If you’re a writer, you’re probably looking up jobs for writers. Depending on where you live, the job offerings in that field may appear sparse. Maybe you’re like me, and you even have a Starving Artist degree in writing, and you’re wondering how you can make that career path pay off. If you consider job title other than just “writer,” the possibilities will open up. Below are a few options to investigate:
Editor: You probably have strong proofreading skills and excellent grammar. If you are also able to manage a team of other writers well and have a good understanding of layout and copy, you could be happy as an editor. FYI, if you type “proofreader” in your job search, you’ll find this is an actual job title, too! “Proof” will apply to copy and layout as well as editing grammar and structure; you just may not have the management requirements.
Teacher: If you prefer to share your knowledge with others, teaching might be the way to go. English would be a good subject to be involved with if reading and analyzing is your forte. Good writing teachers are valued, as well, and if you have a knack for recognizing strengths and weaknesses in others’ compositions and can provide constructive feedback, check out local schools for openings. If there are none, suggest it!
Journalist: If your writing skills come alongside great people skills, and you always know the right questions to ask, try writing for your local newspaper. If hard news isn’t quite your thing, you can always get into sports, features, entertainment, and any smaller sections unique to your newspaper, to name a few options. It’s also a good excuse to learn more about your community and perhaps become more involved.
Marketing: Maybe you’re the ultimate salesperson and know how to write snappy headlines and persuasive copy. You also know how to monitor sales patterns, customer needs, and statistics. In a marketing setting, writing will be only one of your responsibilities, but your work will have a direct impact on the company’s productivity!
Freelance: You can offer your skills full-time or part-time, and here you’ll have the opportunity to get involved in a number of different projects. You could end up doing anything from sales letters to web content to instruction manuals. If you look in the right places (such as GoFreelance.com), you can find a number of different projects and essentially choose your own workload.
Creative Writing: If you’re a poet, novelist, storyteller, or playwright and want to focus your creativity only in these areas, you’re probably aware that you need an official day job until readers are knocking down your door for the next installment of your latest chronicles. If none of the other options appeal to you, consider a job that will allow you some intervals to work on your writing, like receptionist, or one that works with the hours when you feel most inspired (for example, if you write best in the morning, consider waiting tables or some other 2nd shift job).
There are jobs for writers out there; you just might need to search a little and try different position titles to find what you’re looking for. Combining writing with other areas that interest you can open up a wider range of possibilities as well.
