Career Exploration and Development
Arts, Creative Professions, and Education

The journey is rarely linear, because each person’s pathway is unique and filled with various experiences along the way (just like creativity itself). Success in the creative fields requires more than raw talent. It also takes skills in communication, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and networking—that is, the skills you’re developing as an Oberlin student.
Brian Anthony serves as Assistant Director for Career Readiness and advisor to the Arts, Creative Professions, and Education Career Community. He is also the liaison to the integrative concentrations in Arts Administration and Leadership and Education.
Schedule an appointment with Brian (Career Exploration and Development - Arts, Creative Professions, and Education Career Advising).
From graphic design to film, you will apply your creative vision to myriad tasks and organizations, whether it is a nonprofit, a private company, or your own business. You might be surprised at the variety of opportunities and employers in this sector. Our internships will cover fields such as:
Arts and Design
- Dance
- Design
- Music
- Performing arts
- Photography
- Theater
- Visual arts
- Fashion
- Museums and Galleries
Creativity
- Animation
- Comic books and graphic novels
- Communications
- Film
- Media and entertainment
- Newspapers and magazines
- Recording
- Publishing
- Radio and podcasts
- Producing
K-12 Education
- Administrator (Principal, Superintendent)
- Behavior health
- Curriculum and instruction specialist
- Educational assessment specialist
- Educational consultant
- Educational technologist
- School social worker
- Teacher (Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Adolescent/Young Adult)
Higher Ed
- Academic Advising
- Academic Affairs
- Admissions
- Advancement & Development
- Athletics
- Counseling/Health Services
- Financial Services
- Residence Life
- Student Affairs
Building on Oberlin’s unique history of learning and labor, integrative concentrations help students translate theory into practice, imaginary audiences into real people, critique into constructive solutions. Each program involves coursework, experiential learning, and the completion of a digital learning portfolio, a unique tool for students to reflect on their concentration while presenting signature accomplishments to audiences within and beyond campus.
Click the links below to learn more about integrative concentrations related to Arts, Creative Professions, and Education.
Take advantage of all the jobs, leadership roles, and other opportunities that are available to you on-campus or in the Oberlin community. This can be a great way to explore your interests, develop your skills, and build experience that can transfer to your career journey after Oberlin.
- Allen Memorial Art Museum Docent Program
- Obiewood: Oberlin Entertainment Network
- Student Organizations
- Black Musicians Guild, OC
- Concert Board (OCCB)
- Film Co-op
- Gender Inclusivity in Music (SGIM)
- Hip Hop Collective, Oberlin (OHOP)
- Latinx Music Union
- Modern Music Guild (MMG)
- Musical Theatre Association, Oberlin (OMTA)
- Oberlin Student Theater Association (OSTA)
- Student Union Programming Committee (SUPC)
- Theater Association, Ob Student (OSTA)
- The Oberlin Review
- Wilder Voices
Connect with alumni through OberLink, Oberlin's student-alumni networking platform. Join the Career Community for Arts, Creative Professions, and Education to engage with members from all over the world in various fields.
Joining a professional association as a student or alumni is a great step to take in your career journey. Professional associations can give you access to job and internship databases, keep you up-to-date on information and news related to your career industry of interest, and connect you to a wonderful network of professionals in your field. We recommend following the association on LinkedIn as well to receive their content in your newsfeed and begin networking with other members on the platform!
