The AV or Audio Visual industry is growing and evolving at an amazing rate, so it is a good business to become involved in if you want a well paid career audio equipment rental. It is an industry whose technology is constantly changing meaning that it continues to provide challenges for the people who work within the industry on a day to day basis.
When people think of AV jobs they think of jobs within the entertainment industry in particular within the TV industry. In reality, AV technology is used by businesses and within the building industry as well. In business it is mainly used by companies to make presentations of their products to prospective clients or used when training their staff. AV technology is used within the building industry for the design and installation of the lighting and sound distribution systems within buildings. Nowadays, this includes residential buildings as well as industrial, leisure and office buildings.
Many universities offer degree courses that are obviously designed for careers within the AV industry. For example Audio Visual Communication, Audio Visual Technology or Audio Visual Media are all obviously AV related degree course after all its in the name of the degree. However, degrees in Lighting, Media, Sound, Scriptwriting, TV, Film or The Performing Arts can all give you a degree that can be used to launch your AV career.
Which AV degree is right for you is dependent, in part, on what area of the industry you want to work in. If you want to be a lighting engineer within the industry then a degree in lighting is an obvious choice. However, even then you would need to decide on what area of the business you would like to start in, the skills needed for theatre and concert lighting are different from those needed to provide a lighting solution for a building or large private residence.
If you want to work within the music industry then your AV related degree is likely to be related to the audio or sound aspect of the industry rather than the video or lighting aspects. Degrees such as Popular Music and Record Production, Live and Studio Sound, Audio Design Production, Sound Design Technology and Sound and Multimedia Technology all suit the needs of the music industry. However, there is more and more call for engineers that are qualified in the production and presentation of images as well as sound within the music industry. Images are used in pop videos and live performances of all sizes, so a general AV degree can get you into the music industry.
Before you settle on an AV degree it is very important to do your research so that you do not end up getting a degree that does not allow you easy access to your chosen field. If you know what you are interested in doing, start your research by looking for those jobs on the internet and make a note of the degrees that those job adverts are calling for. The universities that offer AV degrees are another great source of information, so talk to them about your degree choices and study the details of those courses that they recommend. Contact job agencies that specialise within the AV industry, they have their finger on the pulse of the industry and know what their clients are looking for now and are likely to be looking for in the future.