Freelance Writing – Do You Really Need a College Degree?
I’ll be completely honest. When I started college, I didn’t have a specific thought that told me I was going to become a freelance writer. In fact, I started school by studying computer science and hoping to become a programmer. It didn’t take long to realize just how much I hated calculus and physics and so I soon changed my focus to English and spent the better part of the next three years trying to figure out what I would do with the degree.
Fast forward a few years and I have managed to maneuver my way into a fairly successful freelance writing career. I could not have expected this as a result and truthfully spent almost a full year after graduating college working in a grocery store before I found this path. So, what correlation can I honestly claim between school and my career?
It’s a tough question, and one I’ve heard from a number of young writers wanting to write professionally, along with my family members and siblings. What do I study to become a freelance writer?
Technically, you do nothing. I didn’t need a degree in English to become a freelance writer. However, it sure as heck didn’t hurt. While I couldn’t seem to find a traditional office job with my degree, my decision to become a freelance writer was almost entirely accidental, born of a few successful jobs I picked up at random on Craigslist while looking for more traditional work. I’ve never shown a client my resume or C.V. and haven’t once needed to supply my diploma or any school related information to pick up work or make money.
But, I definitely could not have been successful as a freelance writer without the training I got from college. So, the real answer to the question is a little more complicated. You don’t technically need a college education to be a freelance writer, but it definitely helps, and in certain cases, it does not hurt to tell potential clients that you have a degree in writing. Not to mention the vast amount of information you learn just from writing essays, receiving group feedback, and having writers with a lifetime of experience guide you through the process.
I don’t regret having spent four years in college. I do wonder at times what might have happened should I have started my freelance writing career a few years earlier (even while in school), but I can’t complain now as I have enjoyed a moderate to decent amount of success as a result.
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