Audio and Video Technicians
In the Audio and Video Technicians occupation, workers set up, maintain, and dismantle audio and video equipment, such as microphones, sound speakers, connecting wires and cables, sound and mixing boards, video cameras, video monitors and servers, and related electronic equipment for live or recorded events, such as concerts, meetings, conventions, presentations, podcasts, news conferences, and sporting events. A regular part of the work is to notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed. With a code of RCA, this is mostly a job for people drawn to hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world. Conventional interests also help, rated 4.6 out of 7. Plan on one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree; O*NET labels this medium preparation. Strength in monitoring, reading comprehension, and operations monitoring helps most here. People who want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world usually fit better here than those who need leading, persuading and making business decisions.
What they do
Set up, maintain, and dismantle audio and video equipment, such as microphones, sound speakers, connecting wires and cables, sound and mixing boards, video cameras, video monitors and servers, and related electronic equipment for live or recorded events, such as concerts, meetings, conventions, presentations, podcasts, news conferences, and sporting events.
Main tasks
- Notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed.
- Diagnose and resolve media system problems.
- Direct and coordinate activities of assistants and other personnel during production.
- Compress, digitize, duplicate, and store audio and video data.
- Install, adjust, and operate electronic equipment to record, edit, and transmit radio and television programs, motion pictures, video conferencing, or multimedia presentations.
- Control the lights and sound of events, such as live concerts, before and after performances, and during intermissions.
Skills
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Operations Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Writing
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You like clear rules and getting the details right.
- You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
- You are comfortable relying on monitoring and reading comprehension.
May not suit you if
- You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
- You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.9 out of 7 here.
- You need to start within a few months, with no training period.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCA takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.
Preparation
Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Audio Technician
- Audio Visual Specialist (AV Specialist)
- AV Tech (Audio Visual Technician)
- Media Technician
- Operations Technician
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.