Program Analysis
While Columbia College Chicago has a strong, hands-on reputation in the creative industries, your early career earnings will likely be shaped by the nature of media production itself. This is often a freelance-heavy, "pay your dues" field. Chicago has a vibrant production scene, from corporate video and advertising at firms like Ogilvy to TV shows filming at Cinespace Studios, but entry-level roles are intensely competitive and don't always offer high starting salaries. Your initial years will be about building a portfolio and a network, often working on a project-by-project basis as a production assistant or second camera operator before landing more stable, higher-paying union positions. Given the project-based reality of this career, your most critical task is to graduate with a professional-grade portfolio and a robust network. Use every internship opportunity to build relationships that will lead to your first paid gigs.