A fresh look at early-career salaries reveals how quickly creative work is shifting. For graduates entering the job market in 2025, the best-paying creative roles aren’t necessarily in the arts or media, they’re in tech.
Topping the chart is a relatively new title: AI prompt engineer. The job pays around $70,000 to start, and even interns in the field average about $20 an hour. What’s driving demand is simple. These engineers help large language models perform better by crafting the questions that guide their responses. It’s part writing, part training, and very much in demand across industries that are racing to adopt AI tools.
Second on the list is UX design, where entry-level roles bring in about $65,000 per year. Interns can expect up to $30 an hour. These roles sit at the center of how people interact with websites and apps, and companies know that smart design keeps users coming back.
One step below that, social-savvy grads are finding opportunity in marketing. A TikTok consultant, for example, starts at $55,000. While intern pay is harder to pin down for that role, the full-time salary alone shows how valuable short-form content strategy has become, especially when brands need to connect with younger users who live on those platforms.
Traditional creative tracks haven’t disappeared. Copywriters start near $52,700, with internships paying around $17 an hour. In the gaming world, writing roles are pulling in $50,000 for newcomers, and internships can pay up to $25 hourly. These jobs tend to attract candidates who bring narrative talent along with a feel for interactive storytelling.
A little further down the scale are roles like digital marketer, graphic designer, and video editor. Each offers a base salary around $45,000, depending on the company and region. The pay is decent, and internships for these positions range between $21 and $25 per hour. They’re also more widespread, which means more competition, but also more openings.
Social media content creators fall into the same income range, though the expectations vary. These roles often mix creative freedom with deadlines that move fast. At the bottom of the top ten list is journalism, which starts closer to $35,000. While the pay may be lower, the mission behind the job still pulls in graduates who care about facts, stories, and accountability. Interns here usually earn about $20 per hour.
What ties these jobs together isn’t just creativity. It’s the ability to pair ideas with tools. Graduates who know how to use design software, understand how digital platforms work, or can shape content for a specific audience are far more likely to land well-paying jobs early.
The research pulled from salary platforms like Glassdoor and LinkedIn, looked at average pay across entry-level roles and internships. Job Leads, the team behind the study compared dozens of job titles, including variations, to find what employers are offering now, not just what they promised in the past.
As more industries go digital, creative work is evolving with them. The best-paid roles go to those who aren’t just imaginative, but also strategic. If you’ve got an eye for design and a sense of how digital systems behave, you’re in a strong position, whether you're building AI prompts or branding a product on TikTok.
Read next: Which Tech Companies Make the Most Money per Employee?
Topping the chart is a relatively new title: AI prompt engineer. The job pays around $70,000 to start, and even interns in the field average about $20 an hour. What’s driving demand is simple. These engineers help large language models perform better by crafting the questions that guide their responses. It’s part writing, part training, and very much in demand across industries that are racing to adopt AI tools.
Second on the list is UX design, where entry-level roles bring in about $65,000 per year. Interns can expect up to $30 an hour. These roles sit at the center of how people interact with websites and apps, and companies know that smart design keeps users coming back.
One step below that, social-savvy grads are finding opportunity in marketing. A TikTok consultant, for example, starts at $55,000. While intern pay is harder to pin down for that role, the full-time salary alone shows how valuable short-form content strategy has become, especially when brands need to connect with younger users who live on those platforms.
Traditional creative tracks haven’t disappeared. Copywriters start near $52,700, with internships paying around $17 an hour. In the gaming world, writing roles are pulling in $50,000 for newcomers, and internships can pay up to $25 hourly. These jobs tend to attract candidates who bring narrative talent along with a feel for interactive storytelling.
A little further down the scale are roles like digital marketer, graphic designer, and video editor. Each offers a base salary around $45,000, depending on the company and region. The pay is decent, and internships for these positions range between $21 and $25 per hour. They’re also more widespread, which means more competition, but also more openings.
Social media content creators fall into the same income range, though the expectations vary. These roles often mix creative freedom with deadlines that move fast. At the bottom of the top ten list is journalism, which starts closer to $35,000. While the pay may be lower, the mission behind the job still pulls in graduates who care about facts, stories, and accountability. Interns here usually earn about $20 per hour.
What ties these jobs together isn’t just creativity. It’s the ability to pair ideas with tools. Graduates who know how to use design software, understand how digital platforms work, or can shape content for a specific audience are far more likely to land well-paying jobs early.
The research pulled from salary platforms like Glassdoor and LinkedIn, looked at average pay across entry-level roles and internships. Job Leads, the team behind the study compared dozens of job titles, including variations, to find what employers are offering now, not just what they promised in the past.
As more industries go digital, creative work is evolving with them. The best-paid roles go to those who aren’t just imaginative, but also strategic. If you’ve got an eye for design and a sense of how digital systems behave, you’re in a strong position, whether you're building AI prompts or branding a product on TikTok.
| Job Title (Industry / Sector) | Intern Pay Per Hour ($) | Entry-Level Salary ($) | Mid-Level Salary ($) | Senior-Level Salary ($) | Executive-Level Salary ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UX Designer (Tech) | $30 | $65,000 | $95,000 | $125,000 | $170,000 |
| TikTok Consultant (Marketing / Creative) | N/A | $55,000 | $75,000 | $95,000 | $115,000 |
| AI Art Prompt Engineer (Gaming / Media) | $20 | $70,000 | $95,000 | $125,000 | $150,000 |
| Video Game Writer (Entertainment) | $25 | $50,000 | $70,000 | $90,000 | $110,000 |
| Creative Director (Advertising) | N/A | N/A | N/A | $120,000 | $160,000 |
| Digital Marketer (Marketing / Creative) | $22 | $45,000 | $75,000 | $149,000 | $300,000 |
| Graphic Designer (Design) | $25 | $45,000 | $69,000 | $85,000 | $125,000 |
| Copywriter (Advertising / Marketing) | $17 | $52,690 | $78,000 | $92,000 | $139,000 |
| Journalist (Media) | $20 | $35,000 | $55,000 | $79,000 | $95,000 |
| Fashion Designer (Fashion) | $18 | $33,000 | $60,000 | $68,000 | $150,000 |
| Video Editor (Media) | $21 | $45,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 | $120,000 |
| Social Media Content Creator (Advertising / Marketing) | $18 | $45,000 | $60,000 | $72,000 | $85,000 |
Read next: Which Tech Companies Make the Most Money per Employee?
