Media Programming Directors build judgment and decision making, coordination and time management 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 Public Relations Managers (90%).
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 | Public Relations Managers | 90% | $146,910 | — | None |
| 2 | Public Relations Specialists | 89% | $74,750 | — | None |
| 3 | Information Technology Project Managers | 87% | $116,580Pay for the broader BLS group “Computer Occupations, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 4 | Project Management Specialists | 85% | $102,320 | — | None |
| 5 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | 83% | $133,660 | — | None |
| 6 | First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | 82% | $87,520 | — | None |
| 7 | Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | 80% | $47,340 | — | None |
| 8 | General and Operations Managers | 80% | $105,770 | — | None |
| 9 | Marketing Managers | 80% | $166,790 | — | None |
| 10 | Art Directors | 79% | $114,850 | — | None |
Compared with Media Programming Directors, median —. 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 media programming 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.
90% skill match · $146,910
Persuasion · Service Orientation · Social Perceptiveness
89% skill match · $74,750
Persuasion · Social Perceptiveness
87% skill match · $116,580 (broader BLS group)
Programming · Systems Analysis · Technology Design
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Public Relations Managers (90% skill match, median $146,910), Public Relations Specialists (89% skill match, median $74,750) and Information Technology Project Managers (87% skill match, median $116,580), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
None of the 25 closest matches pays more than media programming directors at the national median (BLS May 2025). Higher-paying moves usually need more training.
24 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. One usually needs a graduate degree: Chief Executives.
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.