Jobs for writers…

…are not always easy to find.

I accidentally graduated this quarter with my associate’s degree in creative writing. This fact along with other factors (such as the fact that I have changed my plans to continue directly into a bachelor’s degree program) mean that I need to start working in my field sooner than later.

Unfortunately, what I have discovered so far, at least in Dayton, Ohio, is that getting a job as a writer is more difficult that I first imagined. The problem seems to be two-fold.

First, professional writing seems to be pigeonholed by titles. Many people who are hiring writers want them to have earned credentials with specific names like “business’, “advertising”, and “journalist”. Is that a +1 in the journalism column? Perhaps.

Second, the problem is that people who are hiring writers have this weird issue of wanting people to already have experience. The problem is that no one is offering opportunities to gain that experience, so I am not sure how they ever hire anyone.

All of this has led me to view my pursuit of a writing job a bit more creatively than I first thought I would have to. I am expanding my view of what I considered a writing job to be and hoping for the best.