What is a media specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Mike Bromberg
introduction image

Media specialists may work in a variety of industries and handle a complex position. They are responsible for representing their employer across different media formats using all available tools in computer and media technologies.

As a media specialist, you might be working for the public sector or private organizations, for government agencies, educational institutions, business corporations, or any other company that needs to put out information and access the public in one way or another. Your duties will vary depending on your employer, but essentially you will be responsible for creating an attractive image of your employer.

Whether it is printed or online media, written, visual, audio, video messages, web presence, or software design, media specialists have what it takes to handle. They are highly creative people with excellent communication and interpersonal skills who know their way around the mysteries of creating profitable reputation and engaging messages.

What general advice would you give to a Media Specialist?

Mike BrombergMike Bromberg LinkedIn Profile

Assistant Professor, East-West University

There are many great careers out there that can be attained as a result of getting a degree in English. One great example is the fact that many companies find that it's a necessity to develop and maintain their social media presence. They look for Communications Coordinators, social media managers, and media directors to make sure their materials, themes, and messages are organized and broadcasted efficiently and appropriately. Some people go on to graduate programs such as law school, as English courses engage heavily with reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
ScoreMedia SpecialistUS Average
Salary
4.0

Avg. Salary $50,832

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.3

Growth Rate 8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.59%

Asian 5.34%

Black or African American 10.31%

Hispanic or Latino 12.18%

Unknown 5.11%

White 66.46%

Gender

female 47.09%

male 52.91%

Age - 40
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40
Stress Level
7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
3.8

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

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Media Specialist career paths

Key steps to become a media specialist

  1. Explore media specialist education requirements

    Most common media specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    69.7 %

    Associate

    12.3 %

    Master's

    11.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific media specialist skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Digital Marketing13.52%
    Video Production6.56%
    Customer Service5.18%
    Web Content4.73%
    Google Analytics4.20%
  3. Complete relevant media specialist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New media specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a media specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real media specialist resumes.
  4. Research media specialist duties and responsibilities

    • Develop fresh leads to connect with by utilizing LinkedIn connections and resources.
    • Manage content for and development of the museum's Drupal website, cartermuseum.org.
    • Manage teams for film, video, animation, & multimedia creation of any kind.
    • Assign to work as a media associate at Starcom managing a portion of the Kellogg's account.
  5. Prepare your media specialist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your media specialist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a media specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Media Specialist Resume templates

    Build a professional Media Specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Media Specialist resume.
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  6. Apply for media specialist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a media specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Media Specialist Job

Zippi

Are you a Media Specialist?

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Average media specialist salary

The average Media Specialist salary in the United States is $50,832 per year or $24 per hour. Media specialist salaries range between $35,000 and $73,000 per year.

Average Media Specialist Salary
$50,832 Yearly
$24.44 hourly

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How do media specialists rate their job?

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Media Specialist reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

The opportunity to listen to a variety of opinions added to the intrigues.

Cons

The insults and the unnecessary propaganda.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Content management.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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