Skill Matching

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     Before whittling down to three jobs, it's a good idea to see which of the list of jobs best suits the available skill set. Below is a comparison of what skills are required for the jobs, compared to the skills I have. Only the specific skills will be matched, however. Transferable skills cannot necessarily be proven:

Studio Recording Engineer

Skills needed:

1. Degree is desired, or equivalent experience
2. Good sense of pitch and rhythm
3. A good sense of hearing, for determining sound quality
4. Knowledge of acoustics and electronics

Skills acquired?

1. Currently studying degree
2. Achieved through degree study and past learning
3. Also achieved from degree and past learning
4. Learnt through modules at university

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Musical Acoustician

Skills needed:

1. Expected to have a degree in acoustics or relevant music subject (such as music technology)
2. A knowledge of how sound travels and is perceived
3. Qualifications or good knowledge of maths
4. Registered with the Institute of Acoustics

Skills acquired?

1. Currently studying degree
2. Learnt from modules in university - Fundamentals of Sound, Acoustics
3. A-Level maths and acoustics module
4. Not registered yet, but is something that can be done in the future

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Music Technology A-Level/College Teacher

Skills needed:

1. Good knowledge in the chosen field in order to teach it and help improve work
2. Degree in subject, or extensive experience
3. Qualification in teaching - Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

Skills acquired?

1. Currently studying degree
2. Same as above
3. Something that can be done in the future

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Sound Designer

Skills needed:

1. Eyes and ears for detail to make the highest quality product
2. Experience in specialised software such as Wwise and/or Fmod
3. Degree or experience in relevant field
4. An extensive and good quality portfolio of work to display

Skills acquired?

1. Ears are constantly being trained during degree study
2. No experience yet, but software can be self taught
3. Currently studying
4. Portfolio is gradually building. With more work at home, it will grow even more

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University, College or School Technician

Skills needed:

1. Good knowledge of a range of equipment
2. Knowledge and experience with all, if not most, softwares - Pro Tools, Logic, Reason, Cubase, Ableton, Reason, Fruity Loops, as well as potentially some less known/less used ones, such as Reaper
3. Teaching skills - no specific qualifications, but may need to do courses in order to teach the class (as specified above)
4. Preferably a degree or relevant experience within the field

Skills acquired?

1. A good knowledge of the university equipment, but not enough on others - self study will help
2. Most softwares have been used in the past - Pro Tools at university and at home, Logic during A-levels and at home, Cubase used once for a personal project, Reason used for one module, Ableton used for one module. Fruity Loops and Reaper never used, but can be self taught
3. Some experience being a teaching assistant during school, but training can be given
4. Currently studying

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Live Sound Engineer

Skills needed:

1. In-depth knowledge of the equipment being used to quickly and safely set up for the event, as well as being able to troubleshoot any problems that happen through setup, or during the performance, to quickly resolve them.
2. Degree or experience in relevant subject

Skills acquired?

1. Only had experience with three different live desks, one of which was used for a module at university. The others will be explained in a later post
2. Currently studying

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Mastering Engineer

Skills needed:

1. Excellent hearing quality, to be able to pick out the smallest of details in a track that can improve it
2. Access to and experience with top of the range hardware and software. Usually, mastering engineers use Pro Tools and always use Waves plugins
3. Excellent knowledge of equipment and their effects on sound, so that certain equipment can be easily picked out for certain qualities within the tracks
4. Most of this knowledge will come from experience as a recording engineer

Skills acquired?

1. Won't be good enough to be a mastering engineer just yet, but it will come with experience
2. Already have access and experience with Pro Tools, Waves plugins can be bought at a later time. Currently they are available through university facilities
3. More knowledge that will come with time and experience with using different equipment
4. Again, with more contracts and experience as a recording engineer, mastering can be something to almost 'retire' into. It can all be done from home