Anime and manga is becoming more popular worldwide, so it makes sense people want careers in it. I’m no job advisor for sure and as I get closer to my own dream, this post might need updating in the future, but what I can offer you in the meantime is the solace your dream career may be closer than you think, if you just think creatively.

Tune of the post: House Work by Jax Jones, Mike Dunn and MNEK (Spotify, YouTube)…in a post like this, you probably expected Fifth Harmony or Rihanna instead, but I’ll put my preferences above and beyond those any day of the week. This is my blog and my rules, after all. “Whatcha gonna do?”, as the song says.

Heads up! This post is an affiliate post, so if you buy anything from the links, I may receive a commission.

• I’ve picked a variety of different positions to suit all sorts of people and because I understand it’s hard to break into the working world if you’re, say, a new high school or university graduate, there’s a few entry-level jobs too.
• This listicle isn’t definitive by any means.

Director

The director position has a lot of fame behind it (the fans will learn your name, after all), but also a lot of competition and stress.

Animator

Another role where your name may become known alongside your work, but low pay is a well-documented problem for this job. The Animator Dormitory has more information on this.

Mangaka

Sticking with the drawing side of things, but with static images and panelling. It’s good for those who’d like to be future homebodies…so long as you 1) manage your health all the while and 2) manage tight deadlines well. Shonen Jump has produced a few guides, like this one, on how to join their ranks.

Translator

Another highly competitive field for potential homebodies with potential deadlines…if you’re freelance. From trying to get into this industry myself, I can tell you (at least where I am) in-house translation positions are possible, but rare. Some translators are bloggers, due to the publicity factor of having a public-facing blog – I would recommend Jenn O’Donnell’s website for more on, well, the Japanese to English language pair and Jenn recommends this book for freelance translators.

Tip: There are organisations for particular regions regulating the standard of translators and interpreters. For example, there is the American Translators’ Association. You can sometimes join these groups as a translation student at a discounted rate and these organisations typically have blogs you can peruse.

Anime Con Panel Presenter

For those who don’t want to be tied to anime all the time so you don’t burn out, this is a much more relaxed gig…although it probably doesn’t pay too well, because from experience, most con staff are volunteers. Jessi probably gives the best insight into this line of work.

Retail Assistant

Going further afield, it’s not just the people in more creative fields doing the work that enable you to consume the media you like. If you’re buying a physical product – and even maybe when you’re buying a digital product – your transaction is probably going through a person as well.

Tip from someone who’s been there, done that: If you want a job dealing with the merch you like, try targeting particular types of stores. For example, if you want to sell manga, you can work in a bookstore – I got my start in front-facing customer service by volunteering at libraries and a thrift store.

Alternatively, if you’re hoping to get a job working from home and are trying to get a job for the long haul, you can try selling on online marketplaces like eBay. (Here’s a Reddit guide for that, plus the flipping Reddit it’s posted to is also helpful)

Warehousing and Logistics

Likewise, if you have physical products being shipped, they’ll need to be stocked and delivered somehow. Just…don’t tear off the packaging on some items, and you’ll be set.

Security

…you’re probably going, “What?! Security, on a list like this?”

Well, anime cons and raves have a history together. When you have a bunch of strangers together in a party-style atmosphere, sometimes those strangers can get rowdy in legally and morally weird ways and you need security for that.

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So, this is just the begining of this list. I guess if you think hard enough, everything comes back to anime and manga eventually…

Keep seeking the magic,

Aria.