Camera operators rate their happiness above average.

At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, camera operators rate their career happiness 3.6 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 24% of careers.

To put this into perspective, we compared how happy camera operators are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:

Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers

Career Satisfaction Avg Salary
Photographer
3.9
$12k
Art director
3.8
$64k
Set designer
3.8
$28k
Videographer
3.8
$50k
Executive film producer
3.6
$60k
Camera operator
3.6
$20k
Film producer
3.6
$68k
Casting director
3.6
$86k
Film and video editor
3.6
$26k

So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:

  • Salary: Are camera operators happy with their salary?
  • Meaning: Do camera operators find their jobs meaningful?
  • Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as camera operators?
  • Work environment: How enjoyable are camera operator’s work environments?
  • Skills utilization: Are camera operators making the best use of their abilities?

Are camera operators happy with their salary?

Camera operators rated their satisfaction with their salaries 2.9/5. Camera operators tend to be quite unhappy with their salary, with very few reporting satisfaction with their pay.

We asked camera operators how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:

2.9 out of 5 stars

354 camera operators

5 Star
14%

14% of camera operators rated their compensation 5 stars

4 Star
22%

22% of camera operators rated their compensation 4 stars

3 Star
26%

26% of camera operators rated their compensation 3 stars

2 Star
22%

22% of camera operators rated their compensation 2 stars

1 Star
17%

17% of camera operators rated their compensation 1 stars

Do camera operators find their jobs meaningful?

On average, camera operators rate the meaningfulness of their work a 3.1/5. Most tend to be satisified with the level of meaning they find in their careers.

We asked camera operators how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:

3.1 out of 5 stars

364 camera operators

5 Star
18%

18% of camera operators rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars

4 Star
20%

20% of camera operators rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars

3 Star
32%

32% of camera operators rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars

2 Star
19%

19% of camera operators rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars

1 Star
11%

11% of camera operators rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars

How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as camera operators?

Camera operators rated their personality fit with their work an average of 3.9/5. The majority of camera operators find their personalities quite well suited to their work, with relatively few having complaints about their fit.

We asked camera operators how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:

3.9 out of 5 stars

420 camera operators

5 Star
32%

32% of camera operators rated their career fit 5 stars

4 Star
39%

39% of camera operators rated their career fit 4 stars

3 Star
18%

18% of camera operators rated their career fit 3 stars

2 Star
8%

8% of camera operators rated their career fit 2 stars

1 Star
3%

3% of camera operators rated their career fit 1 stars

How enjoyable is a camera operator’s work environment?

As a whole, camera operators rated their enjoyment of their work environment 3.8/5. A solid majority of camera operators enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as a camera operator.

We asked camera operators how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:

3.8 out of 5 stars

417 camera operators

5 Star
29%

29% of camera operators rated their work environment 5 stars

4 Star
37%

37% of camera operators rated their work environment 4 stars

3 Star
20%

20% of camera operators rated their work environment 3 stars

2 Star
10%

10% of camera operators rated their work environment 2 stars

1 Star
4%

4% of camera operators rated their work environment 1 stars

Are camera operators making the best use of their abilities?

Former camera operators on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 3.2/5. Most camera operators are satisfied with how well their abilities are skills are made of use.

We asked camera operators how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:

3.2 out of 5 stars

419 camera operators

5 Star
20%

20% of camera operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars

4 Star
23%

23% of camera operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars

3 Star
29%

29% of camera operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars

2 Star
17%

17% of camera operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars

1 Star
11%

11% of camera operators rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars