Art Directors build judgment and decision making, complex problem solving and coordination skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Producers and Directors (81%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Producers and Directors | 81% | $90,360 | −21% | None |
| 2 | Video Game Designers | 76% | $104,000Pay for the broader BLS group “Web and Digital Interface Designers” | Not compared | None |
| 3 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | 73% | $133,660 | +16% | None |
| 4 | Media Programming Directors | 72% | $90,360Pay for the broader BLS group “Producers and Directors” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | Writers and Authors | 71% | $76,910 | −33% | None |
| 6 | Project Management Specialists | 68% | $102,320 | −11% | None |
| 7 | Public Relations Managers | 67% | $146,910 | +28% | None |
| 8 | Public Relations Specialists | 67% | $74,750 | −35% | None |
| 9 | Marketing Managers | 67% | $166,790 | +45% | None |
| 10 | Film and Video Editors | 67% | $75,420 | −34% | None |
Compared with Art Directors, median $114,850. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as art directors (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
81% skill match · $90,360 · −21% pay
Operation and Control · Social Perceptiveness · Troubleshooting
76% skill match · $104,000 (broader BLS group)
Programming · Technology Design · Operations Monitoring
73% skill match · $133,660 · +16% pay
Social Perceptiveness · Systems Evaluation · Systems Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Producers and Directors (81% skill match, median $90,360), Video Game Designers (76% skill match, median $104,000) and Advertising and Promotions Managers (73% skill match, median $133,660), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 7 pay more than art directors at the median. The biggest increases: Computer and Information Systems Managers (+52%, $175,140), Marketing Managers (+45%, $166,790) and Sales Managers (+29%, $148,270).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.