The information on this page is designed to help you explore possible careers. Use the links below to navigate to different areas of the page. We recommend working with a career counselor to help you identify careers based on your skills, interests, and values.
Resources to Generate Ideas for Careers and Places of Employment
Careers Reported by Theater Majors on the American Community Survey
The following list of job titles was generated from American Community Survey data. Every year, the federal government surveys 3,000,000 people. This list shows some of the most-often reported careers for people who majored in theater.
Please be aware that additional education, internships, or career-related experience may be a prerequisite to some of the careers on this list. The University Career Center provides this list as a tool for generating ideas for exploration. To find a brief description of the following occupations, go to the Standard Occupational Classification system.
- Elementary and Middle School Teachers
- Managers
- Postsecondary Teachers
- Lawyers and Judges
- Education Administrators
- Secondary School Teachers
- Registered Nurses
- Social Workers
- Accountants and Auditors
- Designers
- Chief Executives and Legislators
- Counselors
- Producers and Directors
- Marketing and Sales Managers
- Physicians and Surgeons
- Actors
- General and Operations Managers
- Management Analysts
- Medical and Health Services Managers
- Human Resources Workers
- Writers and Authors
- Special Education Teachers
- Financial Managers
- Social and Community Service Managers
- Artists and Related Workers
- Software Developers
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Computer and Information Systems Managers
- Police Officers
- Computer Support Specialists
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
- Human Resources Managers
- Personal Financial Advisors
- Compliance Officers
- Web Developers
- Computer Programmers
- Business Operations Specialists
- Photographers
- Editors
- Librarians
- Fundraisers
- Athletes and Coaches
- Musicians and Singers
- Psychologists
- Dentists
- Physical Scientists
- Entertainers and Performers
- Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners
- Operations Research Analysts
- Broadcast and Sound Engineering Technicians
- Physical Therapists
- Purchasing Managers
- Public Relations Specialists
- Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators and Editors
- Training and Development Specialists
- Industrial Production Managers
- Agents and Business Managers Of Artists, Performers, and Athletes
- Logisticians
- Medical Scientists and Life Scientists
- Occupational Therapists
- Technical Writers
- Media and Communication Workers
- Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives
- Directors, Religious Activities and Education
- Pharmacists
- Physician Assistants
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators
- News Analysts, Reporters and Correspondents
- Advertising and Promotions Managers
- Insurance Underwriters
- Firefighters
- Database Administrators
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
- Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
- Training and Development Managers
- Dancers and Choreographers
- Financial Analysts
- Archivists, Curators, and Museum Technicians
- Budget Analysts
- Compensation and Benefits Managers
- Recreational Therapists
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Vocational Biographies
Vocational Biographies describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: portlandsu and password: 3W9N
- Actor
- Children's Theater Artistic/Executive Director
- Commercials Actor
- Costume Director
- Film Editor
- Sound Editor/Foley Artist
- Stage Technician Training Coordinator
- Stunt Coordinator/Performer
- Theater Dresser
- Theater Set/Display Builder
- Voice-Over Actor
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Northwest Theater Companies
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Professional Associations
- Actors Equity Association (AEA) — AEA "is the labor union that represents more than 45,000 Actors and Stage Managers in the United States."
- American Alliance for Theater and Education (AATE) — "...connects educators, artists, researchers, scholars and administrators, and provides opportunities for members to learn from each other, exchange and diversify their practices, their audiences, and their perspectives."
- Screen Actors Guild (SAG) - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) — "The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is a national labor union representing over 70,000 performers, journalists and other artists working in the entertainment and news media."
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)
- Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
- Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC) — "The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC) is a national independent labor union representing members throughout the United States and abroad."
- United Scenic Artists — Represents designers and scenic artists.
- United States Institute for Theater Technology (USITT)
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