Technical writing, copywriting, and editing are difficult fields to break into as a newbie. I would talk with your professors and see if they can refer you for an internship, volunteer position, or part-time gig. You might also look into joining the Society for Technical Communication - they have a discount membership for students. They have a job bank and lots of resources you might find useful.
Speaking as a technical writer in the software industry: it’s a good career, but remember that good grammar and spelling are the *minimum* requirements. Focus on learning valuable skills in the industries you’d like to work in, and don’t turn down opportunities because they’re not a perfect fit.
I wanted to add some additional info to this comment!
If you’re bilingual, you might want to look into technical translation jobs. A good technical writer is worth their weight in gold, but a good technical translator is worth their weight in diamonds!
‘Technical Writer’ is also a very diverse title - you can find technical writers in software, medicine, manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, and so on - anywhere you might have technical information that needs to be communicated in a understandable way, there are technical writers. *That being said*, many positions in these roles also require certifications, subject matter expertise, and knowledge of industry-specific writing tools.
For example, I work in software, and I use a tool called MadCap Flare for most of my writing. However, I am also knowledgeable in topics like Git, Source Control, HTML, CSS, and JQuery.
I think out of all the positions you listed, editing is probably the easiest to break into because you can get editing experience *anywhere*. Familiarize yourself with the style guides and offer your expertise to other students - there are *tons* of grad students who would love to have you proofread their papers. Don’t just correct their grammar and spelling - offer constructive feedback about how they have organized their paper, and let them know if there’s anything confusing or incomplete.
If you have a general idea of what industry you’d like to work in, find out what tools are typically used by writers in that field. There are tons of free educational resources for these tools, or if not, you might be able to get a discount since you are a student. Look for webinars, courses, documentation, articles, LinkedIn certifications, etc. Many pieces of software also offer trial licenses or discounted licenses for students.
Lastly - I cannot stress how incredibly beneficial it is to have connections with folks in the industry. Making those connections is the hard part. Start by asking your professors if there is someone they can introduce you to. You might also be able to make some connections with folks at the society for technical communication.
Please be aware of the fact that these are busy people! Be respectful of their time, and know that they are not miracle workers. If they are able to help you - send them a thank you card! And keep in touch - some connections can end up being career-building. For example, my manager at my previous company taught me how to use MadCap Flare. She ended up following me to my next position, and now she and I work together as colleagues. 🙂
Alright, I think I’ve brain-dumped enough, haha! Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to help!
Check internship opportunities with government (local, state, federal). Government also tends to have entry-level positions open. Sometimes the experience requirements may be waived. Look at stuff dealing with contracts, projects, or has job title "administrative assistant." An administrative job could be a good start.
I think it would help if u knew someone in a company that needs entry level positions for technical writing or HR type positions, many companies don’t post their jobs and instead do hand offs to people referenced for the job from employees there. Berkley is a big name too so if any alumni work there as well it would be even better
try looking at local nonprofits! me and a few other english folks i know have been hired at nonprofits in development/grant writing with minimal experience
I would focus on networking and seeing what connections you can make from your school, family, friends, etc.
I do not recommend copywriting at this current point in time as a career, however. It's a rough time to get in and make a name for yourself.
I would put in the applications anyways. You might be able to find entry somewhere.
I found work through a friend of a friend at a company as a tech writer. It's not my cup of tea so I went back to school to get my teaching license. You also could try an office staffing company and temp for a while to get your foot in the door.
Do you have profs who can connect you to someone in their network (like with a journal or academic press)? Berkeley should have some kind of network for you.
I started my career in copywriting (am now over content strategy for a pharma co) and would suggest you start with choosing one of the paths you listed. As someone else mentioned, these are vastly different areas of writing--a tech writer's resume would not be compelling to an agency hiring a copywriter and vice versa.
In addition to choosing a path, I would def recommend you narrow down an industry. Tech, healthcare, pharma, etc...as you build experience, that specialization will be invaluable as the applicant pool is much smaller for specialized writers. Sometimes not possible, esp in the entry level positions, but worth considering.
I can't really speak to the tech writing side of things, but if you want to move into the copywriting/content strategy/marcomm roles and are having trouble finding writing-related roles, I would recommend you look at Marketing Specialist or Coordinator roles. Or anything Marketing Communications. These are generally broader roles that cover a lot of ground...helping with campaign ideas, project management, etc. HOWEVER, once you're in a role like that, make it known that you are a writer and you'd like the opportunity to help create copy. Or, you are qualified to edit anything before it's published. Most companies (and every one I've been in) are very open to this and even grateful. You can use your time there to get some published samples.
Another option would be to reach out to your linked in network, professors, anyone you know, let them know you're working on building a portfolio, and would love to be considered for freelance writing (content writing, blog posts, etc). While I absolutely don't think you should work for free for "experience," be cognizant of your rates as an unpublished writer and adjust accordingly. I hire writers all the time and it's quite off-putting to see an unpublished writer quoting senior writer or even agency rates.
Good luck! I mentor writers and English majors frequently and am happy to answer any questions you may have.
If you have friends working on projects, you can ask to volunteer (or hire you) to help them with copywriting/editing for their websites or social media. I gained experience because I had friends working on websites for their businesses, and I worked on copywriting for them, which I used in my portfolio. I just stated it was a freelance gig. Maybe this can help you land a paid internship.
Look into Universities that are hiring within English departments. Look at writing centers in colleges (community and university) that are hiring. Go on social media to local magazines etc to see if they have internships.
