Jobs are as important for our characters as they are for real people. A character’s career might be their dream job or one they’ve chosen due to necessity. In your story, they might be trying to get that job or are already working in the field. Whatever the situation, as with any defining aspect for your character, you’ll need to do the proper research to be able to write that career knowledgeably.
Enter the Occupation Thesaurus. Here, you’ll find important background information on a variety of career options for your character. In addition to the basics, we’ll also be covering related info that relates to character arc and story planning, such as sources of conflict (internal and external) and how the job might impact basic human needs, thereby affecting the character’s goals.
We hope the sample list of ideas below will show you how to choose and use your character’s occupation to do more than simply reference a day job. For the full entry for this career and over 120 other ideas, check into our bestselling resource, The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers.
Conductor
Overview: Conductors direct orchestras, symphonies, choirs, and other musical ensembles, interpreting the music and setting the tempo for the musicians. Their responsibilities include studying the musical scores, planning and overseeing rehearsals, and leading performances. They may also network with potential donors and help with fundraising. In addition, conductors taking on a secondary role of music director will select the music and schedule guest performances for their program…
Necessary Training: A four-year degree is required and a master’s degree is often preferred. Conductors should also have significant mastery of one or more instruments. Practical experience is imperative; many aspiring conductors…
Useful Skills, Talents, or Abilities: A knack for languages, enhanced hearing, exceptional memory, good listening skills, multitasking, musicality, photographic memory, promotion
- POSITIVE: Alert, ambitious, analytical, appreciative, bold, confident, cooperative, decisive, disciplined, enthusiastic, focused, imaginative, inspirational, meticulous, passionate, persuasive, studious, talented, uninhibited, whimsical
- NEGATIVE: Perfectionist
Sources of Friction: Musicians with a diva mentality, oversensitive musicians who can’t take criticism, one’s authority being challenged, creative differences with the musicians or composer, facilities issues (the building having terrible acoustics, a broken heating or a/c system, etc.)…
People They Might Interact With: Musicians, a music director, composers, donors and benefactors, other conductors, facilities staff, journalists
How This Occupation Might Impact One’s Basic Needs:
- Self-Actualization: A conductor in a lower-level organization with a dream of working with a top-tier ensemble may become disgruntled at his or her inability to move up.
- Love and Belonging: People who are highly passionate about their work often find it difficult to share their time, attention, and passion with others, which could lead to a love and belonging void…
Common Work-Related Settings: Airplane, airport, ballroom, black-tie event, community center, cruise ship, green room, gymnasium, high school hallway, hotel room, performing arts theater, recording studio, university quad, Vegas stage show
Twisting the Fictional Stereotype: When we think of people in this role, they’re usually wealthy, pretentious, and snobbish. Twist the stereotype by giving your conductor some unorthodox traits, making them quirky, timid, sloppy, uncouth…
Visit the other Occupations in our collection HERE.
How will your character’s occupation help reveal their innermost layers?
Much of your character’s life will revolve around their work, and whether they love it or hate it, their job is a great way to show, not tell, their personality traits, skills, work ethic, worldview and beliefs, and more, so we should choose it with care.
To learn more, we recommend The Occupation Thesaurus book. Explore 120+ jobs to choose a profession for your character that showcases who they are, what they want, and what they believe in. Then learn how that career choice can characterize, drive the plot, infuse scenes with conflict, and get readers on the character’s side through the relatable pressures, responsibilities, and stakes inherent with work.
You can find this bestselling thesaurus writing guide in print, ebook, and PDF formats. To see what other authors think of the book, read its reviews at Goodreads.
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.