You also need an 'in' to get a job, someone who is already working in the industry who can pass work to you. They also have to know that you're looking for work and they must have a good enough opinion to recommend you or use you themselves.

These contacts can be made anywhere, from working as an usher to working in a hire company warehouse - it all comes down to how you present yourself.

Working as a designer's assistant can be a more menial job, but you'll also be in a better position to watch a designer's process, and to know the rationale behind the decisions they make. Different Sound Designers have different ways of working, different styles, different ways of using technology, different ways of working with directors.

People will employ you on the basis of your work and on your manner, so learn how to sell both. Look at how you present yourself, how you dress - avoid looking like a techie. Find a common language to talk to a director in- there's no popular language for sound design, but there are popular languages and terms from the world of fine art, cinema and music that you can use to talk about sound. Develop your opinions on shows - if you don't like something, you need to be able to express why.