How To Become A Video Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a video operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a video operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.35 an hour? That's $42,335 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 12,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreVideo OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,335

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.7

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 5.02%

Black or African American 10.20%

Hispanic or Latino 15.95%

Unknown 6.25%

White 62.21%

Gender

female 28.80%

male 71.20%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress Level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.3

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a video operator

Explore video operator education requirements

Most common video operator degrees

Bachelor's

65.3 %

Associate

18.6 %

Master's

6.4 %

Start to develop specific video operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Video Equipment	14.33%
Color Correction	11.71%
Audio Visual	9.04%
Live Broadcasts	8.26%
Live Events	6.39%

Complete relevant video operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New video operators 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 video operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real video operator resumes.

Research video operator duties and responsibilities

Manage HD camerawork and calculating wireless mic levels.
Work with ISDN and IP conferences.
Provide hardware/software configuration setup for video conferencing connections using ISDN H320, and IP H323 packet-base infrastructure.
Establish, maintain, and troubleshoot video conferences of different security classifications for high-ranking military personnel and government-employ civilians.

Prepare your video operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your video operator 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 video operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Video Operator Resume templates

Build a professional Video Operator 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 Video Operator resume.

Apply for video operator jobs

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

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

How do video operators rate their job?