By Shane Palmer April 15 th 2013

Earnings The average salary for a special effects technician would be between 35,000 – 50,000 This can vary depending on the amount of degrees they have and whether they have permits to use other things, such as gun permits and/or explosive permits.

Educational Requirements The educational requirements to become a special effects technician would be a degree in graphic design, computer science, film or theatre studies, and sometimes a four year degree in computer generated imagery.

Entry level Positions and opportunities for advancement When beginning as a special effects technician the ideal salary that you would begin at would be around 35,000. An opportunity for advancement would be if you have more degrees in computer design or graphic design Another thing that may help you advance would be a gun permit, or explosives permit which will allow you to use them in scenes.

Nature Of Work Some day to day tasks is working on a computer trying to get the scene to come together just right how you want it Also some types of special effects technicians may have to do with hair design and make-up

Working Conditions Some working conditions for a special effects technician would be sitting long hours in front of a computer Also sitting on set for long hours trying to get a scene to come together just right. Can work indoors or outdoors depending on the film set that they are doing Usually work regular hours in a film studio, but can spend a lot of time on one scene.

Job Outlook The rate of people hiring special effects technicians is beginning to increase and is supposed to increase by over 12% There are a lot of schools to go to, to become a special effects technician and they’re many scholarships. There is not a lot of special effects technician and multiple people can work on a single movie so the chances of getting a job is good.

Advantages/Disadvantages The advantages for having this job are: Good pay, you are able to use firearms, explosives and robotics, and depending on the movie you may be able to meet famous people The disadvantages for having this job can be: It takes a lot of education and school time, the cost for equipment and tools can be very expensive, and you may need to work long hours on a computer doing repetitive tasks.

Personal skills and reasons this career could be a possibility A couple reasons that I find this job appealing to me is because I love at the end of each of my jobs, that I am able to see what I have done. Also because I enjoy working with technology such as computers and robotics. Another reason I find this job an interest to me is because I am able to get along with people very well.

What I can do to prepare for this job this year The main thing I am able to do to prepare for this job is to keep good grades in school and remember to stay out of trouble. Another thing I can do is volunteer at places to get a better show on my application when I apply for college

THE END Thank you for your time!