I've never really been interested in a lot of jobs. I had a knack for quitting a lot of low paying retail jobs when I was a little younger. I'm eighteen now, and I decided before I make the mistake a lot of people do (getting stuck in jobs they hate), I'd try to get a head start on a career I'd actually enjoy. The problem is, I have no clue how to get into this type of thing. I'd also have no clue where to even start looking for information. Most writing sections I check usually deal with poetry and whatnot. Does anyone have any information on how I could get into this type of job? I really don't care what I am doing, as long as I am writing. If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it more then you could ever know. I'm sure there are classes or something I should be taking. There are usually always classes. Thanks.

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Your writing in this post is in need of a little work but given that you're only 18 and new, I'll cut some slack. Writing as a career is very competitive, plain and simple. Whether it's copywriting for a website, writing for magazines, being a reporter for a local newspaper, or simply doing various freelance work, it is not an easy task. Many freelance writers are already well established with an extensive portfolio and the clout to be freelance writers. Rookies rarely get decent freelance gigs. I majored in Journalism while in college but unfortunately, it was a community college and I had to take a Liberal Arts degree. I wrote for three years for the college newspaper and built up quite a portfolio from that alone. That right there helped me land a job as a copywriter for a tourism site as well as a few independent contract gigs. It was hard work, let me tell you. What sucks for me is that because I only have that Associate's and not a Bachelor's in Journalism or English, I am left high and dry when it comes to writing jobs. The best I can hope for is to work with a company that values excellent written skills. I urge you to consider majoring in Creative Writing, Journalism, Technical Writing, or some branch of Communications as these areas can assist you in obtaining a writing a career. Take up a specific subject and make yourself an expert. None of it will be entirely glamorous or fun but any foot in the door can lead to a great position if you work hard and build up a portfolio in college. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose. I love writing and would be lost without it.

Well you want to first know what you will be writing about. If you will be writing about politics or business then you would want experience in those fields so that people will listen to you and therefore read your articles, providing you employment. If you want to be a freelance writer on topics such as health, finance, relationships, a college degree is almost always necessary. Also, most people freelance after they develop contacts/training/skill/money by being an on staff writer, although sometimes it's vice versa.

This one is hard to answer. My first question would be, "What do you have a passion for writing about?" Writing for the sake of writing leaves me kinda....begging. If there is something you love to write about, then that may be you need to find those writers. Sports writers? Try the newspapers and sports promoters. Fiction? Non-fiction? News? History? Do you like doing research? To make your career in writing take off, you will need to write what people want to read. Where is your audience? Who are you writing to? One place to ask is with an English teacher you know. Maybe they can direct you in your endeavors.

Make the effort and keep making it. Do not expect instant success; it's possible but not likely. When I was your age I wanted to find a vocation I would like and, some people actually do. A more practical path might be to find a vocation which pays well and do your happy thing on weekends and days off. Being a writer will be difficult; I listened to an interview with Arthur Miller, "Death of a Salesman" and other classics. He was asked what his chances might be to get a book published if he were to submit it under an assumed name. I am supposedly writing a book of fiction (I am putting words into a file on a word processor). It may become a book, we'll see. His statement scared the Hell out of me; I was actually left devoid of any Hell whatever! He said that he'd probably send out 20 manuscripts, most would not even be read; the few that were carelessly perused by some appointed editor, would be dropped into the nearest trash can. That little statement regarding the difficulty of getting published, got my attention. But, it's still possible if you work at it and have patience and perseverance. The beauty is that no matter what you end up doing, you can quietly pursue your attempts at writing anyway. Good luck. I believe that most of have at least one good book in us.