Be a Freelance Writer: Do You Need a Degree?

There are many kinds of freelance writers. Some write articles for magazines and websites, others do technical writing, and some focus on journalism.

If you want to be a freelance writer you have to consider what kind of education and training you'll need. Do you need a degree to be a freelance writer? Below are some things to consider about being a freelance writer and getting a degree.

Be a freelance writer: do you need a degree? - What kind of writing do you want to do?

The first things you need to consider if you want to be a freelance writer is what kind of writing you want to do? Do you want to do contract jobs for technical writing? Do you want to write articles for magazines or other print publications? Do you want to write news copy?

Some freelance writing jobs, like technical writing usually require a degree. However, you may be able to write articles for magazines or write for online websites without a degree. So the first thing you need to do is establish what kind of writing you want to do.

Be a freelance writer: do you need a degree? - Education and instruction

Whereas a degree is not always required for every form of writing, you do have to understand the writing market and what kind of writing they will pay for. You also have to be able to use proper grammar and formatting.

Even if you decide that you will be doing writing that doesn't require a degree it's a good idea to take some writing classes and maybe even join a writer's critique group so that you can learn more about the process of writing, how to write well, and the writing market.

If you don't know how the market works it's going to be very hard to sell your writing, so educate yourself.

Be a freelance writer: do you need a degree? - There's more to writing than writing

Even if you get educated about the writing market you will be in, and learn how to become a good writer, that doesn't guarantee success.

As a freelance writer you also have a lot of business responsibilities to take care of. You'll essentially be your own boss so you'll have to pay self employment tax in addition to your state and federal tax. You'll also have business expenses to take care of and you'll need to learn how to negotiate payment and rights, as well as other business aspects of writing.

When considering a writing career these are things you'll want to take into consideration. Even if you get a degree in English, journalism, technical writing, or creative writing, you aren't necessarily going to learn about the business aspects and the market.

Be a freelance writer: do you need a degree? - Degree or no degree you have to write

Perhaps you've gotten a degree, learned about the market and the business aspects. You're still not a writer. You have to write if you want to be a freelance writer. That's the only way you're going to get experience and learn what your strengths and weaknesses are as a writer.

Websites such as Associated Content, Helium, and Constant Content are great places to test the waters and find out more about your writer self. They can also prove to be great freelance incomes if you are dedicated, consistent, and write high quality articles.

Be a freelance writer: do you need a degree? - To sum it all up

To sum it all up, whether you need a degree to be a freelance writer depends on what kind of writing you will be doing. However, having a degree does not guarantee success as a freelance writer. You have to learn the business, the market, preferably have some writing instruction, and most of all write.