Careers after Writer: 11 jobs where your skills transfer.
Every related role O*NET lists for writers, scored by how closely the skill profile matches, what it pays and how much extra preparation it needs. Original analysis, sources below.
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Time Management
- Active Listening
- Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
- Technical Writer
- Journalist
The jobs closest to a Writer's skills are Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers, Technical Writer and Journalist (92%, 90% and 75% skill match). 7 related roles pay more without needing more preparation, led by UX Designer (+$27,090 median).
Where your skills transfer
Data Skill match and pay change are our calculations from O*NET and BLS data (method below).
The three closest moves
Data Skills where the destination's O*NET level is at least half a point higher are listed as gaps.
Already strong: Writing, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking.
To build: Operations Analysis, Writing, Active Learning.
Already strong: Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
To build: Operations Analysis, Quality Control Analysis, Instructing.
Already strong: Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Speaking.
To build: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Mathematics.
How to make the move
Advice
- Weeks 1 to 2Pick one destination
Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers is the closest match at 92%. Technical Writer pays more without more preparation.
- Weeks 2 to 6Close the top gap
For Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers, the biggest gap is operations analysis. Build one piece of proof for it.
- Weeks 4 to 8Reframe your resume
Lead with writing, reading comprehension, written in the destination's language.
- From week 6Talk to people in the role
Ask three poets, lyricists and creative writerss what they wish they had known before switching.
How this page is built
Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared. Pay change compares the BLS national median annual wages (May 2025) of the two occupations. Preparation change compares O*NET Job Zones (1 = little preparation, 5 = extensive preparation). Destinations without BLS wage data or O*NET skill ratings are left out.
- Licensing or degree rules for a specific destination.
- Whether employers in your area hire career changers.
- Your own skills: the scores compare occupations, not people.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
More for Writers
What the job is, skills, tools, pay and related roles.
Open →SalaryWriter salaryPay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.
Open →ResumeWriter resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Interview questionsWriter interview questionsQuestions with what they test, plus practice mode.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →