Writing Gigs #1 - Highest Paying Writing Job
And How To Get Started
Do you like writing?
Are you interested in writing jobs that allow you to work remotely while earning more money than the average writer out there?
If your answer is yes, then pay attention to every word you’re about to read.
Writing jobs pay differently depending on two major factors:
The perceived value of the content
The employer’s standard of payment
With that being said, we will discuss the highest-paying writing job and how to get started, either as a complete beginner in the writing world or a seasoned writer looking to get better-paying opportunities.
Before we get into that, let me share a childhood memory with you.
I was about seven years old at the time.
You see…
I come from a Methodist family, where my dad raised my siblings and me in the ways of Jesus.
A typical morning devotion in those days included a brief opening prayer, a short Bible reading, a brief exhortation by the coordinator, contributions from the rest of the family, and a closing prayer.
This particular day, my dad was coordinating, and he was reading from the book of Genesis in the Bible.
He was reading from the first chapter.
My dad told me to go and stand by the power switch for the living room light.
When he got to the part that read, “And God said let there be light, and there was light,” he told me to flip the switch, and I obeyed.
Voila! The light came on.
That would have been a totally normal thing, except for the fact that the electric power grid supplying our area had previously been off.
So, the only way that light could have come on was if a miracle happened or the power grid was turned on at the exact time I flipped the switch.
Which do you think was the case?
Anyway, that event became the foundation of my faith in Jesus Christ.
I don’t know if you believe in God or not, and if you do, I don’t know which higher power you believe in.
But this is one of the many experiences I’ve had with the one I believe to be the creator of all things, seen and unseen.
Let’s get to the focus of this newsletter.
The question we want to answer is, “What writing job pays the most, and how can I get started?” Let’s find out together.
Based on research done by freelance writer Deanna deBara, written in her high-paying writing jobs article published on The Muse, and confirmed by my own independent research, the highest-paying writing job is Medical Writing.
What exactly does a medical writer do?
How much does a medical writer earn annually?
Where can I find medical writer jobs?
Keep reading to find the answers to all these questions and more.
What Medical Writers Do
Basically, a medical writer produces text content that relates to the medical profession or the knowledge of medicine and medical science.
According to the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA), “Medical writing involves the development and production of print or digital documents that deal specifically with medicine or health care.”
For the sake of clarity, let’s look briefly at the types of content you will be expected to deliver as a medical writer.
Among other deliverables, a medical writer may be required to produce the following:
Peer-reviewed articles reporting on clinical trials
Educational materials for health care professionals and the general public
Marketing content for new medical technology
Grant proposals to fund innovative research and much more
Your job as a medical writer is to take complex concepts, ideas, or technological knowledge and translate them into easy-to-grasp formats that a general audience can understand without having to visit Google.
Medical writers often work with private and governmental organizations like:
Medical device companies
Pharmaceutical companies
Supplement companies
Health tech companies
Medical associations
Health insurance providers
Having learned about what medical writers do and who they can work with, the next thing is to find out what you need to start and succeed as a medical writer.
How To Become A Medical Writer
Before we talk about what you need to start, I should quickly mention that the average annual salary of a medical writer is currently $78,500+, and this figure can go as high as $97,800+ for senior medical writers.
Most medical writers are expected to have a background in the sciences.
As a Nigerian student, you probably studied biology as a general subject in high school, and I believe the same applies to many other countries.
An undergraduate study in medical-related courses like medicine, nursing, and medical lab tech, or animal health-related fields like veterinary medicine and veterinary tech, will be a major plus.
However, you can still get into this prestigious career even if you don’t have a medical- or veterinary-related background.
At the very least, you must have impeccable research skills and be able to understand medical concepts and translate them for the target audience.
Let’s look at a few steps you can take to become a medical writer.
Pick a niche: Start by deciding which niche you want to focus on. See a list of the popular niches below:
Grant proposals
Marketing/Advertising/PR
Regulatory writing
Continuing education for healthcare professionals
Scientific publications (like peer-reviewed journals)
Take inventory of your skills: This is where you assess yourself to know which skills you need to add and which ones you already have that need improving.
Medical communicators hail from a number of academic backgrounds.
Medical terminology and statistics are often more challenging for individuals with writing or communications experience,
whereas those with a background in science or medicine frequently need refreshers in writing and editing mechanics.
No matter what kind of training you have, you should make a list of your fundamental abilities.
Your writing should reflect your knowledge of the following:Basic grammar and usage
Punctuation
Sentence structure
Statistics
Tables and graphs
Medical terminologies
Find a standardized training program and get certified: This step is crucial if you want to make quick progress in your career as a medical writer.
A recognized certification gives you leverage to get better opportunities and network with those who have become successful in your chosen career.
You may like to take a look at AMWA’s online learning activity. A careful search through the internet may turn up better training programs.
Wrapping Up…
You may very well find another writing job that pays more on average than medical writing, but this is what I’ve got for now.
Having shown you how to start your journey into a career in medical communication, I must not fail to remind you that nobody ever gets rich on a salary job.
While a 9-to-5 job offers you much-needed financial security, it cannot offer you financial freedom.
I’m sure you know why.
But just to remind you, a salary job can be taken from you at any time for reasons that do not border on your competence or commitment to work.
So, my humble recommendation is…
Get a passive source of income.
Like Kindle Direct Publishing.
Imagine that you published a book, and that book has been giving you at least $1,000 in pure profit every month for the past 5 years.
What will that do in your life?
I have not gotten to that milestone in my KDP business, but I definitely will, and soon.
When I do, I will certainly let you know.
If you are interested in joining the KDP train, I suggest you get my mentor’s complete training here.
All the best!