Ways to Earn a Living with a Creative Writing Degree

Choosing a Writing Career

When a person goes to college, they will have their choice of majors. Some people will choose one that pays the most. Others will go with a major that they love, even if it isn’t as high paying or there isn’t a huge market for it. Some people suggest that individuals find something that they love and then figure out a way to make money from it. A person who seeks a creative writing degree will need to love to write. While writing is something which can be learned, passion for writing cannot. It is something that people will either have or they don’t. A writing career is likely to be more successful if a person really likes what they are doing.

A person should consider a degree in writing if they like to write, if they are good at it and only if they have a well-thought out career plan. We’ll discuss why these things are important below.

Pursuing a creative writing degree can be valuable for students who also need part time jobs along with their studies. Its also a great degree for someone who can’t work full time or needs more flexible work after college. And of course pursuing a career based on what you actually love doing is a major benefit.  The best writers have that inborn quality of producing marvelous work just by pouring their heart out to the world in the best possible words.

Individuals Should Consider a Creative Writing Degree If…

a. They are good at writing: Writing is a skill that can be learned. However, the best writers tend to have an affinity for it. They have some natural ability. Not only are these people, generally, the best writers but they tend to enjoy what they are doing because they are good at it. If a person has to try really hard just to be adequate, they will eventually get burned out because they aren’t using their strengths. This can be incredibly frustrating. A better option would be to find a major and then job which utilizes their strengths. Things will go much easier and a person is likely to be better at it.

b. They like to write: A person considering a creative writing degree should like to write, actually they should love writing, because they will doing a lot of it, during school and if they work in their field after they graduate, throughout their career.

c. They have a thought-out career plan: Because jobs for creative writing aren’t abundant as those in other fields, it is important that person think long and hard about potential jobs and career path. They should have researched what types of jobs are available and which ones they would like to do. This will increase the likelihood that a person will be able to find a job after graduation.

Possible Jobs for Creative Writing Degrees

The person, who chooses writing as his future career and decides on getting a creative writing degree, can earn a living in many ways. Below is a list, which includes only some of those possible jobs.

1. Marketer

If you write well enough, you could get hired by a marketing agency or a company to write marketing content for them. You can actually help the company persuade and create potential customers as a marketer.

You might know that as a writer you have the ability to connect a potential audience. A clear, concise and effective marketing writing that sends the message across and engages prospetive customers to elicit a response.

2. Professor

You might as well apply to some college or university but before you do, you probably will need a degree that is equivalent to masters.

Creative writing professors cover the usual disciplines to shape and hone his or her student’s writing talents such as structuring short stories and novels as well as developing effective characters. They also teach effective, compelling essays and even help students to overcome the usual occupational “ailment,” the writer’s block.

3. Writer

Other options include choosing to be a writer. You can write in many ways including writing stories and novels. Now this is a fascinating job. Writers are Paulo Coelho; Stephen King etc. are some of the world famous writers. However, not everyone chooses to be a writer because it requires a lot of passion. Only those who want nothing but writing to be their career choose to be writers and even actually be writers one day

Kinds of People who Should Avoid Getting a Creative Writing Degree

A creative writing degree isn’t for everyone. In particular, it not for those who are poor writers, who don’t have any clear career goals or who aren’t sure whether or not creative writing is something that they really want to do. We’ll discuss the aforementioned in more detail below, particularly why all of it matters.

1. Those with no Clear Career Path

It is extremely important that individuals have a clear career path that they plan to follow upon graduating with a creative writing degree. If they do not, they may struggle to find a job or career that is fulfilling. When at all possible, this should be avoided and it can be (for the most part) by planning ahead. Spending some time researching possible jobs in this field is very important.

2.  Individuals who are Poor Writers and Communicators

There are some people who enjoy creative writing but who aren’t very good at it or can’t clearly communicate concepts and ideas. These people are probably better served writing in their free time rather than getting a creative writing degree and then seeking a career as a writer.Trying to have a successful career that involves creative writing, when an individual isn’t a good writer is likely an exercise in futility. Success is not likely.

3.  Not Sure about Creative Writing

If a person isn’t even sure whether or not they want to become a creative writer, they shouldn’t obtain a creative writing degree. This isn’t the type of degree that a person gets if they are undecided. It is a very specialized degree. If a person finds that they don’t really like this field, they may have to return the school to be trained in another one, primarily because creative writing skills aren’t always that useful in other industries or fields. If a person has to go back to school, an additional investment would be required and quite likely, a substantial one.

Conclusion

Armed with a love of writing and a creative writing degree, once the student graduates from his/her college, they will have a number of job opportunities available including marketing, teacher or publishing their own writing.  A person is only limited by their inability to dream and be creative. There are jobs out there for creative writers. It’s simply a matter of finding and applying to them in an appropriate amount of time.