Also called: LD
Designs the lighting for plays, musicals, operas, and dance.
A lighting designer plans hundreds of lights on a 'plot', then sits in the dark theater during tech rehearsals programming looks for every moment of the show.
Approximate; paid per production; Broadway designers earn more (USA Local 829).
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. MFA in lighting design common for professional careers.
Ways in: Graduate school, 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Theater Design, Lighting Design.
Growing about average. Steady across theater, concerts, and events.
Low risk for 10 years. Visualizer and AI tools speed planning, but designing light for live theater with directors stays human.
Classes: Theater tech crew, Art, Physics (light), Music.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1027.
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.