What Can You Do With A Bachelor’s Degree In Writing?

There are several career paths you can consider if you are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in writing. Many writers are often scrutinized for completing a major with no clear job trajectory. However, as an undergraduate student seeking a job in the field, you should use this to your advantage. Although a degree does not seal the deal on any job, you should be coming out of your education program with an effective toolkit. Ideally, you should come out of your higher-level education program with skills in communication, rhetoric, critical thinking, organization, and research. In addition, you will likely be well-read. These are vital skills that many employers are seeking in their candidates. Consider using business research methods to find out what qualifications HR professionals are seeking as well. Read on to learn more about what you can do with a bachelor’s degree in writing.

Technical Writing And Editing

With a bachelor’s degree in writing, you could pursue a career in technical writing and editing. Technical writers are detail-oriented professionals who often written manuals, instructions, processes, and guidelines. Often, these writers need to understand regulations and laws, serving as keepers of precise language. With this type of career, there are many different industries you could work in. For instance, you might work in medicine, pharmaceuticals, engineering, or nuclear regulation. You could also work in software, government, or finance departments. With certain specializations, you might require extra training or a certification. Therefore, you should look at different job postings to see what different companies require of their technical writing candidates. Technical writing and editing can be a profitable professional career path for job seekers pursuing their bachelor’s degree in writing.

Publishing

If technical writing does not seem like the right fit for you, publishing is another industry where you could search for a job. Sometimes, publishing is offered as a stand-alone major at various universities. However, the courses within this program of study do not tend to be geared towards writers. In the publishing industry, there is often a large emphasis on editing. Editing and proofreading skills often stem directly from writing. Consequentially, many HR professionals in the publishing industry call upon writing majors to apply for their job listings. Digital magazine publishing houses may also have career listings available. If you are interested in how books, stories, and other media are prepared for the public domain, publishing might be a good career option for you.

Copywriting For Advertisements

In addition, you can also do copywriting for advertisements with a bachelor’s degree in writing. As an advertising copywriter, you usually work from client briefs to conceive, develop, and produce effective marketing campaigns. Typically, you will focus on providing the written language (copy) for an advertisement. Often, this includes creative headlines, slogans, catch phrases, and body copy for print ads. In digital media, you might write copy for web advertisements, social media, and mobile apps. You also could create scripts for videos, commercials, or radio jingles. As an advertising professional, you will often work alongside graphic artists, clients, and media buyers in the production department. Copywriting for advertisements can be a creative outlet for your writing degree while also providing you with income to live comfortably.

Grant Writing

Moreover, grant writing is another career possibility to consider if you are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in writing. Typically, grant writers work with nonprofit and public organizations to research and write proposals to receive funding. This funding usually comes from government agencies, charities, and private foundations. Analogous to a matchmaker, you would have to find funding opportunities that align with the mission, goals, and activities of your organization. Many small business startups could be seeking a grant writer to help them gain funding. Ideally, as a grant writing candidate, you should have a strong understanding of the funding process and a keen organizational eye. The process can include cover letters, project descriptions, narratives, supporting documents, and financial records. Grant writing is another important career option you can consider as you attain you writing degree.

Journalism

Furthermore, journalism is another industry in which you can seek employment to use your bachelor’s degree in writing. Journalism careers are usually broken down into news and magazine publishing. As you might expect, there is a lot of crossover. Journalism can offer you opportunities to write exciting fast-paced pieces. However, the job competition tends to be high. In some areas, journalism careers can have low wages. It is important to keep in mind your financial needs as you explore job options. In many cases, you might require a post-graduate course or certificate as well. Employers often prefer journalism post-grad courses with National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) accreditation. Although journalism careers can be challenging, many in the industry would not want to do anything else with their bachelor’s writing degree.

There are several career paths to consider if you are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in writing. For instance, you could use your detail-oriented skills for technical writing and editing. Alternatively, you could pursue a job in the publishing industry. In addition, you could also do work copywriting for advertisements digitally and in print. Moreover, grant writing offers opportunities for you to work with different nonprofit organizations to help them gain funding. Furthermore, journalism is a fast-paced competitive field where you could write news-driven pieces and profiles. Consider the points mentioned above to learn about what you can do with a bachelor’s degree in writing.