Training programs must reflect the pace and hands-on nature of skill acquisition in new media. A more efficient, reliable, and standards-based system for skill certification is needed. All this will become increasingly important as the industry grows beyond a relatively small community in which prior personal connections are sufficient to establish one's ability and reputation. Most work by moving from project to project, providing specialized inputs into the creation of products such as movies, advertisements, and web page designs. Social networks are central to job search and employment security in new media.
Respondents rank friends and colleagues far above any other source of jobs.
Full time does not necessarily mean long term. Even among workers with full-time jobs, tenure with an employer averages only six months. Career paths are organized around the acquisition of a marketable portfolio of specialized skills and prestige projects rather than tenure with a long-term employer. Successful careers often involve movement from full-time employment to independent contractor status to entrepreneur. The average work week for respondents is 53 hours long.