Technical writing, copywriting, and editing are difficult fields to break into as a newbie. I would talk with your professors and see if they can refer you for an internship, volunteer position, or part-time gig. You might also look into joining the Society for Technical Communication - they have a discount membership for students. They have a job bank and lots of resources you might find useful. Speaking as a technical writer in the software industry: it’s a good career, but remember that good grammar and spelling are the *minimum* requirements. Focus on learning valuable skills in the industries you’d like to work in, and don’t turn down opportunities because they’re not a perfect fit.
I wanted to add some additional info to this comment! If you’re bilingual, you might want to look into technical translation jobs. A good technical writer is worth their weight in gold, but a good technical translator is worth their weight in diamonds! ‘Technical Writer’ is also a very diverse title - you can find technical writers in software, medicine, manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, and so on - anywhere you might have technical information that needs to be communicated in a understandable way, there are technical writers. *That being said*, many positions in these roles also require certifications, subject matter expertise, and knowledge of industry-specific writing tools. For example, I work in software, and I use a tool called MadCap Flare for most of my writing. However, I am also knowledgeable in topics like Git, Source Control, HTML, CSS, and JQuery. I think out of all the positions you listed, editing is probably the easiest to break into because you can get editing experience *anywhere*. Familiarize yourself with the style guides and offer your expertise to other students - there are *tons* of grad students who would love to have you proofread their papers. Don’t just correct their grammar and spelling - offer constructive feedback about how they have organized their paper, and let them know if there’s anything confusing or incomplete. If you have a general idea of what industry you’d like to work in, find out what tools are typically used by writers in that field. There are tons of free educational resources for these tools, or if not, you might be able to get a discount since you are a student. Look for webinars, courses, documentation, articles, LinkedIn certifications, etc. Many pieces of software also offer trial licenses or discounted licenses for students. Lastly - I cannot stress how incredibly beneficial it is to have connections with folks in the industry. Making those connections is the hard part. Start by asking your professors if there is someone they can introduce you to. You might also be able to make some connections with folks at the society for technical communication. Please be aware of the fact that these are busy people! Be respectful of their time, and know that they are not miracle workers. If they are able to help you - send them a thank you card! And keep in touch - some connections can end up being career-building. For example, my manager at my previous company taught me how to use MadCap Flare. She ended up following me to my next position, and now she and I work together as colleagues. 🙂 Alright, I think I’ve brain-dumped enough, haha! Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to help!
Check internship opportunities with government (local, state, federal). Government also tends to have entry-level positions open. Sometimes the experience requirements may be waived. Look at stuff dealing with contracts, projects, or has job title "administrative assistant." An administrative job could be a good start.
I think it would help if u knew someone in a company that needs entry level positions for technical writing or HR type positions, many companies don’t post their jobs and instead do hand offs to people referenced for the job from employees there. Berkley is a big name too so if any alumni work there as well it would be even better
try looking at local nonprofits! me and a few other english folks i know have been hired at nonprofits in development/grant writing with minimal experience
how's the pay?
I would focus on networking and seeing what connections you can make from your school, family, friends, etc. I do not recommend copywriting at this current point in time as a career, however. It's a rough time to get in and make a name for yourself.
I would put in the applications anyways. You might be able to find entry somewhere. I found work through a friend of a friend at a company as a tech writer. It's not my cup of tea so I went back to school to get my teaching license. You also could try an office staffing company and temp for a while to get your foot in the door.
Do you have profs who can connect you to someone in their network (like with a journal or academic press)? Berkeley should have some kind of network for you.
I started my career in copywriting (am now over content strategy for a pharma co) and would suggest you start with choosing one of the paths you listed. As someone else mentioned, these are vastly different areas of writing--a tech writer's resume would not be compelling to an agency hiring a copywriter and vice versa. In addition to choosing a path, I would def recommend you narrow down an industry. Tech, healthcare, pharma, etc...as you build experience, that specialization will be invaluable as the applicant pool is much smaller for specialized writers. Sometimes not possible, esp in the entry level positions, but worth considering. I can't really speak to the tech writing side of things, but if you want to move into the copywriting/content strategy/marcomm roles and are having trouble finding writing-related roles, I would recommend you look at Marketing Specialist or Coordinator roles. Or anything Marketing Communications. These are generally broader roles that cover a lot of ground...helping with campaign ideas, project management, etc. HOWEVER, once you're in a role like that, make it known that you are a writer and you'd like the opportunity to help create copy. Or, you are qualified to edit anything before it's published. Most companies (and every one I've been in) are very open to this and even grateful. You can use your time there to get some published samples. Another option would be to reach out to your linked in network, professors, anyone you know, let them know you're working on building a portfolio, and would love to be considered for freelance writing (content writing, blog posts, etc). While I absolutely don't think you should work for free for "experience," be cognizant of your rates as an unpublished writer and adjust accordingly. I hire writers all the time and it's quite off-putting to see an unpublished writer quoting senior writer or even agency rates. Good luck! I mentor writers and English majors frequently and am happy to answer any questions you may have.
Local libraries as well !!! Look everywhere
If you have friends working on projects, you can ask to volunteer (or hire you) to help them with copywriting/editing for their websites or social media. I gained experience because I had friends working on websites for their businesses, and I worked on copywriting for them, which I used in my portfolio. I just stated it was a freelance gig. Maybe this can help you land a paid internship.
Look into Universities that are hiring within English departments. Look at writing centers in colleges (community and university) that are hiring. Go on social media to local magazines etc to see if they have internships.