Programming Courses

Programmer: Overview

Multimedia programmers are typically employed in specialist multimedia companies, as well as other organisations that use or create multimedia products. Programmers are employed within the following industry sectors:

• Advertising and marketing
• IT and games
• Broadcasting
• Telecommunications
• Publishing and media
• Education

As broadband has made more facilities via the internet, more opportunities in multimedia programming have expanded. Mobile platforms such as phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) require specialist software and there is a requirement for embedded software in many other electronic products.

Expected Salary

• starting salaries range between £18,000 and £24,000
• Experienced programmers earn between £28,000 and £35,000, and some over £40,000

Training

The most important training consideration for the programmers is to keep their skills up to date with the new developments such as adapting existing skills to a new package, learning a new programming language or working with a new platform. This may be achieved by attending short courses.

The following are useful sources of development training:

• The British Film Institute (BFI) and Skillset (Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries): publish lists of courses in media and multimedia
• E-skills UK - The Sector Skills Council for IT and Telecoms: maintains a directory of specialist courses and runs the Graduate Professional Development Award (GPDA) for graduates and postgraduates aiming to obtain work-ready skills through a structured framework
• The British Computer Society (BCS): offers a graduate professional diploma which covers subjects such as user interface design, software engineering and web engineering, and is taught at private institutions across the UK and elsewhere. The BCS publishes a range of IT-related courses and also helps by providing information and guidance to assist members in developing their expertise and recognising and planning their learning needs
• FE and HE institutions

Underoak lists many short courses to aid you in your career progression. These may be funded individually or through your company. To search these courses, simply type the relevant key words and click on ‘request further information’ to send your enquiry direct to the trainer.

Related Careers

• Animator
• Animator
• Games developer
• Graphic designer
• IT consultant
• Multimedia specialist
• Network engineer
• Software engineer
• Systems analyst
• Systems developer
• Web designer

Useful Links

Core Skills

A degree or HND in the following relevant subject areas may increase your chances to find a job:

• Interactive/multimedia technology or design/animation
• Computer science/software engineering
• Maths or physics
• Engineering or electronics
• 3D design or digital art
• Graphic design/illustration
• Spatial design
• Fine/visual art

Many university courses in multimedia offer a year sandwich course which enables industry experience for a year, which may be valuable for portfolios, and hands-on experience reassuring employers who are hiring for entry-level positions. Employers will want to be sure that candidates have a strong programming background and so courses in maths, engineering, art and design may be a good entry route if the candidate can also display aptitude and skills in multimedia applications.

Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

• Interactive design skills such as user/task analysis and interface design/evaluation
• Programming skills such as authoring, engineering and quality testing
• Understanding of layout, design and graphics
• Endless enthusiasm
• Ability to work effectively in a small project team
• Good communication skills
• Logical approach to problem-solving
• Ability to manage a complex range of tasks to meet deadlines

Knowledge and experience in the following will be enhance your career:
• Relevant software: eg Flash, Photoshop, Flex
• Programming languages: eg C++, Java, .NET
• Scripting languages: Actionscript 2 + 3, Javascript including AJAX, Ruby, SQL, PHP, XML, CSS, XHTML

Job Sites

Average working hours per week

Job Description

Multimedia Programmer

The Role

A multimedia programmer gives a multimedia product its functionality by writing computer programs or creating websites that draw together multimedia features, such as text, sound, graphics, digital photography, 2D/3D modelling, animation and video, according to a designer's specification. Multimedia products work on particular 'platforms', predominantly the internet, as well as interactive television, information kiosks, DVDs, CD-roms, computer games consoles and mobile phones.

Programmers may come from a design or computing background, but the role demands a combination of both creative and technical skills.

The term multimedia is used interchangeably with other terms such as new media, interactive media, digital media, and online/internet services.

A programmer's role includes the following:

• Working with the designer and other creative specialists to understand the design concept and advising on how it can be implemented technically within constraints
• Sorting out operational logic and business rules that are necessary for the feature to be reproduced correctly according to the designer's specification
• Writing efficient computer code or script to make the various features work, ensuring that sound, graphics, animations and timings function as intended and make good use of processing and data storage capacity
• Creating and linking databases to the user interface so that information can be retrieved, stored and processed interactively via the application
• Writing HTML or similar input and using authoring packages where appropriate to create content and effects
• Running tests of the application to identify bugs which need to be rectified
• Solving the problems by re-writing the code or adding new code which works around the problem
• Providing technical support to an application once it is running and making further adaptations, patches or rewrites to the code
• Researching and keeping abreast of emerging technologies in order to be able to deliver the most up-to-date solutions. This may mean learning new programming languages or technologies.

The programmer works in a team with the designer and other specialists, such as animators, video producers and 3D modellers, who create the multimedia features. Because of the size and complexity of some applications, there may be several programmers working on one or more aspects of the application. In smaller projects, the programmer may take on other roles, such as design and animation, depending on their expertise.

Programmers may become specialised in particular output formats, such as web applications, mobile technologies or interactive television, depending on their range of skills.

Salary:

25 000 – 30 000 depending on experience

Career Development

Opportunities exist for career development in areas such as internet, interactive television, games development, and e-learning. With experience, programmers can move into middle management roles, such as team leader, project manager or production manager. Depending on the size and structure of the company, these roles may vary or overlap. Project leaders, responsible for coordinating the work carried out by the various team members and ensuring that the project is completed to deadline, require an all-round skill set encompassing business, content, design and technical competencies.

As the multimedia industry evolves, digital security and online services are predicted to become major growth areas with the opportunity for skilled professionals to work with larger and more diverse audiences in new markets, such as China.