If you’re interested in art and design, and don’t want to spend your life starving in a cold attic apartment, then you might want to look into getting an associate’s degree in multimedia.

Professionals with a multimedia degree get the best of both worlds: they work in an industry that is highly creative and pays well, plus, they have a lot of fun doing what they do. What’s better than that?

Here’s what you’d be doing with this degree: using your creative skills, coupled with the most advanced technology available, to create unique digital videos, images, and websites. Who do you do this for? Anyone who is looking to make money by marketing themselves or their business online or on TV.

Some students go on to get their bachelor’s degree. If you continue your education you will make much more than if you just get your two-year degree. You’ll definitely be able to find a job with your associate degree in multimedia, but your earnings will be around $35,000 (for a graphic designer position). But, if you keep going you’ll be qualified to get a higher position like Art Director or Multimedia Animator (who wouldn’t love to create cartoons?).  These positions will earn you $50,000 to $65,000 on up.

Another great thing about getting a multimedia degree is that it gives you the skills you need to open up your own business. Many animators and designers freelance or build firms of their own to handle their workload. This type of work can be done out of your home, which means you’d have the freedom to work in the middle of the night or take the day off if you were feeling lazy (and didn’t have a deadline to meet!). Working on your own has its risks, but you can also make significantly more money as an entrepreneur.

If you decide to go to school to get your multimedia associate degree, you’ll be taking classes like:

Now, this degree is definitely more “tech heavy” than other art degrees, so if you’re not comfortable with computers then this won’t be a good choice for you. The majority of your work in the outside world will probably creating and publishing online videos and images, so you need a comprehensive background in website and Internet technology.

That being said, however, this field is expected to continue to grow as more and more businesses realize the value of having a web presence, so if you’re looking for a degree that’s fun (and pays well!) then check out getting a multimedia associate degree. You might be glad you did!