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Education

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by 8everything, Apr 29, 2007.

  1. #1
    I'm just curious.. what level of education do freelance article writers have? I know legit ones obviously have a University degree? (Or college?)

    What about ones who work at DP?
     
    8everything, Apr 29, 2007 IP
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  2. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #2
    lol are you saying "legit" ones don't work through DP? ;) j/k
     
    jhmattern, Apr 29, 2007 IP
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  3. 8everything

    8everything Peon

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    #3
    :p from what I'm seeing, lots of people who work here don't have real degrees ! My reasoning is because of outsourcing...... lol

    Some samples that I've seen are not at the University level either.. most content on websites don't need complex writing so I'm assuming that's why...? :confused:
     
    8everything, Apr 29, 2007 IP
  4. internetauthor

    internetauthor Peon

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    #4
    I personally have a Masters in Library Science along with a Bachelors in Engineering Route to Business (a combination of Business Management and Project Management.)

    As if those five years of school weren't enough (I finished the Bachelors in three years), I also went back to school for 18 months in between the two to complete my teaching certification in Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Math and ESL (English as a Second Language - i.e. I know how to teach English to those who are learning it as a second language.)

    I'm actually considering going back for a Doctorate in a few more years when my boys are a bit older. (I'm only 27 now, so I have plenty of time.)

    My writing career is secondary to my teaching career. I quit a high power consulting job and an accounting job to teach because I love teaching. I also just happen to enjoy writing (and do it well, I suppose) so I do that, too. Does that answer your education question? LOL

    The average reader is somewhere between a 6th grade and high school reading ability. This is why newspapers are written around a 6th grade level and many websites are as well. Of course, that is no excuse for poor grammar or sentence structure... It actually takes a bit of skill to write well at a reading level lower than what you can normally read or write. :)

    Rebecca
     
    internetauthor, Apr 29, 2007 IP
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  5. zac439

    zac439 Notable Member

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    #5
    I have completed two semesters of college writing and rhetorics. I think I might delve into the world a little more next year with some advanced writing classes.

    Like internetauthor, I plan on going to school a great deal of time. Only my focus will be on computer science and business/entrpreneurship with a minor in writing :)
     
    zac439, Apr 30, 2007 IP
  6. stilloutthere

    stilloutthere Peon

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    #6
    I have a bachelors and an MBA. I have a friend with ony an associates degree that can, and does, write rings around me. I also have an extremely smart and well-educated realtive that can't spell.

    You don't have to have a degree to be a writer, and a degree doesn't mean you can write.
     
    stilloutthere, Apr 30, 2007 IP
  7. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #7
    A degree won't matter if you just want to be a generic research-based writer (like a lot of content writers you'll find online). If you want to specialize, that's where a degree can make quite a bit of difference, both in getting gigs and in what you get paid. You're paid more for the expertise, not the general writing ability.
     
    jhmattern, Apr 30, 2007 IP
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  8. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #8
    The group "freelance writers" is too large to even begin having a discussion about.

    I've seen education levels all over the board. Only 1/3 of Americans have a college degree, so that might help you figure out something.
     
    marketjunction, Apr 30, 2007 IP
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  9. WAHMBrenda

    WAHMBrenda Well-Known Member

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    #9
    I have a Bachelors and a Masters. My course work has required extensive writing and I've also ghost written papers for various professors as well.
     
    WAHMBrenda, Apr 30, 2007 IP
  10. Creative Copywriting

    Creative Copywriting Peon

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    #10
    Personally I have a BA in Creative Writing and have been ghost writing for quite some time (all web content and articles). My minor is philosophy which is not extremely relevant but allows me to ramble on none the less.

    Creative Copywriting
    Christian
     
    Creative Copywriting, Apr 30, 2007 IP
  11. theclynn

    theclynn Peon

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    #11
    I have a BA in literature, but I don't know how well it helps me with article writing (I was so tired I started to write righting...). I learned to write 10-20 page pieces on Shakespeare, not the type of thing that interests most surfers.
     
    theclynn, Apr 30, 2007 IP
  12. PearlyWrites

    PearlyWrites Peon

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    #12
    I have a BA in English with a concentration in Writing, Minor is Psych and a Masters of Arts in Teaching.

