7 answers
Hope
Student
Grundy Center, Iowa
6
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What degree do I need to have to be a writer?
#writing #degree
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7 answers
Matthew Johnsen
Writer
2
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Matthew’s Answer
No matter what you study, the most important thing is to read a lot and practice writing a lot. I personally studied English Literature. That is a traditional choice, and so are Journalism and Communications. Really, though, any major where you write on a regular basis will help. I've had co-workers with backgrounds in History, Political Science, Art History, and so on. You will occasionally come across professional writers with no degree, and that's totally fine, too. I will warn you that it is usually easier to get paid a good salary if you have a degree, though. I'm not sure I agree that is fair, but it is often the case.
If you plan to write on a particular topic, you might want to major in that topic, so that you can write from a position of expertise. For example, if you want to be a technical writer, maybe study engineering and focus on your writing skills. If you want to write about financial markets, maybe study economics, and so on.
I've found that many writers start off wanting to be novelists, which is why so many of us study literature. Many of us later end up working in different types of writing for all sorts of reasons.
If you plan to write on a particular topic, you might want to major in that topic, so that you can write from a position of expertise. For example, if you want to be a technical writer, maybe study engineering and focus on your writing skills. If you want to write about financial markets, maybe study economics, and so on.
I've found that many writers start off wanting to be novelists, which is why so many of us study literature. Many of us later end up working in different types of writing for all sorts of reasons.
Gloria Ortiz
Instructional Designer
850
Answers
Irving, Texas
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi Hope,
I would say that the short answer is there is no degree required. There are many people out there who have jobs with the primary skill of writing who make a very good living without a college degree. I did so for over a decade after I left high school. I lived off of my writing and communication skills. The one question that I would ask you is this - what do you want to do with your writing? If it is be an author, you don't necessarily need a degree for that unless you want to hone your craft. There are degrees in Creative Writing, for example. If you just want writing to be a part of what you do every day, there are jobs like copying writing, copy editing, instructional design, marketing, speech writing, etc. And many of those jobs do not require a degree, just the skill and talent to do the work. As you can imagine, you would need to do some studying to determine how to use your writing. You can get that through getting a job, any job and see how a writing skill is applied.
If you want to go the college route - which I recommend by the way - I would say that you do not need to have some special degree like Creative Writing. I would say being an English major is enough to get you into learning how to write very well. A lot of writing well is in the practice of writing and getting feedback on that writing. Hopefully you are already doing that now with your writing. (Ask a friend whose writing you admire to review your work and give you candid feedback.) An English degree is also an easy to get started in writing. I know that some people begin as English majors and then opt for a major that requires more specialization, such as Business Writing or Journalism.
Gloria
I would say that the short answer is there is no degree required. There are many people out there who have jobs with the primary skill of writing who make a very good living without a college degree. I did so for over a decade after I left high school. I lived off of my writing and communication skills. The one question that I would ask you is this - what do you want to do with your writing? If it is be an author, you don't necessarily need a degree for that unless you want to hone your craft. There are degrees in Creative Writing, for example. If you just want writing to be a part of what you do every day, there are jobs like copying writing, copy editing, instructional design, marketing, speech writing, etc. And many of those jobs do not require a degree, just the skill and talent to do the work. As you can imagine, you would need to do some studying to determine how to use your writing. You can get that through getting a job, any job and see how a writing skill is applied.
If you want to go the college route - which I recommend by the way - I would say that you do not need to have some special degree like Creative Writing. I would say being an English major is enough to get you into learning how to write very well. A lot of writing well is in the practice of writing and getting feedback on that writing. Hopefully you are already doing that now with your writing. (Ask a friend whose writing you admire to review your work and give you candid feedback.) An English degree is also an easy to get started in writing. I know that some people begin as English majors and then opt for a major that requires more specialization, such as Business Writing or Journalism.
Gloria
Rebecca Reynoso
Sr. Editor
3
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
I'd recommend English literature! I studied English for my BA and MA, and had a focus on creative writing for my BA. For my master's degree, I didn't have a specification. I was able to land a job in content marketing as a writer first, editor thereafter. Many jobs, especially content writing, editing, copywriting and editing, blog management, etc. require at minimum a bachelor's degree. So if you're looking to land a role in marketing for a tech company or somewhat education-related, I'd recommend an English degree as a minimum requirement.
Paul Meredith
Product Marketing
5
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Paul’s Answer
Hi Hope!
