The most obvious reason that one might want to learn Premiere Pro is because they want to find work in the video and film editing industry (which has a major footprint in NYC, as you can read on to learn more). In NYC, a Video Editor earns an average salary of over $50,000 to $70,000 annually (with higher pay for senior editors), and NYC is second only to the greater Los Angeles area in terms of how many video editors are employed per capita. The job market for video editors in and around New York City is growing at roughly the same rate you see in other major cities while also having some of the highest-paying job opportunities in the nation (and some of the most diverse, given how many different industries are located in NYC).
Learning Premiere Pro is also a good skill for anyone who is looking to make their own content and make a name for themselves in a creative field. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok have made digital video content creation more accessible than ever before (and we are now entering the first generation of New Yorkers who cannot remember a time pre-YouTube), but they have also made the market more competitive than it has ever been. You want to make sure that your output looks professionally done so that viewers are attracted to your content, and while you could hire a professional editor, that is unlikely to be an option for new content creators. Instead, learning how to edit work on your own is a great way to break into the content creation industry and make a name for yourself among the various creatives living and working in NYC.
Lastly, NYC is home to a number of high-quality film schools, so younger students may want to consider learning Premiere Pro as a stepping-stone to continuing their video editing education. Learning how to use Premiere Pro lets you get started thinking like a video editor early on in the process, and it will help you construct a demo reel that can serve as an impressive part of your application materials. Even if you don’t foresee film editing being in your future, learning how to view footage through the lens of an editor is a productive skill set that will pay long-term dividends for any creative.
Industries in NYC that utilize Premiere Pro
Given that it is a tool for post-production video editing, it will come as no surprise to learn that the major employer of Premiere Pro professionals in NYC is the film and television industry. NYC is home to a wide range of media companies, such as NBC Universal (located at the iconic 30 Rockefeller Plaza) and Viacom, all the way to small media start-ups producing digital content. At every level, it is important that these companies hire skilled video editors to work on major aspects of the post-production process, sometimes as individuals and sometimes in large teams (for example, Disney has several studios in NYC, and their projects regularly employ dozens to hundreds of editors overseeing upwards of a thousand animators on different projects). Regardless of the size of the project that you intend to work on, there is almost certainly a media company in NYC that is on the lookout for a talented video editor.
The rise of digital content creation has further ballooned the demand for video editors. Not only are there brand-new media start-ups looking to ride the wave of digital content creation, but older and traditional media companies are becoming interested in digital content creation. This includes things like television studios creating their own online content distribution platforms (which calls for more editors to work on the process of converting that content into a digital format and editors to work on new film and television projects that aim to serve as flagships for those platforms), but also things like Broadway theater creating edited compilations and clips of shows to create viral attention.
One of the more unique industries in NYC that values video editing skills is the financial information and journalism industry. Publications like Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and, unsurprisingly, The New York Times, all have locations in NYC, so that they are as close as possible to the happenings on Wall Street. This is also true of the financial desks of major news outlets, so while CNN might make Atlanta its home, their financial desk has no shortage of employees in NYC. This means that there is plenty of work for video editors who are able to quickly turn content around when it is at its most relevant (since the financial markets move so quickly and the 24-hour news cycle ensures that there is continuous demand for updates).
On top of all of this, video editing skills are also important for all kinds of marketing and advertising projects, since the pivot to video has caused almost all companies looking to advertise their products to at least consider digital content as a part of their strategy. This means that larger companies will be hiring out editors to work on in-house advertising campaigns, and smaller companies are likely to hire out advertising firms to help them create content (and those firms will employ video editors). This ecosystem is ripe for emerging video editors to make a name for themselves and find jobs that provide them financial stability and long-term enjoyment in their day-to-day lives.
Practical matters to consider when enrolling in a Premiere Pro course
If you are looking to enroll in a Premiere Pro class, you also need to consider the various practical concerns that exist on the edges of the process. This includes everything from accounting for the cost of the program to factoring in your commute and deciding how much time you’ll need to learn and study your new skills. In NYC, some of these issues are slightly different than they might be elsewhere, thanks to the unique makeup of the city.
The first thing you’ll want to consider is the cost of the program. Video editing classes tend to have somewhat steep upfront costs, but that is because those classes are career-focused training sessions that aim to cram an entire professional development process into a short period of time. Given that NYC has a higher cost of living than most places in the nation, the cost of the course is likely to be slightly higher than in most other places, but, at the same time, it means that the starting salaries earned by novice video editors will be higher than the national average. Most certificate-granting programs do offer some form of tuition installment payment plans or financing options, meaning that you can be slightly more flexible in the monetary aspects of your training program.
You’ll also want to consider things like the commute and how much time and expense that will add to your training. Given NYC’s public transit system and its infinite complexities, this is likely to be less of an issue than it would be in another major city, but it is still worth remembering that you’ll need to physically be able to get to and from a training center in order to receive your training. You’ll also want to consider how long the course is going to last and how much time you anticipate needing to spend outside of the course working on your video editing projects. It can be difficult to find the right kinds of footage and the right video editing applications to do work outside of the context of the classroom.
There are also numerous benefits available to veterans and their families through VA-sponsored government programs that seek to help veterans pursue in-demand career training. If you are interested, consider reading more about the options available to veterans looking to learn Premiere Pro.
