💡 Why it matters: Music, film, games, podcasts and live events all depend on clear, well-balanced sound. The work is competitive, but skilled and reliable engineers keep finding projects.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs for broadcast, sound and video technicians are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, slower than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦600k – ₦2M
- Mid-career
- ₦2M – ₦6M
- Senior
- ₦6M – ₦15M
≈ ₦167k – ₦500k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Sound engineering technicians (part of Broadcast, sound, and video technicians). Median pay. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Job Bank occupation: Sound technician. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Set up microphones and equipment for recordings or live events
- Record and mix sound so every part is balanced
- Fix problems such as noise, echo or feedback
- Edit and prepare final audio files
- Work with artists, directors and event crews
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Critical listening
- Technical knowledge
- Problem solving
- Patience
- Teamwork
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Studio training and assistant roles at studios, churches or event companies
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Apprenticeship in broadcast or live sound
- Assistant at a studio, venue or theatre
🇺🇸 United States
- Assistant or intern at a studio, venue or broadcaster
- Learn on the job in live sound crews
🇨🇦 Canada
- Assistant at a studio, venue or broadcaster
- Work on live sound crews
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Record and mix with free software and learn how sound works in Physics
- 2Take a music technology, audio or electronics course
- 3Assist at a studio, venue or broadcaster and learn the equipment
- 4Build a portfolio of recordings and mixes you have worked on
- 5Become a lead engineer, producer or sound designer
⏰ A day in the life
You arrive early to set up microphones for a band's live show and test each one. During the sound check you notice a buzz, trace it to a bad cable and replace it. Then you mix the show live, adjusting levels as the music changes.