    The projects I get through DP vary in quality. Many of us have worked with well known corporations as ghostwriters and may not scream it all over DP.

    The one thing I do not do is write educational essays for my own reasons which involve being an educator and feel students should write their own papers to earn the grade.
     
    PearlyWrites, Apr 30, 2007 IP
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  13. Creative Copywriting

    Creative Copywriting Peon

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    #13
    I'd have to agree with not writing educational essays. I wrote my own, so should everyone else.


    On the earlier point - My BA in Creative Writing focused on journalism, research & fiction.

    Creative Copywriting
    Christian
     
    Creative Copywriting, May 1, 2007 IP
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  14. Courtknee

    Courtknee Peon

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    #14
    Yet another BA in Creative Writing here! :) I also minored in journalism and film. Even though my degree helped me initially with building a reputation, I don't think its necessary to become a freelance writer. :)
     
    Courtknee, May 2, 2007 IP
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  15. mustafa9190

    mustafa9190 Peon

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    #15
    A freelance writer only need this skill writing and read
     
    mustafa9190, May 8, 2007 IP
  16. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #16
    That's only true if you're a generic content writer. There are lots of other kinds of freelance writers out there (in fields that pay quite a bit more in general) who need to be experts in their topic area, have a marketing / sales background for certain kinds of copywriting, know how to write for the media in PR writing, those who are educated in magazine features, news writing, etc.
     
    jhmattern, May 8, 2007 IP
  17. DeniseJ

    DeniseJ Live, Laugh, Love

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    #17
    Yes, a writer obviously needs to know how to read and write. But as Jenn mentioned, if you plan to earn substantially more than generic content writers earn AND you want to specialize, you need to have experience in your chosen field.

    If professional writers only needed to write and read decently, then EVERYONE could be a writer. That's simply not the case. Professionals command higher rates and are usually experts in their field.
     
    DeniseJ, May 8, 2007 IP
  18. southwark

    southwark Member

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    #18
    Academic qualifications are, in my opinion, highly overrated.

    Very many very good professional copywriters have no
    after school education and do very well from their writing;
    and write very well.

    Very many with academic qualifications just don't write well.

    So no rule works. It's the writing that matters.

    With that said, I have a degree in art and post grad qualifications
    in design, some phd research behind me plus philosophy
    undergrad work, creative writing courses, poetry study,
    published articles, ads, poems and short stories, etc.

    Phil
     
    southwark, May 11, 2007 IP
  19. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #19
    Perhaps true in copywriting... but not generally true in article writing (which I believe is what the OP was asking about). You can be good at writing with no qualifications, and get plenty of jobs at places like DP without a problem. But many of the bigger publications (online or off) don't hire freelancers because of general writing ability... they hire them for a certain expertise, in which case you do very often need a degree. Making it "look pretty" is what editors are for. Of course, if you have both going for you, even better. There's nothing over-rated about it when that's where the bigger money often is.
     
    jhmattern, May 11, 2007 IP
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  20. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #20
    You're right that no rule applies. First of all, just going to college means absolutely CRAP when it comes to writing. Heck, half of the people in my j-classes couldn't write well enough to craft an interesting story on the inside of a bathroom stall.

    And many who have come out of solid j-school places, such as Columbia, suck too. College helps refine you ONLY IF you put in the work and take the right stuff.

    All degree holders are not created equal. :)

    Also, how do you define good? Money? Talent? Both?

    But, let me say that those who haven't went to college, properly, always use the excuse about college being overrated, not worth it and so forth. Yet, the fact is that on an overall basis those who have went, again properly, outperform and have more skill than those that don't.

    There are always exceptions.

    Even the best writers without higher learning behind them didn't just half-ass write on the back of last week's NY Times crossword puzzle. They focused and learned. They dedicated themselves to their craft.

    Anyone can go through school. Not everyone can reach the middle to upper levels of the writing business (copywriting, journalist, PR writer, whatever).
     
    marketjunction, May 14, 2007 IP