Where Do Professional Writers Work?

Professional writing is a vast, ever-expanding field, and certain aspects of it remain constant in any field of work. A professional writer must always have:

  • good communication skills
  • good technical skills
  • good organizational skills

And most importantly:

  • good writing skills (duh)

All professional writers need these skills, but not all professional writing jobs and careers are exactly the same. There are numerous job opportunities and career goals for professional writers, in various fields of work and almost anywhere in the world.

But where to start?

It’s understandable to be a little overwhelmed, but luckily Chatham University’s Masters of Professional Writing online program is incredibly flexible, allowing you to choose a concentration, or do a little of everything and see what appeals to you. Here’s a brief glimpse at the different types of professional writing you’ll hear about during this program and the various careers they offer, which will help you narrow down (or maybe broaden!) your course of study and future academic plans:


Technical Writing

Technical writing takes complex, intricate material and makes it presentable and accessible to different audiences. There’s an ever-expanding field for writers who can cut through all the technical verbiage and make the information easy-to-follow and resonate with a non-technical audience. Types of technical writing include:

  • Letter Reports
  • Technical Reports
  • Copy Editing
  • How-to Guides and Technical Manuals

Web Content

This aspect of professional writing centers on developing web content, such as designing websites and writing content for websites. It uses skills in web design and media software, and uses authoring tools and various multimedia techniques to convey information in a practical, available manner. Types of web content writing include:

  • Designing websites
  • Managing websites
  • Designing/managing social media pages
  • Designing/managing wikis and blogs

Nonprofit Professional Writing

Writing for a nonprofit organization is an extensive communications profession that requires creating persuasive content in a variety of settings. Your writing has to convince the reader to give you their money. Types of nonprofit writing include:

  • Public Relations Coordinating
  • Grant Writing
  • Fund Raising
  • Development Coordinating

Communication Professional Writing

Communications writing involves fusing critical thinking, creative expression and data strategy. It involves clear, concise writing and often is targeted at a particular audience or focus group. Types of communication writing include:

  • Public relations
  • Marketing
  • Advertising
  • Corporate Writing

This quick look into the various types of professional writing will give you a better understanding of the Masters of Professional Writing programs’ numerous courses of study. As mentioned, the field of professional writing is always growing and expanding, and therefore the career options and job opportunities will continue to expand and grow as well. These different concentrations of professional writing demonstrate just how many different jobs and careers this program opens you up to, and each of these concentrations has a curriculum in this program. If you would like more information on these curriculums, go to Chatham’s Masters of Professional Writing website: www.chatham.edu/ccps/mpw/index.cfm#reqs

Good luck, future professional writers!

 

5 thoughts on “Where Do Professional Writers Work?

  1. Great summary of the different concentrations, especially the sub-tracks for non-profits and communication. Although I’m not taking advantage of it personally, I do like that Chatham offers you the option to build your own course of study through the general track.

  2. A nice breakdown of the program which gives the reader direction into the program before jumping right in. I could have used this before I applied.

  3. One of the big reasons I chose Chatham’s program over others was because of the broad course offerings and all of the different tracks I could choose from. Chatham’s Professional Writing program really gives you the opportunity to tailor your degree to make it exactly what you want it to be.

  4. Although I had an idea of the number of opportunities available to writers, your list outlines the many directions a professional writer can pursue. I think I recall someone saying, This is a great time to be a writer!” ; ) Indeed it is.

Leave a Reply to hpidcockreed Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *