Has anybody here worked as a copywriter? (employed, degree, jobs)

[Darkwolf131]

Can you tell me about it? What did your job entail? I'm looking for positions doing copywriting/editing and I want to know about the job market for it (I'm in the NYC area) what kind of pay you made, job duties etc. I know I can find this on salary.com or any other site, but I want to hear some first-hand experiences -- what is it really like?

[city living]

Originally Posted by Darkwolf131

Can you tell me about it? What did your job entail? I'm looking for positions doing copywriting/editing and I want to know about the job market for it (I'm in the NYC area) what kind of pay you made, job duties etc. I know I can find this on salary.com or any other site, but I want to hear some first-hand experiences -- what is it really like?

My husband has worked as a copywriter/copyeditor for over four years in NYC.

-If you are employed at a larger-place, expect your starting pay to be somewhere in the low to mid-forties. But really, every place is so different in terms of pay, raises, bonuses, etc. that it is hard to say.

-Expect different places to ask you to do different things. For example, since he works for a company that has offices all over the world, he spends a lot of time correcting their use of the English language. He also works on naming things, descriptions of products, editing all kinds of random stuff, slogans for advertisements, etc. He also has been trying to write commercials for them. It can be different depending on whether you work for a company that has a specific focus vs. working for an ad agency.

In general, he likes his job. He likes the perks and he has learned a lot. However, since he is the only copywriter in the NYC office (and possibly beyond this scope), it is very limiting. There is no room for growth so he will soon be looking for senior copywriting positions in other places. Senior copywriting positions usually pay anywhere from 65K+ and that can vary quite a bit depending on the industry. He even tried to move into another area of the company (he is technically in marketing and tried to move to production) but they wouldn't let him due to "office politics." It's a shame because he would have really loved that job and everyone involved thought he "tested" well.

If you have any other questions, feel free to DM me. He'd probably answer any other questions you might have.

[CoolSocks]

New York is definitely the best place to get a writing-based job. There are tons of editing and copywriting jobs in the NYC area, as opposed to where I'm looking, Michigan. If you search on a job site for "copywriter" or "content writer" you should find a lot. This is also a great resource for magazine jobs- WhisperJobs 90% of them are based in New York.

As I've been searching for a copywriting job, I've noticed that the majority of jobs ask for a degree in journalism, communications or English.

[didi768]

My husband is looking too. He is a creative writing major but has been working in education sales/customer service and wants OUT. Question is: Will anyone hire a newbie for copywriting? I mean, he won't know any of the programs but just needs to get in the door. He writes for Hollywood too so maybe that will help. We are in Tampa now.

[this_mine]

This is what I'm trying to get into now. I only have a teeny bit of experience so I'm hoping to boost my knowledge and skills through online courses, such as those offered by AWAI, and will be looking to offer cheap or free services to build experience and a portfolio. You're lucky you live in NYC. That and Chicago are prime places to find copywriting jobs.