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What are the average yearly salary of someone in the English Language Arts field??

At school, I enjoy reading, writing, and history, while my hobbies include sports and reading. A idea I'm passionate about is the thought of writing poem's and novels, yet I don't know if it is a realistic career after college and if I should begging searching for a different career idea. I want to be happy and have a good salary so people help me. I also enjoy creative writing.

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Tom’s Answer

It's realistic to want to be a writer, and in keeping with realism, it's quite difficult. Letting go, for a moment, that our profession is a part of nearly every bit of communication we engage in, the fact remains that getting what you want as a writer, a solid writing career, takes a lot of work, research, and knowing how to adapt. I've written everything from white papers, dissertations, essays, to novels and screenplays, and the only solid truth behind any of it is that you have to give people, employers in other words, to believe in your work.

Yes, it's a realistic goal, but it's not the safest career path unless you can back up your writing skills with knowledge, experience, and whatever the employer needs to believe that keeping you is worth their while.
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Rich’s Answer

I know exactly where you are coming from. I was exactly the same way and want to do the same thing at your age. But I also enjoy learning about technology so I became a technical writer for the income and then wrote creatively on the side. That has worked out well. And it was a smart move because while my books sell the income generated is well below the poverty line. That’s common for most unless you are very lucky or very good and write a bestseller. That’s possible but there are no guarantees on that or it would be best to have another career to support your writing habit.
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Jess’s Answer

Salary ranges will depend on where you live/work and what specific role you choose in the ELA field. As an editor and former teacher, salaries for editing are much higher now than in my teaching days. As supplemental income, you could also sign on to be a sports coach at your school!
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Matthew’s Answer

Hi Delilah,
This is a really good question, and it's very wise of you to think about it. I have some direct experience that may provide some insight. I got my undergraduate degree (BA) in Creative Writing, with a focus on poetry. Where you live will affect your employment options for this type of degree. I live in a midsize town in the midwestern US, and my options were very limited. There's always the chance that you can make a living writing, but with poetry, it's rare. The most common employment option for poets is actually teaching poetry. That being said, you must get poems published to work in academia. If you're interested in publishing poetry, the best thing you can do is read publications featuring poems. This helps with writing and gives you ideas about where your work could be accepted. Most publications have a fairly consistent voice, tone, or themes. Finding publishers that would fit your writing style is a huge part of getting your work through.
Being a creative writing professor wasn't the most appealing option for me. After my BA, I went back to school and focused on technical writing. As Rich mentioned previously, technical writing is a great career option for creative writers. It's a field that uses creative problem-solving to help users with technical tasks. Technical writers learn about analyzing the audience and communicating ideas clearly for specific cases. It's a great mix of creativity and structured analysis.
If that doesn't sound appealing, don't be discouraged; other options exist! You may want to look into other job titles, such as copywriter, editor, communications specialist, and content creator.
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Bex’s Answer

When thinking about a career, think about what you would like your days and overall life to look and feel like. Then add in your interests, then with those two things in mind start to look at jobs in your fields of interest. This approach will help you see more clearly which jobs and salaries you need/want to reach for. You may find flexibility more important than salary, or you may find stability ( to the extent that exists) more important than flexibility. Also remember you will most likely change what things are important to you in different stages of life. Listen to yourself, Stay flexible and open to opportunity and you will do great!
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