Rhetoric and Writing Career Opportunities

Rhetoric and writing studies students find employment in a variety of fields, including web authoring, copywriting, speech writing, technical writing, grant writing, science writing, journalism, teaching, law, government and business. See how some of our graduates have put rhetoric and writing to work for them.

I write to democratize information.

The Western Michigan University rhetoric and writing studies program provided me skills and frameworks with practical applications. The feedback I have received since graduating has affirmed again and again the knowledge and skills earned from my experiences in the program. My experience working as a technical writer has allowed me to directly apply the writing and editing skills learned in program courses. The frameworks for understanding, learning and contextualizing information for audiences has proven indispensable in my day-to-day work. With the knowledge and opportunities afforded through program, I have been able to contribute and add value through my writing in ways which give me the confidence necessary to succeed.

I write to generate leads for my clients by increasing website traffic.

My degree in rhetoric and writing studies gave me the confidence I needed to begin my professional career. My coursework provided me with the necessary skills to be able to market myself to future employers as a competent and confident candidate. While writing has always been my strong suit, working closely with professors and peers helped me prepare to turn my passion into a career. From building blogs to learning how to write for a user, every course within the rhetoric and writing studies program has been beneficial in my professional career. I was able to utilize different course projects that I created throughout my undergraduate career as sample work to show to hiring managers. I entered my current position with confidence because of my positive experience within the rhetoric and writing studies program. I felt prepared to take on a career within an advertising agency and meet deadlines, work on a team and generate original content every day.

I write to help learners take action.

Similar to other rhetoric and writing studies students, I came into the program with the hope that I would learn ways to apply my talents as a writer to practical, real-life situations. My experience in the program not only helped me accomplish this objective, but it also profoundly influenced some of the most fundamental aspects of my writing philosophy. After graduating the program, I was more capable of (and confident in) leveraging my sharpened writing skills in various ways, such as through teaching, freelance writing, and instructional design. I am happy to say that I use these skills every day in my career. At Maestro, I’m delighted to work on writing projects for a range of clients across a wide swath of industries. And, as leader of a small team of writers, I am fortunate enough to be able to pass along some of the wisdom that was imparted upon me during my studies.

I write to create quality content for a positive user and brand experience.

I didn’t know it at the time, but the rhetoric and writing studies program at WMU was the best major I could have selected to harness my natural talents and desire to produce quality writing. Each course in this program provided me with a well-rounded and unique experience that would guide me in the ultimate decision of choosing a compatible career. In my final semester at WMU, I interned at WOOD TV8, in Grand Rapids, as a digital content producer. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the news station, but knew it wasn’t the career path that I wanted to pursue. About three months after graduation, I accepted an offer from Stryker Medical as the lead technical writer for the EMS product line. In my new role on the content management team, I am responsible for the continuous improvement of our product documentation, converting and rewriting information into XML, and creating quality content that provides our customers with consistent, usable, reader-centered writing. The versatility of my degree gave me confidence that I would find the right career after college. I am incredibly thankful for my job and the invaluable skills I acquired through the rhetoric and writing studies program.

I write to engage with radio programmers and help recording artists reach their audiences.

As a Radio Promoter with Distiller Promo—a firm that distributes new music to college and non-commercial stations for airplay—I have the opportunity to combine my loves of writing and music. I write to manage its brand, engage with clients and interact with stations. Effective communication empowers me to promote airplay and reach listener audiences. I also use my skills acquired at Western to communicate effectively over the phone, close sales and formulate new marketing strategies as trends shift and as new ones emerge. The skills I use daily were honed through my employment at WIDR FM, as an on-air DJ and as its employed Music Director, as well as through my coursework. I was fortunate to discover the rhetoric and writing studies program early on, in its inaugural year. The wonderful professors were supportive of my interests and flexible with their curriculum. They ultimately led me to a memorable internship and guided me through my honors thesis project.

I write to improve lives.

I came to the rhetoric and writing studies program at WMU as a non-traditional student, and it was quickly apparent to me that my professors took genuine interest in me and recognized my work experience and ideas. In the highly regulated medical technology industry, “if it isn’t written down, it isn’t happening.” As a Quality Systems Technical Writer for Stryker Instruments, my ultimate consumers are patients who receive life changing surgeries to relieve chronic pain and improve mobility. The care I provide them comes from documenting and supporting the myriad controls required to assure compliance, effectiveness and efficiency in producing products that end up in surgery suites around the world. My WMU degree was the perfect complement to my chosen career, and gave me the expertise and credentials to become an important contributor at a company whose chief goal is to improve people’s lives. I could not be more thankful for my Bronco experience.

