Do you need a degree to become a copywriter?

You also happen to be nearing that time in your life when everybody but everybody is pushing you to make a decision about your FUTURE.

So, you seek some guidance from your teachers, your peers, and your parents - what should you be doing in preparation for this big future of yours?

You’re always met with the same answer.

Go to university. Get a degree.

Why?

“It looks good on paper.” “It’s always a good back-up.” “You’ll earn more money with a degree.”

Okay, fair play. Sounds pretty good to me.

But truth is - deep down - you don’t really know what you want to study at university. You know you like English (in fact, you’re really really good at English).

But you’re not so sure if studying Shakespeare and analysing the ‘hidden meaning’ behind a word or the colour of a door is going to be that exciting.

Or whether it’s even going to take you to your dream job.

Hell, you don’t even know what your dream job is.

All you know is that you love writing and you love reading - but who ever made big bucks with hobbies like that?

The truth about copywriting

You think business and finance and law and science are where the $ is at.

Not English Literature.

And when you do ask your career advisors and teachers what you can do with an English Lit degree, they give you answers like ‘teaching or journalism.’

Or you could write a best-selling novel that gets made into a film. But everyone knows you have to be SUPER good and SUPER lucky for that to even happen.

You don’t have anything against teachers, but you’re not so sure you want to be one. You’re also not so sure you like the idea of being the ‘struggling creative artist’ in the coffee shop.

It’s a cute aesthetic, but it’s not going to bring you much money.

Or is it?

Truth is - contrary to everything everybody might have told you - you can make a pretty comfortable living with writing.

Like £150k+ comfortable.

If you’re really good and really dedicated, that number could rise even higher.

And guess what?

You don’t even need a degree.

Yup.

You can save 3 years of your life. You can jump ahead of the game. And you can save £9k on university fees.

All while doing what you LOVE - writing for a living.

The name of the job?

Copywriting.

Freelance copywriting to be precise.

I started back when I was 17. Quit uni a year in and have never looked back since.

I never thought it was possible to write and make an amazing living.

Or that I could spend my days conjuring up stories and creative quips - and get paid for it!

But here I am.

And I’m here to show you how.

How you can start your journey to copywriting RIGHT NOW.

Be warned, this isn’t your conventional path. It’s a little off the beaten track. But it’s a path that leads to GREAT results - that is if you’re consistent and dedicated.

Now I’m not here to tell you what to do.

If uni is a life-long dream of yours or if you’re itching to get the uni experience or if you’re honestly 100% interested in what you’re studying - then go to university.

You’ll still be able to become a copywriter (it just might take you a little longer).

But if the idea of university leaves you feeling confused - or if you’re not in the mood to wrack up a bunch of debt - or if you’re going to uni to simply ‘buy time’ so you can put off thinking about your career…

It’s probably not the best path for you.

If you love writing - in whatever way - and want to get started on your career pronto, I’d advise you to get a taste of copywriting before you make any brash decisions.

And if you’re still scratching your head wondering, ‘what is copywriting anyway?’

Read this blog post.

It will tell you everything you need to know about copywriting.

Go and have a read of it now and come back to me when you’re done.

Sooooooo…

Sound good?

Is a spark starting to come alive?

If the answer to both those questions is a big YES, welcome to the club.

I loved copywriting as soon as I set my eyes on it - and I’ve loved it ever since.

The great thing about this career is that there are loads of options. You can write about beauty. You can write about cars. You can write about computers. Gaming. Software. Tech. Medicine. Health-care.

You can write just about anything under the sun.

That’s called a niche.

And a niche is basically an area of expertise - a certain area of copywriting that’s focused on that subject and that subject alone.

How do you become a copywriter?

Now, I know what you’re thinking.

“Right C, thanks so much for enlightening me - but how do I even get started?”

Good question - I actually answer that question in another one of my blogs.

Have a read of it - it will serve as a great starting point for you to get this whole copywriting thing going.

Try to take little steps every day. Little steps that will help you get one step closer to becoming the copywriter you always dreamed of (even if that dream only materialised a few minutes ago!)

In the meantime, become a (free) member of Word Tonic by subscribing to my newsletter.

It’s currently in the works, so I’ll let you know when it’s going to be launched.

It’ll be packed full of useful copywriting tips - exclusively geared towards young aspiring copywriters like yourself. Tips to help you land your first gig. Tips to help you grow your network. Tips to help you perfect your copywriting talent.

Tips to help you get on the copywriting ladder - and keep you climbing up that ladder.

Tips that would have been real helpful to me back when I was 17. When I had no portfolio, no experience, and nothing to show for.

So, stay tuned!

PS - Follow me on LinkedIn for more tips and insights (and if you haven’t already, create a LinkedIn account. This is an essential step to landing your first copywriting gig and is a great way to showcase your talent).