Performing Arts - Dance
- The American College Dance Association
- The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA)
- Dance/USA
- National Dance Council of America
- The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO)
- World Dance Alliance Americas (WDAA)
Performing Arts - Music
- AFM (American Federation of Musicians)
- ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)
- American Choral Directors Association
- APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals)
- ISME (International Society for Music Education)
- ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts)
- MTNA (Music Teachers National Association)
- National Association for Music Educators
- National Association for Music Education (NAfME)
- Recording Industry Association of America
- WFMT (World Federation of Music Therapy)
Performing Arts - Theater
- Actors’ Equity
- American Association of Community Theatre (AACT)
- The American Alliance for Theatre & Education
- Association of Performing Arts Professionals
- Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE)
- Broadway League
- Dramatists Guild of America
- Educational Theatre Association
- The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
- Theatre Communications Group (TCG)
- United Scenic Artists Local USA 829
Visual and Digital Arts
- Society of Illustrators
- Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
- National Cartoonists Society
- National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
- National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA)
- American Association of Museums (AAM)
- Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE)
- Association of Midwest Museums (AMM)
- Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA)
- American Institute of Graphic Artists
- Graphic Artists Guild
- Industrial Designers Society of America
- International Graphic Arts Education Association, Inc.
- The Society of Illustrators
- Society of Publication Designers
Entertainment
- Association of Public Television Stations (APTS)
- National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
- North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
- The International Association of Women in Radio & Television (IAWRT)
- Media Communications Association International (MCA-I)
- SAG-AFTRA
Fashion
Arts Education and Therapy
- American Music Therapy Association
- Music Teachers National Association
- Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association
- American Art Therapy Association
K-12 Education
- Ohio Department of Education: Interested in teaching in Ohio? Learn more
- Education Resources: Internships, jobs, news, etc.
- National Education Association
- American Association of School Administrators
- Association of International Educators
- Ohio Education Association
Higher Ed
- American Council on Education
- American College Personnel Association
- American Association of Colleges and Universities
- National Associations of Colleges and Employers
- The Global Liberal Arts Alliance
- American Education Research Association
- Graduate Student Council (AERA)
- International Association of Universities
Coming soon!
The following resources provide a variety of job search databases related to careers in arts, communications and creative professions.
Arts
- New York Foundation for the Arts
- Alliance of Artist Communities
- ARTJOBS
- Art Jobs
- Americans for the Arts
- College Art Association
Dance
Museums
- Museum Jobs
- American Alliance of Museums
- Small Museum Association
- New England Museum Association
- Association of Midwest Museums
- Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums
- Mountain-Plains Museum Association
- Southeastern Museums Conference
- Western Museums Association
- Global Museum
Theater
Entertainment
Media
Public History/Historic Preservation
K-12 Education
- National Association of Independent Schools: Job board for K-12 teaching opportunities
- SouthernTeachers.com: Recruiter for independent schools in the Southern United States
- Americorps
- Peace Corps
- City Year
- Teach For America
- National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Job Board
- The Association of Boarding Schools Career Center
- The Alliance for Catholic Education Job Board
Arts
The Association of Arts Admnistration Educators (AAAE) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Fellowship: Research fellowship for graduate students to study administration and management in the arts.
Princeton Lewis Center for the Arts Fellowships: Early career fellowships to support inclusive excellence in a variety of arts fields.
The Art of Autism: Supporting artists on the spectrum
Andrew Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation
Dance
Dance USA Fellowships: Opportunities for BIPOC and historically underrepresented artists and dancers.
Film/TV
Paramount Writers Mentoring Program: 8 month professional development program for aspiring writers from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds
Sesame Workshop Writer's Room: Virtually accessible program to diversify children's programming.
Sundance Institute Outreach and Support: Various programs and fellowships to increase diversity in film.
American Film Institute: AFI statement of support for diversity, equity, and inclusion, including links to relevant organizations.
The Writer's Guild Foundation Fellowship Programs for Screenwriters: Centralized database for early career screenwriting fellowships, including ones that support inclusive excellence.
Director's Guild of America Television Director Development Programs: Centralized resource for supporting television directors, including several early career and inclusive excellence focused programs.
Theater
IAMA Theatre Company Comissions: Support for early career theater writers, with commissions available for underrepresented applicants.
The Allen Lee Hughes BIPOC Fellowship: Supporting early career theater professionals from historically marginialized populations.
Arts, Creative Professions, and Education Jobs and Internships
Below is a sampling of jobs and internships currently posted for Obies. Log in to Handshake to see all of the available opportunities in Arts, Communications, and Public Service Sector fields.