Do You Need A College Education To Be A Writer?

The answer is more complicated than you think, and it all depends on your definition of what a writer is. A writer can be an author of epic adventures and tall tales, or they can be a critical journalist who seeks to share the truth. A writer can also be someone who organizes their thoughts in a journal or jots down notes to help them remember important details. A writer, in their simplest form, is someone who writes, and no formal education is truly required for that. However, it does help.

If you’re looking to publish novels about the worlds you create in your mind, then no, college is not a requirement. In the age of self-publishing and various online platforms, you don’t need a traditional education to make something great and share it with the world. That being said, it definitely can’t hurt to be around like-minded individuals with the same goals, let alone professors who can guide you in the right direction and help you make vital connections in the writing community at large.

You can truly get your start in a writing career through freelancing (which I highly recommend if you have a love of writing and need for money, like most of us do), and freelancing gigs don’t always require extensive experience. My start with freelancing was back in 2019, mid-way through undergrad. I had no experience but was recommended to apply to a position that was fully remote and would train me.

It was one of the best decisions I’d made, and while it didn’t require a college education to get the position, I never would have found the opportunity without being on campus at the right time. It was that opportunity that gave me the skills I needed to hone my craft and branch out further, finding work full-time in gaming journalism, which was more than I could have hoped for. That work also started as a freelance position, but I was able to use my skills to work my way up quickly and collaborate with a truly marvelous team of writers.

A college education offers many benefits, like having additional training, knowledge, and opportunities, but it’s not required to be a writer. Those same opportunities can appear for you without having a college education. Freelance teams often need a sample of your work before hiring you, and you can study their website’s specific style to see what the company is looking for. You can also get your start by writing guest posts on a friend’s blog or by helping them edit their work.

Being a writer means having a unique and flexible story that changes as needed to accommodate your goals. If you want to be a famous author, creative writing classes will help you find errors in your work and areas for improvement that might be missed on your own, however, there are beta readers and ARC teams that can also help you with editing as you write. You can also hire editors and other writers for the purpose of reading over your work.

In short, a college education can definitely help you hone your skills, connect with other writers, and present you with new opportunities in your career. Despite these benefits, college isn’t for everyone. Before making a final decision, it’s best to weigh your options. There are many college programs that are affordable, especially if you start by taking classes at a local community college.