A Staff Writer is employed by a magazine, newspaper, or web publisher
to do a variety of tasks. The often advertised position, "general assignment
reporter," is a good starting place for those with writing aspirations.
A reporter for a newspaper can develop any number of career paths after some experience.
A few
of those include writing columns, getting into copy editing, or becoming
pr specialists. Some become Editors
Variations in salary depend on region. A beginning reporter at a small
newspaper could start at about $18k --in a big city, it would be $25k. The
average top minimum salary for a reporter with a few years experience
is about $34k.
Traditional journalism is a tough field to break into, and an internship
is often the best idea for recent grads—you'll gain valuable experience
and make industry connections.
Three tips:
- Before seeking a full-time staff job, try to get some published credits,
either by submitting freelance articles to magazines and papers or
by working as a volunteer/intern.
- Keep a portfolio of your work to show editors.
- Don't expect to walk right into a plum writing job. Be prepared to start
out as an editorial assistant or proofreader.
Check the following links to find out more about staff writers on specific
publications.
Newspapers
Magazines
Online Publishing
If you have any questions about careers in writing, editing, copywriting
don't hesitate to ask!
Back to the Career Development Page
For those new to the Net or overwhelmed by the nature of the
online job market I suggest you look at the Cyber Search Tutorial.There
are more job boards and classifieds from metro newspapers.
Don't forget to visit Sunoasis Joblog for
daily updates on the writing and publishing industry.
