Also called: Sound Effects Designer
Creates and edits the sound effects for films, games, and theater: lightsabers, explosions, creature roars.
A sound designer might record a pig squeal and an engine, slow them down, layer them together, and invent the roar of a monster. They spend days making a single sequence sound huge.
Approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Audio or film sound degree; strong portfolio.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Sound Design, Audio Engineering, Film Production.
Growing about average. Games and streaming drive demand.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI generates basic sound effects, but crafting signature sounds for films, games and theater still needs designers.
Classes: Music, Physics (sound), Audio or music technology, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-4014.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.