Top Careers in Social Media: How High School Students Can Break In

Summary:

High School students, here are the top social media careers you can get a start on with the Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program. 

Key Points:

• Social media careers abound throughout all businesses.
• Here are a number of the top social media careers, responsibilities, and average salaries.
• The best time to get a jump on your future in social media is while in high school.
• Georgetown University offers a course on marketing with a social media focus through its pre-college online program.

Today, social media permeates many aspects of our lives, both personally and sometimes professionally. Teenagers dream of becoming influencers and earning millions of followers and big money. However, that can be a long process, and for every Mr. BeastMr. Beast, the billionaire influencer, there are millions of teens who aspire to gain social media careers with a salary and benefits.

In this article, we’ll look at corporate careers that focus on social media, along with median salaries and responsibilities. We’ll also look at schools like Georgetown University, where you’ll find a digital marketing course for teens as part of their pre-college online program. 

Jobs that pay you to be on social media

According to Indeed.com, the following are some of the top social media careers and what you can earn. If some of the following positions sound similar, they may vary in scope depending on the company's size and structure. Smaller firms may have only one social media position. But large corporations with multiple divisions will likely have several or all of the following positions. 

Blogger: You’ll write compelling content and share on social media. When you connect with followers, you help brands improve their search engine optimization (SEO), and build engagement. Bloggers brainstorm topics, do research, write, edit, and post their blogs. Good writing skills are a must.

• National average salary: $37,062

Content curator: This is someone who is up to speed on the latest social media trends. It’s your job to find interesting content to share on your company’s feed. You’ll use content curation tools or software to find articles, images, and videos to share that are on brand.

• National average salary: $50,845

Social media coordinator: Ensures that social media campaigns run smoothly. You’ll plan, implement, and monitor a brand’s social media presence. The goal is to improve brand awareness while engaging with online followers with the mission of boosting sales.

• National average salary: $45,353

Social media manager: In this role, you would oversee the entire social media department of a corporation, making sure that everything a brand posts on social media aligns with its  positioning and messaging. 

• National average salary: $55,933

Marketing associate: A marketing associate is responsible for planning and implementing a brand's marketing efforts through a wide variety of marketing channels, such as print, email, website content and social media. For this role, you must know how to collect market data, predict trends, and look at consumer behavior. 

• National average salary: $51,688

Brand manager: The mission is to build a brand based on the company’s target audience. In this role, you’d align the content and messaging created by the marketing team with the values, goals, and brand style. The brand manager’s responsibility is to maintain a brand’s integrity across all channels.

• National average salary: $71,835

Digital strategist: This role involves reviewing all digital marketing channels available to a brand and launching a successful multi-channel campaign. You can utilize paid media, SEO, and social media to establish a strong online presence for your brand. You’ll need to have knowledge of consumer trends regarding digital platforms. The mission is to develop an actionable digital marketing plan that drives sales growth. 

• National average salary: $66,188

Data analyst: In this role, you would collect and analyze data from social media campaigns to assess whether your brand is reaching the intended audience by looking at impressions, click-through rates, engagement, and likes. A data analyst also uses sales software to determine if social media is driving meaningful conversions for the brand.

• National average salary: $74,377

Content strategist: As a content strategist, you would plan all the content a brand is going to share. You’ll follow current content marketing trends to advise your company on what content to produce. In addition to creating videos, blogs, and infographics to post on the brand’s website, you will find ways to share this content on social media.

• National average salary: $72,825

Regardless of which position you aspire to, achieving success in a social media role means you will need to have a solid understanding of the major social media platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

You may already be social media-savvy as a frequent user. However, when you enter the business arena, you’ll need to think like a marketer. Prelum, Powered by Kaplan, can help get you ready for the future.

Discover if digital marketing is a fit for you 

If you are a high school student, now is the best time to get ahead of the curve. Check out the Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program. One of the most popular courses is titled Discover the Power of Marketing. This course covers the fundamentals of marketing and explores careers such as social media strategist, analytics expert, brand ambassador, and many more.

You’ll learn both traditional methods and digital channels used to promote brands, communicate with consumers, add followers, and sell products and services. Here’s what else you’ll study:

• How marketing has evolved into a data-driven field via social media.
• Learn how marketing is both an art and a science, and define the elements of a content strategy.
• What makes a brand stand out? Identify key brand values, how positioning works, and how to build brand loyalty.
• How do you reach your target customer? Explore traditional marketing methods, digital marketing, and new experiential strategies (think QR codes on packaging.)
• Learn how to interpret consumer habits and spending by analyzing data and designing a customer persona.
• Identify the wide range of careers in the field. Potential jobs include copywriters, digital analyst, communications specialist, digital content creator—all practices that fall into the top social media jobs listed above.

When you study with a university that partners with Prelum, Powered by Kaplan, you’ll study with renowned facility and industry experts, enjoy the flexible format that enables you to study anytime your schedule allows, and be supported by mentors who answer your questions and guide your experience. You’ll also complete a Final Capstone Project to demonstrate what you’ve learned. 

Remember, social media is part of your everyday life, but when you seek a job or apply to college, you’ll need to demonstrate that you can think beyond the social part of the platform and communicate like a media specialist. Let’s get started.

This was last reviewed by Ashley Simmons on 07/11/2025.