Take a deeper dive into specific career paths within the visual and performing arts, including:
- Film or television professional
- Arts administrator
- Museum/gallery (takes you to CJW community resources)
More resources are on the way!
We’re building and adding to the Resource Portals and Common Career Path resources regularly so check back frequently for the most current updates.
Looking for general #VPA resources?
Discover sample internships, job and internship feeds, student organizations, and examples of professional associations.
Musical Performer and Producer
Sample Resumes
- Sample Solo (Vocal Opera)
- Sample Instrument Performance (Tuba)
- Music educator
- Important documents for performers
Career Spotlight
Resources, Tips and Tools
- Applying to grad school (part 1, part 2, part 3)
- Audition tips (part 1, part 2)
- Interviews with alumni in grad school
- Summer music festivals
- Music competitions
- Music grants and scholarships
- Grad school degree options for artists of all types
- Stagetime, the professional hub for the performing arts
- Musical America 2024 Guide to Summer Music Festivals
- Musical America 2024 Guide – 100 Top Music Competitions
- Musical America 2024-25 Guide to Music Schools (Undergrad and Graduate Programs)
- List of professional music organizations
- A music career, a military life (NY Times Story)
- Podcast with Jeni Houser ’06 (A Career in Opera)
- Podcast with Marissa Lake ’22 (Graduate School for Musicians and Vocalists and other career paths for Musicians)
- Podcast with Sarah Morris ’01 (Life of a Singer-Songwriter, writing songs, getting started in the music business and landing gigs!)
- Podcast with David Pickar ’23 (Being a Musician in the U.S. Air Force Band, explanation of the Audition process and how music can be about more than you)
Studio Artist and Designer
Specialized Job Boards
- Krop (jobs for creatives)
- Behance (jobs for creatives; owned by Adobe)
- UpWork (freelancing site, users must create profile)
- Freelancer.com (freelancing site, users must create profile)
- Fiverr (freelancing site, users must create profile)
- Animated Jobs (global jobs in animation)
Resources, Tips and Tools
Theatre Professional
Sample Resumes
- (Coming Soon)
Career Spotlight
Article link
Specialized Job Boards
Resources, Tips and Tools
- Stagetime, the professional hub for the performing arts
- Grad school degree options for artists of all types
Film or Television Professional
Specialized Job Boards
Resources, Tips and Tools
- Current Filming Locations in Chicago
- Chicago International Film Festival
- Driftless Film Festival
- Wisconsin Film Festival
- Grad school degree options for artists of all types
- Podcast with Katherine Langenfield ’10 (Writing for TV and Film)
- Podcast with Jacob Dalton ’17 (Writing and Producing a full-length movie)