Additional Information
There isn't just one educational path into this career. Multimedia writers
have all kinds of educational and professional backgrounds.
Above all, clients and employers want to know that you can write. That
means getting as much experience as you can, even if it means writing for
free -- at first. This lets you build a portfolio of work that you can show
potential clients and employers.
"I don't want to say that your education doesn't matter, because education
does matter," says Paul Lima, a professional writer and writing instructor.
"But to be a writer, they want to see your writing.
"I got a job years ago because I wrote for my college magazine [and] also
worked on the layout and design of the magazine," says Lima. "My resume said,
'Wrote, edited, layout,' and I got hired because the company was looking for
a writer with some layout skills, and it was just that the word appeared on
my resume, so companies are always looking for people with experience."
Many multimedia writers have post-secondary training in journalism, English
or communications under their belt. But this isn't essential. "You don't
have to be an English major or a journalism major to become a writer," says
Lima.
"You can hone your writing skills in many ways... [I]f I'm looking for
a health writer, and you have a nursing background and writing experience,
I'm going to hire you, not Paul Lima, because Paul doesn't know anything about
health." Lima adds: "You need a combination of what I call sector knowledge
-- health, legal, automotive, information technology, business, marketing,
[etc.] -- combined with writing skills in order to get a job in the business."
Multimedia writer Michelle Ponto agrees that a writing-related degree isn't
essential, but it can be an asset.
"They do want to know that you have a writing background, so a communications
or journalism degree is really good to have," says Ponto. "And if you want
to specialize in any writing, like say you want to specialize in finance or
health writing, having a secondary degree or even a diploma in those other
areas shows that you have a keen interest and it will set you apart from the
other journalists applying for the same jobs. It's a highly competitive industry."
Website design skills can also give you an edge as a multimedia writer.
It's also important to have a good understanding of SEO (search engine optimization).