In this article let’s take a look at pros and cons of video editing in detail to understand whether video editing is a good career option and a side hustle or not.
So let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
Pros and cons of video editing as a career
Pros of video editing
1. Highly profitable skill
One of the main benefits of video editing skill is that it is a highly profitable one.
According to bureau of labour statistics the average salary of a video editor in America is around 62,000 USD per annum which is converted into 30 USD per hour.
And in India, the average salary of a video editor is around 4 lakh rupees per annum.
You should keep in mind the word average in both the cases, there are many video editors who make more than $100,000 per annum and
obviously your earning and salary will depend upon your skill set, experience, reviews or portfolio, etc.
2. Huge demand
Another big advantage of video editing as a career is that it is a high demanded job.
According to bureau of labour statistics the average job growth of video editors is 29% between 2020-2030.
You can see that it has a huge spike in growth of jobs for video editors in America and you can also observe a similar trend in other countries as well.
The main reason for such a huge spike in jobs and demand of video editors is because
The consumption and demand for video content has increased alot whether it is on,
- YouTube
- Movies
- Tv shows
- Rise of OTT platforms & web series
People are more interested in watching and consuming video content over others.
Let me give you some interesting data & statistics regarding rise in video content,
- By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic
- Studies show that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support
- 72% of customers said they would rather learn about a product or service by way of video. In fact, 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video
- 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
- The completion rate of interactive videos are 90%
- More than 2 billion people use YouTube every month, people watch more than 1 billion hours of video content on YouTube everyday
- Video content is 40x better than text based content
I don’t want to bore you further with more statistics about video content, you can check more statistics about video content here.
Even due to covid pandemic the OTT platforms subscription grew by 60%.
All of these statistics and data clearly show that there has been a clear spike and rise in the consumption of video content and
the demand of video content has increased over the last few years especially after covid pandemic.
When there is a rise in the consumption of video content it is directly related with higher demand of video editors because
video editors are the people who edit the videos, add graphics, images, sound effects to make videos interesting.
Because of this reason you can find more than 20,000 jobs on naukri.com & other platforms for video editors.
Because of all this reasons video editor are one of the most highly demanded people in the market.
3. Work anywhere
Another big advantage of video editors is that you can get a chance to work anywhere and you do not have to move to office every day.
In order to start working all you need is a good computer, a video editing software, internet connection, that’s it.
Because of this you can work from anywhere including your home or you can work while travelling to different places at the same time.
4. Become a freelancer and wide career options
Another big advantage of being a video editor is that you can become a freelancer.
Many companies have realised the importance of video content In their sales and marketing strategy, they are now trying to outsource majority of the tasks related to video editing
to other developing countries freelancers like Indian freelancers instead of hiring an employee to do the job, this can be a great news for people who want to become freelancers from developing countries like India.
You can start earning money as a freelancer on platforms like upwork and Guru.
There are many freelance video editors on platforms like upwork who charge more than $50 per 1 hour, you can also become a freelancer and start earning that money but it depends upon your skill set and portfolio.
Apart from working as a freelancer you can have many other wide career opportunities like,
- You can work as a film editor and edit movies or work in TV studios and edit serials
- You can work as a video editor for youtubers
- You can work as a web video editor and edit short films, web series, songs which are published on OTT platforms
- you can work as event video editor and edit videos of weddings and other events of clients
- You can also be animator or colorist
- You can also work as video editor for businesses and edit their videos of brands & look after brand ads, commericals, etc
Even though your primary objective is to edit videos you can work in different sectors and companies with different goals, groups & teams depending upon your interest.
5. Enjoy the work life balance
Another big advantage of being a video editor is that you can get a chance to enjoy your work life balance.
Compared to other career options video editors can spend the time with their family members and also with their friends because
they do not have to move to office and they can also become a freelancer at the same time they can work from anywhere in the world.
You can also dedicate some time for your personal growth and reflect on your thoughts and work on your personality.
6. Creative & exciting career
Another big advantage of video editing as a career is that it is both creative and exciting career for many people.
You will need to use your brain and mind and think of new ways of how you can make the videos interesting to people using your creativity and you can also learn new things during the process and also learn to use new video editing softwares and improve your skills of video editing.
Because of this reason it can be both very exciting career and also gives you a lot of satisfaction and happiness because
your video editing skill will make the video interesting for people to watch and add value in their life by either entertaining them or helping them learn something new.
7. A secure job and good future
Another big advantage of being a video editor is that it is a highly secured job and also has a good future..
There is a lot of buzz around artificial intelligence replacing a large percentage of jobs that humans do in the coming years, but when it comes to video editing I think robots cannot replace video editors,
it is because it requires a great deal of experience and creativity to edit videos and any profession which requires creativity, emotional intelligence cannot get easily replaced by AI.
8. No degree needed & easy to learn
Another advantage is that you do not need a degree or educational qualification in order to be a video editor and start making money.
All you need is a skill and proper equipment in order to start as a video editor and you can easily gain the skill by taking courses on platforms like udemy for cheap prices.
These are all the advantages of video editing as a career option.
Cons of video editing
1. Long hours in front of computer
One of the main disadvantages of video editing as a career is that you can have to work long hours in front of computer and the process of editing the video will take good amount of time.
Most professional editors will take about 1 to 1.5 hours per minute of edited video, and that’s about right.
There is no exact time which can say that how long it would take to edit a video but the time will depend upon the kind of video you want to produce,
VFX you want to add and many more factors, but generally speaking in majority of the cases video editing is definitely a time-consuming process.
If you are a freelancer there is no fixed work timing but on average video editors can work anywhere between 40 to 50 hours per week and sometimes the work can get extended to complete the project within the deadline, etc.
And it also depends upon which computer you use, and the performance of your computer of how soon it will implement your changes and export your video content in the software.
This is one of the main reason why majority of the content creators like youtubers and film makers hire top video editors so that they can reduce the time it takes to edit the video, edit videos with creativity rather than editing the videos themselves.
2. Inconsistent income
Another big disadvantage if you become freelance video editor is that you can have in inconsistent income.
This is one of the main disadvantages if you become a freelancer of any kind compared to job.
What I mean by this is that because as a freelancer you will be hired by other companies and people who need someone to complete their task.
So sometimes you might earn good money but in other times you might rarely make a few bucks.
Apart from that there is also immense competition in the video editing field if you become a freelancer which can also be a reason for inconsistent income.
These are the advantages and disadvantages of being a video editor.
Is video editing a good hustle and career
After reading all the advantages and disadvantages I still believe that video editing is a good career and side hustle.
The most important benefits of video editing is that you can get good salary, it is a highly demanded job with a good job growth, it also has a good future and also offers flexibility in your life.
And you can learn video editing on online platforms like udemy and also get a job without a degree.
If you really have interest towards video editing and you are also a creative, innovative person then video editing can be a good career option for you but
the only disadvantage is that you will have to purchase a high-performing computer and any video editing software to get started so you need to put some initial investment before you can expect some returns.
With that said let’s end the article.
Conclusion
These are all the things you need to know about video editing as a career option and a side hustle.
Do let me know your thoughts about video editing as a career option in the comments section below.
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