I write to help clients build their brands online.

I joined the rhetoric and writing studies program in the middle of my junior year, after a heartbreaking failure in my original major left me scrambling to find a backup plan. Despite the fact that I had spent two and a half years pursuing vocal music – a major that wasn’t related to English in any close fashion – I felt instantly at home in the rhetoric and writing program. My advisors were flexible in helping me navigate an entire English degree in a year and a half, but it was ultimately my professors, with their infinite wisdom and unending willingness to help, that truly allowed me to excel in my new major. Since graduation, I have pursued an entrepreneurial path, building a freelance career for myself out of a range of different writing pursuits. On one hand, I have continued to explore my love for the arts, interviewing well-known musicians and writing about albums, books and films in a way that allows me to ignite conversations about the things I love. I have also utilized the skills I learned at Western to connect with clients and to help them establish themselves online through web content that is informative, accessible and concise.

I write to facilitate the collaboration of the international engineering community.

The knowledge I gained through the rhetoric and writing studies program was integral to my success as a student at Western, and has continued to be beneficial to my endeavors post-graduation. My position as a Content Administrator at SAE International requires the editing, critical thinking and reader-centered writing skills that I honed throughout my time within the program. As a Content Administrator, I am responsible for creating online and print content pertaining to the events SAE International has around the world for the automotive and aerospace engineering community, as well as facilitating the collecting, reviewing and publishing of technical papers for these events. My training in rhetoric has given me an understanding of the importance of document design, which is essential when I am creating web and print content. The ample opportunity for collaborative work in my rhetoric courses has contributed greatly to my interpersonal skills and allows me to work confidently and efficiently with people from all over the world. I am immensely grateful for the professors I worked with throughout my degree who pushed me to my full potential as it has allowed me to flourish in my new career.

I write to build relationships and connect community stakeholders.

Majoring in the rhetoric and writing studies program allowed me to explore a variety of professional writing styles and techniques, all while establishing and working to achieve my career goals. Each course presented unique challenges to overcome and opportunities to seize, with topics ranging from theory to popular culture. Though writing has always come naturally to me, the rhetoric and writing studies program gave me the tools and experience I needed to hone my skills and to be prepared for a future in writing. I use tactics such as reader-centered writing, critical proofreading/revision methods, and textual repurposing every day in my work. The program also reinforced invaluable professional skills such as discipline, preparation, communication and leadership. I can very confidently say that I would not be where I am today without the rhetoric and writing studies program’s rigorous curriculum, supportive faculty and hands-on learning style.

I write to help families.

As a Community Manager, I am the sole digital representative for Stridepost, a company dedicated to organizing and motivating families. In order to do my job, I need to have the ability to understand my audience every single day, in every piece of content I produce, and during every single interaction I have in digital space. Part of my job is marketing Stridepost and maintaining its voice and identity, all while ensuring that our voice is one that our audience wants to hear. Everything has to fit. The rhetoric and writing studies program taught me how to see my work through my audience’s perspective. I have to understand the wants and needs of the people I’m trying to reach. The rhetoric and writing studies program taught me that in order to have an effect on my audience—to have and reach an end goal—you have to master different communicative styles. I have the rhetoric and writing studies program to thank for my success.

I write to streamline the development of groundbreaking medicine.

My time as a rhetoric and writing studies student resonates each day, as I continue to pursue my writing career. I am able to think back to the supportive faculty as well as the insightful lessons and projects as a template on how to move forward as a writing professional. In my position as a scientific research report coordinator, my tasks include transcribing raw data into a clear, concise message. Each day I apply a reader-centered approach to customize a finished product. In doing so, I employ written and visual communication to represent information. I have found these communication practices to be an invaluable aspect that I learned from the rhetoric and writing studies program. Internal and external communications with fellow technical writers, scientists and customers maximize my ability to create excellent finished products. The inherent aspect of team writing learned from the program allows me to further my writing skills. Every day I am using what I learned and applying it to a process that promotes the long term betterment of others.

I write to further both my academic and professional careers.