I agree with all the answers here, but to add to what Matthew said, some form of engineering study would help with technical writing. I say this as someone who was a technical writer for years at a software company, and it would have helped me greatly if I had been able to draw on some technical knowledge rather than my English writing skills. Having said that, there is no one path to success. Writing is all about engagement and clarity; engage your audience with a clear message that they enjoy reading and can retain, then you're a writer! If you want to be a journalist, then that generally requires a Journalism degree, but if you want to be a novelist, just write, write, write! Experience and practice is more important than studying, so submit articles for publication to any magazine that covers what you care about. They'll help hone your skills and help you to be a better self-editor.
I agree with all the answers here, but to add to what Matthew said, some form of engineering study would help with technical writing. I say this as someone who was a technical writer for years at a software company, and it would have helped me greatly if I had been able to draw on some technical knowledge rather than my English writing skills. Having said that, there is no one path to success. Writing is all about engagement and clarity; engage your audience with a clear message that they enjoy reading and can retain, then you're a writer! If you want to be a journalist, then that generally requires a Journalism degree, but if you want to be a novelist, just write, write, write! Experience and practice is more important than studying, so submit articles for publication to any magazine that covers what you care about. They'll help hone your skills and help you to be a better self-editor.
Tatiane Lima
Journalist, copywriter, content manager (CMS)
9
Answers
Santos, SP
Updated
Tatiane’s Answer
Hi, Hope!
For to be a writer, you need dominated the tecniques for writing. It's a work tha need to be fresh constantly. You need to master the language in which you will write, rules and best practices, and know how to adapt it according to the reading public and the proposed language. That is, if your content will be aimed at a young audience, your written language will be one, if you target people from a certain niche or a certain age group, your language will be another.
You don't necessarily need to have an academic background, but, as Gloria replied, it's an interesting path to follow, even for you to have access to other fields of work based on your interest in writing.
You need to stay current and on top of reading trends and text style.
Hope I could have helped a little.
I wish you success!
For to be a writer, you need dominated the tecniques for writing. It's a work tha need to be fresh constantly. You need to master the language in which you will write, rules and best practices, and know how to adapt it according to the reading public and the proposed language. That is, if your content will be aimed at a young audience, your written language will be one, if you target people from a certain niche or a certain age group, your language will be another.
You don't necessarily need to have an academic background, but, as Gloria replied, it's an interesting path to follow, even for you to have access to other fields of work based on your interest in writing.
You need to stay current and on top of reading trends and text style.
Hope I could have helped a little.
I wish you success!
Morriah Lisowski
Customer Support
1
Answer
New York, New York
Updated
Morriah’s Answer
Hi Hope great question! I agree with a lot of the answers here where a degree is not necessarily required.
When you're looking for writing programs make sure to research into the professors who are teaching the course. The feedback from professors will inform how much you can grow in the specific school's writing program (https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ is a great resource). It doesn't necessarily matter what school you go to but how aligned the professors are with feedback and what you want to write.
If you're interested in screenwriting you might want to take classes in cinematography, sound, editing, etc. so you can gain hard skills in what you want to create.
If you're interested in creative writing attend writing workshops and don't be afraid of criticism. Feedback and networking are your friends in the writing world.
I recommend reading books geared towards the genre you want to write and applying to contests and writing competitions. I hope this is helpful!
When you're looking for writing programs make sure to research into the professors who are teaching the course. The feedback from professors will inform how much you can grow in the specific school's writing program (https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ is a great resource). It doesn't necessarily matter what school you go to but how aligned the professors are with feedback and what you want to write.
If you're interested in screenwriting you might want to take classes in cinematography, sound, editing, etc. so you can gain hard skills in what you want to create.
If you're interested in creative writing attend writing workshops and don't be afraid of criticism. Feedback and networking are your friends in the writing world.
I recommend reading books geared towards the genre you want to write and applying to contests and writing competitions. I hope this is helpful!
Fernando Iriarte
Freelance Writer & Editor
153
Answers
Puerto Rico
Updated
Fernando’s Answer
When it comes to writing there's a number of degrees that can help you with regards to your career path. The most common to go for would be one in Creative Writing. However, when it comes to the field of writing what matters the most is application of writing techniques more so than a degree. Now that's not to say that a degree isn't necessary, but you should see the prospect of getting a degree as a bonus utility. Learning and refining the various writing techniques comes from practice, and keeping up with the current writing styles of your preferred field.