What Does a Broadcast Engineer Do?

First, earn your high school diploma or equivalent. If you haven’t graduated from high school, you can get a taste for this career by working on school productions.

Then you’ll need to decide on a training and education path. The most common path is to earn a two-year associate degree in broadcast technology or a related field. Some broadcast engineering jobs will require a bachelor’s degree.

Another pathway to this career is to become an AV technician, a related role that can be a stepping stone for a career in broadcast and requires a postsecondary certificate. From there, you can learn on the job and continue your training.

Broadcast engineering courses will include math, science, production management, digital signal processing and video editing. In addition, you’ll want to get hands-on experience in the industry, either through an internship or part-time work.

In broadcast engineering, you’ll have many opportunities to specialize. For example, AV technicians focus on audio and visual recordings for live or recorded events. Lighting technicians focus on lighting for TV, film or live broadcasts. Sound engineering technicians, also called sound mixers, focus on running audio equipment for all types of productions.

Broadcast technicians may learn these specialties or focus on the core broadcasting skill of ensuring signal strength, with quality sound and colors. The size of the broadcasting operation will determine how broad or narrow the job is.

There’s plenty of room for advancement, too. You may start off with the title of assistant broadcast engineer. With time and experience, you can become a broadcast chief engineer. This field is also rife with opportunity for freelance work.

Broadcast engineer certification isn’t typically required, but it may make you stand out to employers. The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) offers certifications such as Certified Television Operator (CTO), Certified Broadcast Networking Technologist (CBNT) and Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer (CPBE). SBE is a nonprofit professional organization that is also a good resource for networking and continuing education. 

A certificate or non-degree program will take from nine to 12 months. An associate degree takes two years. Continuing education is ongoing. 

Engineer is carryover title from earlier times. The job involves engineering techniques, but doesn’t necessarily require a four-year engineering degree.

This series of videos about being a broadcast engineer by Wendy Harmic answers that question in more detail and covers many other aspects of broadcast engineering. The whole series is worth a watch!

Yes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this career presents plenty of opportunity. BLS predicts growth of 10% from 2021 to 2031, which works out to about 13,200 job openings each year. (The BLS listing includes broadcast, sound and video technicians in the same category.)

A successful engineer typically possesses these traits: 

• Good at multi-tasking
• Works well under pressure
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent troubleshooting skills
• Flexible
• Good manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination
• Picks up new computer skills easily
• Manages time well