Let’s begin with the good news: working in the creative industries can be an immensely satisfying career choice. Creative practitioners can express themselves with new and exciting work in a sector they really love. Now for the bad news: 58% of the UK's creative workforce is educated to degree level. That’s over 20% higher than the national average, and it’s not matched by employer demand. When recruiting, the majority of creative sector employers place relevant work experience over qualification level as the deciding factor.

Competition is high, your peers have the same qualifications, and there is a strong emphasis on work experience. This has led to a rise in unpaid internships in the creative industries. These can run for three-months or longer – hard to finance if you’ve just entered the job market.

So how can you make the best possible start to a creative career? Take a look at the information, advice and resources from Creative Choices, dedicated to helping you develop a career in the creative industries.

Use our industry insights to find out more about different types of careers. Not every theatre job is about being on stage, for example, and visual arts needs curators and organisers as much as painters and sculptors.

The best time to start gaining experience is before you graduate. We have advice on what employers are looking for, so you can tailor your CV and portfolio. We also have tips on how to protect yourself against unpaid work, as well as guidance on the legal position of internships (developed with the Arts Council), so you’ll know where you stand.

If you’re looking for a job or internship (paid, of course), we feature regularly-updated listings for jobs and opportunities in the creative sector.

And if you’re studying something you can market yourself – like craft or product design – it’s not uncommon to start your own business straight after graduation. As well as featuring case studies of creative who have done just that, we have a series of masterclass articles on how to be a creative entrepreneur.

Visit Creative Choices to get started with your creative career.