Master's degrees

[Discuss Thrower]

Who has one (or many)?

Are you currently or recently worked in the field that pertained to your field of study?

Was it worth the time and money?

Does having a post-grad degree prevent you from working on other fields?

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Technical writing is in demand, as is SEO.

I have no background in either of those things.

Copywriting is something I'd be good at, but since I have no experience in it, it's not going to happen.

And the more I think about it, doing an unpaid internship is a loser move too, because it's highly unlikely I'd get hired at whatever firm I intern with, which means getting hired elsewhere is a nigh-impossible proposition.

Pretty much I have to accept the fact that being a fry-cook or barista is as good as it's going to get with my current degree.

Sounds like you're pretty dejected. First of all, have a little confidence. The job market sucks, it has nothing to do with you.

If you want to career switch, you have to realize you have to take a small step back if you want to take a step forward. Like I said, there are jobs out the wazoo for digital marketing. You don't need an MBA to get a job there and there's lots of stuff available entry level. There is no excuse for you not to know how to do it. If you don't know it, learn it! There are a million books on the subject and if you were thinking of paying to get an MBA, then you should have no issue paying to get a certification. I took online webinars from Market Motive. They're pretty solid and it's something you can stamp on your resume. You already have a leg up on the masses of people in this field with no writing experience. There is a huge demand for this work. White papers, web content, etc... many firms are investing 20% of their marketing budget on content. There are jobs out there.

Long story short... as long as you think you can't do better, you won't. No grad degree or application or interview is going to work for you. If you want to change fields, commit to the craft. Learn it. Network with people in the field. And if you have to, settle for an entry level job that gets your foot in the door.

[Marco Polo]

I have an MBA. I learned a lot while I was there. It's not all applicable for me in my current line of work but will pay dividends with the next promotion.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by NewChief

know it's a long shot but you might focus your copywriting job search on the sports industry since you have a sports journalism major.

I think that's a great idea. A good chunk of my book was sports--athletic footwear mainly. That's 'cause there were lots of shoe companies in New England.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

That's the thing. Writing is in huge demand right now.

Yeah, I had wondered what jobs my own daughter could take if she couldn't break into games or entertainment in writing. Turns out advertising, PR, marketing were still showing growth. These were listed at the school as jobs for her major, among many others. A top copywriter can make excellent money.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Technical writing is in demand, as is SEO.

I have no background in either of those things.

Copywriting is something I'd be good at, but since I have no experience in it, it's not going to happen.

And the more I think about it, doing an unpaid internship is a loser move too, because it's highly unlikely I'd get hired at whatever firm I intern with, which means getting hired elsewhere is a nigh-impossible proposition.

Pretty much I have to accept the fact that being a fry-cook or barista is as good as it's going to get with my current degree.

I can understand you're down right now, but that's not the way to look at it. You get the experience by making it happen. No contacts? Make them. If you can resign yourself to being a fry-cook or barista, then you can take in some free, cheap work to build a portfolio or book. It doesn't have to take long. That's what you're going to need to break in. You can even make up some pieces.

I was told in art school, if we couldn't find a job then create a job for ourselves. It's what I wound up having to do. I was dejected at times too.

There are some copywriting courses on-line and there's a copywriter who talks about how to become one. (I'll try to locate it after this post.) However, it takes initiative. You'll have to get out there and promote, promote, promote. Afterall, that's the kind of activity you'd be writing for so it's a good learning experience. Copywriting is just words that sell.

You'll have days you will be discouraged but just keep doing it.

[BucEyedPea]

How to become an advertising copywriter

There's lots out there but this is by someone who did it.
http://www.kuraoka.com/

In particular this page:

http://www.kuraoka.com/how-to-become...opywriter.html

Certain majors seem to open doors in the creative department. These include advertising, marketing, communications, English, journalism, psychology, liberal arts, and media studies...

But, a master’s is not necessary for copywriting, and the two years it would require would be better spent getting your career started.

You have the journalism already. Tells you how to build your "book" and what traps to avoid.

[BucEyedPea]

Discuss Thrower--
I heard Starbucks was going to pay for college for their workers. You mentioned barista. I don't think they work full-time and it could be another option while you build your book and add some extra classes in advertising or public relations. Just a thought.

[Discuss Thrower]

Got a response back from the proposal specialist job to fill out an application and take some personality test or something.

Trying to figure out what salary demand I should put down. The one search I did for the position said 40k but I don't believe it for one minute.. Probably going to be closer to half that.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Got a response back from the proposal specialist job to fill out an application and take some personality test or something.

Trying to figure out what salary demand I should put down. The one search I did for the position said 40k but I don't believe it for one minute.. Probably going to be closer to half that.

The salary question is such crap. They're hoping you will shortchange yourself.

[BucEyedPea]

They also like to go by your last salary.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

They also like to go by your last salary.

$50-200/month.

[Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Technical writing is in demand, as is SEO.

I have no background in either of those things.

Copywriting is something I'd be good at, but since I have no experience in it, it's not going to happen.

And the more I think about it, doing an unpaid internship is a loser move too, because it's highly unlikely I'd get hired at whatever firm I intern with, which means getting hired elsewhere is a nigh-impossible proposition.

Pretty much I have to accept the fact that being a fry-cook or barista is as good as it's going to get with my current degree.

Dude, I had NO experience as a Tech Writer.

None.

All I had was 15.5 years in the Army, a degree in History, and a willingness to be a tech writer. Believe me, companies are LOOKING for tech writers.

Why?

Cause no one wants to do it.

I've been doing it for 15 years now this October for a defense contractor. Can't complain about the money, good medical, good vacation, and I generally don't stay on a contract more than a couple of years and move to a new one before I get burnt out.

You *can* do it.

Remember, if you never ask, the answer is always no.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan

Dude, I had NO experience as a Tech Writer.

None.

All I had was 15.5 years in the Army, a degree in History, and a willingness to be a tech writer. Believe me, companies are LOOKING for tech writers.

Why?

Cause no one wants to do it.

I've been doing it for 15 years now this October for a defense contractor. Can't complain about the money, good medical, good vacation, and I generally don't stay on a contract more than a couple of years and move to a new one before I get burnt out.

You *can* do it.

Remember, if you never ask, the answer is always no.

And I've been lead to believe it's becoming a field requiring a master's.

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

Spent 14 years at Texas A&M specializing in swine masturbation. I flunked 8 years just so I could keep taking the course.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Hog Farmer

Spent 14 years at Texas A&M specializing in swine masturbation. I flunked 8 years just so I could keep taking the course.

That's just good ol' fashioned dedication right there.







And maybe a little bit of Zoophiliac behavior.