I currently use my degree in both a professional capacity at Boskage Commerce Publications, a Thomson Reuters company specializing in international trade publications, software and online educations, and as a graduate student at Michigan State University. At Thomson Reuters, I work in an editorial department developing both online and print publications. At MSU, I am pursuing an M.A. in Learning, Design, and Technology with a concentration in digital rhetoric and professional writing. The rhetoric and writing studies program at WMU provided unique and invaluable training that prepared me to step into both these roles. This preparation included opportunities to explore writing in numerous digital environments (including website design with Adobe Dreamweaver), as well as opportunities to develop pieces of professional writing for use by actual clients outside the classroom. The professors at WMU showed a clear understanding of the rapidly changing role of digital writing in our society. They used this knowledge to offer an educational experience that has served me well in my work for Thomson Reuters as well as in the process of applying for and joining a graduate-level program focused on rhetoric and writing.

I write to document things I enjoy.

At the end of high school I knew that writing was my primary marketable skill. Advertising and technical writing are typical paths for such individuals, but people and plans change. I am no exception to that rule. With that in mind, I chose the rhetoric and writing studies program at Western Michigan University. It is an all-purpose degree that equips one to think and communicate simultaneously, which is a rare ability. I chose to work a number of jobs and internships after establishing myself at WMU. Hobbies—including collecting vintage computer keyboards—occupied the rest of my time. I eventually located a community of vintage keyboard enthusiasts through an online forum. Writing well over two thousand posts in this forum, I have become widely known within the community. As a result, I have received multiple job opportunities in the keyboard industry, including my position as a Content Producer at Go Mechanical Keyboard. Should I tell you what sealed the deal during that interview? My education. Choose yours wisely.

I write to inform the public and connect my community.

I pursued a major in rhetoric and writing studies to supplement my journalism major simply because I loved to write and wanted to have as many outlets for that passion as possible. Today, as the general manager for a publishing company that produces two daily newspapers, two weekly newspapers, two shoppers, and an upscale lifestyle magazine, I use the skills learned in the rhetoric and writing studies program just as much as the lessons I learned in the journalism program. The rhetoric and writing studies program trains students to think not only as writers, but readers as well. The reader-centered mindset I gained through the program has been invaluable in a field that is without question very reader-oriented. I use my degree every day not only to write compelling stories, columns and editorials, but also to create dynamic layouts that appeal to the reader. I’m also constantly using the rhetorical skills I learned to manage employees, work with other departments, engage with the community and put out the fires that come with working in a fast-paced, high-energy profession. I can say without question that I would not be where I am in my professional career without this program.

I write to safeguard breakthrough research in technology and medicine.

I found the courses in the rhetoric and writing studies program to be remarkably innovative, and my professors immensely supportive. I appreciated the way each course played on my strengths as an analytical writer and reflect fondly on my experiences in the classroom. Each assignment felt refreshingly different from the last, yet I could see how, upon completion, they had instilled in me another invaluable skill to add to my growing writing repertoire. Some of my favorite examples include rhetorical criticisms, writing for real-world organizations and learning how to frame my résumé to best target and secure potential positions. Today, I apply the detail-oriented professional writing techniques I gained through the rhetoric and writing studies program to craft immigration petition documents in favor of some of the most brilliant researchers in the world. A large majority of the recommendation letters I author for clients are signed by doctorate-level professors from renowned universities. Each approved case is both a small victory for me and a life-changing event for my clients – who intend to conduct some of the most cutting-edge research in science and medicine I’ve ever encountered. I look forward to my future career as a writer in the field of law, and am thankful for my time in the rhetoric and writing studies program.

I write to bring safe medical products to those in need.

While completing my final year of the rhetoric and writing studies program at WMU, the faculty helped me obtain a technical writing internship for a company which conducts testing of therapeutic compounds intended for development into new medicines. In this position, I assisted scientists, managers and other laboratory personnel in creating standard operating procedures (SOPs). These documents establish and maintain consistent processes which are followed by laboratory personnel during experimentation. Upon graduation from WMU, I accepted a full-time position with this company where my responsibility as a technical writer is to ensure that these SOPs are coherent to personnel with varying levels of education, experience and training, yet also contain all required technical information. My training in the writing program at WMU helped me understand how to write technical documents from a reader-centered perspective and learn to adjust my writing to my audience. My writing skills offer me the opportunity to contribute to the development of safe medical products.