15 Writing-Adjacent Careers for Writers Looking for a Career Change

Thinking about changing careers but want to make the most of your writing skills? Discover 15 writing-adjacent careers to explore.

So you want to change your career path and don’t know how to start? This article might be just the thing you need. 

There are a million and one reasons you could be trying to switch from your current writing job. Maybe you’re bored out of your mind and are looking for something different or another way to leverage the writing skills you already have. 

It could even be that you’re afraid that AI will soon take over your current writing job. Whatever it is, pivoting is possible for writers. So, we’ve compiled a list of 15 writing-adjacent career paths for those who have decided fiction writing isn’t really for them. 

1. Marketing

If you’re outgoing and great at building connections with people, then this field might be for you. 

Marketing generally involves pitching an idea or a product to a specific target audience. While writing can be a valuable skill in marketing, the main skill is building connections with customers. 

So, if you have solid people skills, then this could definitely be the break you need from writing.

2. Social Media Manager

If you like the idea of content strategy, planning, and management, then this might be the job for you. 

As a result of the social media revolution in the marketing industry, many companies use social media to build their brand image and reach a larger audience. This makes it a well-sought-after job. 

Writing as a skill may be implemented in the areas of content writing, editing, and so much more.

3. Medical and Scientific Writing 

This is one of those fields that doesn’t get as much representation as others. If you’re interested in science and medicine, you are likely to do well in this field.

As with all seemingly good things, though, there is a catch. It requires specialization, meaning that in order to start out, you might have to familiarize yourself with the medical or scientific field. 

You might be required to take specific courses to be familiar with medical and scientific concepts, terminology, and history. 

4. Editing 

Editing, particularly in writing, involves fine-tuning, correcting, and revising errors in a manuscript or project. If you have a good eye for detail, this career path might be ideal for you. 

In most cases, the editing process requires the editor to do some form of writing, whether it’s to add to the original manuscript or to inform the writer on what to note. 

Editing can be quite meticulous, but with the right knowledge and training, it can become a solid career.

5. Proofreading

Good writing skills come in handy in proofreading. If you are good at catching errors and know your punctuation, spelling, and grammatical rules, then you can easily turn this into a lucrative career. 

Writing is also crucial to proofreading. For example, while proofreading, a proofreader might realize that an entire sentence or paragraph needs to be rewritten. 

To be a good proofreader, you must first be a good enough writer.

6. Copywriting 

If you’re naturally persuasive and know how to pitch ideas to people, then copywriting might be the career path for you. 

Copywriting involves writing persuasive materials, known as “copy,” to convince an audience to take a specific action, such as purchasing a service or product. Beyond obvious skills like writing, it also requires the ability to understand consumer psychology. A heightened sense of empathy can also put you at an advantage.

7. Email Marketing 

This is one of the more niche fields for writers looking to switch careers. Email marketing is one of the most lucrative forms of digital marketing. 

Unlike traditional marketing that requires knowing how to build physical connections with potential clients, email marketing is mostly focused on your ability to write convincing emails, whether to sell a product or an idea. 

While it can be an ideal career choice, note that it might come with some challenges with regard to reaching the target audience. Many email marketers deal with work-related issues like emails getting lost in spam and not reaching their target audience.

8. Journalism  

If you have a knack for telling the stories that need to be heard, then journalism might be the path for you. Writing and journalism go hand in hand in so many ways. From writing news features to cover stories, it’s basically a familiar option for those trying to pivot from fiction writing. 

To excel in this field, you must keep up with current issues, fact-check properly, and write compelling stories. 

While writing is a valuable skill in journalism, you also need other skills, like how to conduct an interview, to stand firm in your career.

9. Fiction Translation 

Are you multilingual and a writer? Congrats, you just might do well as a fiction translator. 

As the name implies, fiction translation involves decoding a creative piece from one language to another while trying your best to maintain its original voice, tone, and setting. 

This is a field that not many people take up because it requires high language skills and proficiency in the languages you are working with. While it is common knowledge that you cannot completely transfer context from one language to another, with the right skill set you can come as close as possible. 

The most obvious disadvantage of this career path is that it requires a high level of skill and is very intensive.

10. Education

It’s common knowledge that writing can be implemented in education in so many ways. All tiers of education, from administrators to teachers and lecturers, use writing in one way or another. From academic writing to curriculum planning, writing is practically the backbone of the education system. 

One advantage of education is that there are many specializations under it. These include special needs education, adult education, child education, academia, and many others. 

Many of these careers require a certain level of people skills and certification to be well established.

11. Public Relations (PR)

If you are good at de-escalating situations and are a strong team player, then you’ll definitely do well in public relations. 

Public relations involves managing an individual or brand’s image to protect it from harm and uphold its public perception. 

Journalism and Public relations are similar in many ways. Journalism aims to pass on information objectively and without bias, while PR does whatever it takes to uphold a brand or individual’s image. 

Writing is a handy skill in PR when it comes to constructing public announcements and press releases.

12. Subtitling

Subtitling involves adding text underneath film, media, and TV Shows to translate or better help the audience understand the content. It is extremely meticulous and might require a subtitler to have a deep understanding of the language(s) used in the media. Subtitling and writing therefore go hand in hand. 

If you appreciate the process behind subtitles, then this field is for you. Unfortunately, the rise of AI has deeply impacted subtitling as an art form, but as AI can never replace human creativity and intuition, it remains a considerable career path.

13. Project Management 

Project management refers to the practice of planning and organizing involved in turning a project into a marketable idea, product, or service. 

As you can imagine, writing is a foundational tool you can use to outline tasks, communicate with team members, and even write proposals. If you possess strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, then this might be an ideal career path for you. 

It definitely requires you to pick up some skills here and there, but a good foundation in writing will take you a long way.

14. Administration 

The good thing about administration is that you can find it in almost any organization, making it a sought-after career. It involves running and managing an organization, company, or business. 

Administration is usually the main governing body of an organization and oversees tasks, writes memos, and assigns work. This means writing can be a valuable skill that helps administrators organize the daily tasks an organization is expected to perform.

If you have strong leadership qualities, team spirit, and can manage pressure, this is a field worth exploring. 

15. Content Strategy 

Your creativity as a writer will definitely shine the most in this field. 

A content strategist is involved in the planning and strategizing of content for a brand or an organization. Content planning involves a lot of brainstorming, and writing is one of the major skills you can use in the process. 

You can use writing in many different ways in content strategy, from creating a schedule to writing a content script. 

If your jam is creating content and connecting with people through social media, then this might be a field you excel in.