get across and ideas for scripts — something you'll also learn about in broadcasting school — and then go off to work with others and create a final product.

If you have bigger aspirations than working for a small radio station, you'll find that your career path with a broadcasting school education and experience as a recording engineer is pretty bright. If your ultimate goal is to work for a large radio station, you could find yourself in the position of full-time production director, leading a team of recording engineers with your skills and experience. That level of experience can lead you to even more prestigious positions if you choose to go after them — with what you learn on the job in the studio, you could someday find yourself working as a recording engineer for musicians, working with bands, producers, and record companies to get CDs onto the shelves!