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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers

Part of Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications, in the Journalism and Broadcasting pathway.

Job zone 4: considerable preparationO*NET 27-3043.05

What the work is

Create original written works, such as scripts, essays, prose, poetry or song lyrics, for publication or performance.

On a typical day

  • Revise written material to meet personal standards and to satisfy needs of clients, publishers, directors, or producers.
  • Choose subject matter and suitable form to express personal feelings and experiences or ideas, or to narrate stories or events.
  • Plan project arrangements or outlines, and organize material accordingly.
  • Prepare works in appropriate format for publication, and send them to publishers or producers.
  • Follow appropriate procedures to get copyrights for completed work.
  • Write fiction or nonfiction prose, such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.

What it pays

$74,030
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $47,890
Experienced workers reach $106,050
  1. $48k10th
  2. $58k25th
  3. $74kMedian
  4. $103k75th
  5. $106k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $47,890, 25th $57,780, Median $74,030, 75th $103,140, 90th $106,050

About 130 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+11.2%

employment change in the Alamo region, 305 to 339 jobs · U.S. +4%

33

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 13,400

305

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 135,400

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree · Training: Long-term on-the-job training

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Writing5.8
  2. Reading Comprehension4.8
  3. Speaking3.9
  4. Critical Thinking3.8
  5. Active Learning3.8
  6. Active Listening3.8
  7. Judgment and Decision Making3.3
  8. Social Perceptiveness3.5

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. High school or less23%
  2. Some college27%
  3. Bachelor's degree32%
  4. Master's degree9%
  5. Doctoral or professional9%

Job zone 4, considerable preparation: Usually a bachelor's degree, sometimes a strong associate plus experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

  • Northeast Lakeview
  • Northwest Vista
  • Palo Alto
  • St. Philip's
  • San Antonio
  1. Speech Communication

    Transfer pre-major

  2. Mass Communication

    Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  3. Reading & Writing

    Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  4. Speech and Communication Studies

    Degree · Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  5. Communications

    Degree · Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  6. INRW (Integrated Reading & Writing)

    Alamo program · Creative & Communication Arts

  7. Speech Communication

    Degree · Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  8. Speech Communication

    Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  9. Journalism-Photography/Mass Communication

    Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  10. Speech

    Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

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  1. Writers and Authors

    Zone 410 Alamo programs

    $74kSan Antonio median
  2. Editors

    Zone 46 Alamo programs

    $60kSan Antonio median
  3. $48kSan Antonio median
  4. Producers and Directors

    Zone 410 Alamo programs Bright outlook

    $65kSan Antonio median
  5. Proofreaders and Copy Markers

    Zone 46 Alamo programs

    $42kTexas median
  6. $83kSan Antonio median
  7. $62kSan Antonio median