Audio/Video Technician
Audio/Video Technician
Career Overview
Audio/video technicians set up, operate, and maintain the equipment used for sound, video, streaming, podcasts, live events, film, television, and other digital productions. They connect equipment, manage audio and video signals, troubleshoot problems, and help productions run smoothly.
Education
A college diploma, certificate, or other post-secondary program in audiovisual technology, recording engineering, broadcasting, or a related field is usually recommended. In Canada, a college program or related experience is typically required, while U.S. requirements vary by position and can range from post-secondary training to an associate degree. Hands-on experience is highly valuable.
Work Environment
Audio/video technicians can work in studios, theatres, concert venues, schools, hotels, arenas, offices, and event locations. They may set up and move equipment, work with cables and electronic systems, troubleshoot under pressure, and work evenings, weekends, or holidays when productions or events are scheduled.
Future Outlook
Audio and video work is expanding across streaming, live events, podcasts, video conferencing, digital media, and other productions. Technology is becoming more sophisticated, including AI-assisted systems, so technicians who can combine technical skills with problem-solving and creativity should remain valuable.
Recommended High School Courses
- Math
- Physics
- Electronics
- English
- Computer Studies
- Audio Video Production
- Communications Technology
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Notify others of equipment problems.
- Maintain recording or broadcasting equipment.
- Maintain records, documents, or other files.
- Convert data among multiple digital or analog formats.
- Coordinate activities of production personnel.
- Operate communications, transmissions, or broadcasting equipment.
- Monitor broadcasting operations to ensure proper functioning.
- Operate control consoles for sound, lighting or video.
- Mix sound inputs.
- Edit audio or video recordings.
- Operate audio recording equipment.
- Coordinate logistics for productions or events.
- Set up still or video cameras or related equipment.
- Construct distinctive physical objects for artistic, functional, or commercial purposes.
- Determine technical requirements of productions or projects.
- Draw detailed or technical illustrations.
- Collaborate with others to determine technical details of productions.
- Train others on work processes.
- Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
- Study details of musical compositions.
- Inform viewers, listeners, or audiences.
- Write material for artistic or entertainment purposes.
- Compile technical information or documentation.
- Maintain logs of production activities.
- Write informational material.
Schools
Diablo Valley College
Lakehead University- O...
Seneca College- Seneca...
Potential Scholarships
Ache Police Officers And...
Aqha Region 1 Quarter Hor...
Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...
- Creditcardgenius 2020 S...
- Haywood | Hunt & Associ...
- Lupus Canada Scholarshi...
Curt Pozan Trades Scholar...
Approx Salary Expectation
Low End:
$38,000.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$58,000.00 /yr
High End:
$101,000.00 /yr
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
WorkBC's Career Trek, http://www.careertrekbc.ca/.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
WorkBC's Career Trek, http://www.careertrekbc.ca/.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.