Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film vs Graphic Designers: $75K vs $63K Median Pay

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film vs Graphic Designers: what changes?

Consider Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film if you want to operate television, video, or film camera to record images or scenes for television, video, or film productions. Consider Graphic Designers if you would rather design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film and Graphic Designers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

National median pay (2025): $74,990
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Compose and frame each shot, applying the technical aspects of light, lenses, film, filters, and camera settings to achieve the effects sought by directors.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,500

Know before you choose

Hands-on manipulation of tools, controls, or objects occupies a meaningful part of the workday.

See the full Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film brief

Graphic Designers

National median pay (2025): $62,960
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 16,000

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 1.7% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Graphic Designers brief

How the national numbers differ

Graphic Designers has the edge on annual openings

Graphic Designers is at 16,000 annual openings, compared with 2,500 annual openings for Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film.

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film has the edge on median pay

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film is at $74,990, compared with $62,960 for Graphic Designers.

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film has the edge on projected growth

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film is at 1.3% projected growth, compared with -1.7% projected growth for Graphic Designers.

Typical preparation differs.

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film: Bachelor's degree Graphic Designers: Bachelor's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

46.8/ 100

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

47.8/ 100

Graphic Designers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film vs Graphic Designers

Dimension	Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film	Graphic Designers
Median pay (2025)	$74,990	$62,960
Pay percentile	65 percentile	53.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1.3%	-1.7%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,500	16,000
2025 employment	32,600	253,100
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film brief Read Graphic Designers brief

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film vs Graphic Designers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

Graphic Designers

How the national numbers differ

Graphic Designers has the edge on annual openings

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film has the edge on median pay

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film vs Graphic Designers

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