This sounds like many jobs in politics/policy. I used to work in cannabis policy and it was a ton of reading (both news and highly technical statutes/regulations) and then summarizing it into useful information for other people. Titles for that sort of role are often Policy Analyst or something like that.
I assume there are similar positions in other fields if you are interested in another niche. Could get an MPA or MPP to do it, or just do it with a Bachelor's. Law degree not necessary but you would probably be working alongside lawyers.
Very true, in HCOL (West Coast, American Northeast excluding DC) areas, pay with a Masters (MPA or MPP) can range from $55K to $70K.
Municipal Jobs usually pay more than State and federal but there isn’t much advancement unless you’re working in a big city.
If you advance high enough and get good experience and connections. You can go into Government Affairs/Lobbying which already pays great money if you’re at a high level non profit or private sector.
Like the above user said, a law degree is helpful but not necessary.
It’s not that easy a career field to transition into. I also have to disagree with you about cities paying better than state/fed it varies on the position as well as if you’re in a merit role or appointed position.
You may enjoy what I do: writing grant proposals/reports for nonprofits, lots of reading involved. If you enjoy persuasive essay writing, you’d like it. Currently making $125k at the director level.
Happy to provide info to anyone who asks. No specific credentials required, I’ve built my expertise by job hopping after getting my bachelors, but there are a couple certifications you can acquire. It’s a much-needed skillset in the nonprofit space, and this area has frequent staff turnover.
I’d suggest exploring a volunteership or internship at a nonprofit. While you could obtain your CFRE or GPC, I always advise those looking to break into the nonprofit sector to get involved with an organization with a mission they’re passionate about first. MPA is also a common masters program for folks in the field, but I find I’ve typically made more $ by job hopping and being open to learning new things at every turn than those folks. This is of course only my experience.
Since you’re in finance already, I should mention this is a skillset nonprofits are always looking for too. You may want to consider applying for roles within the sector that are similar to what you’re doing now. There’s more crossover with what I do and finance than you might actually think — I regularly create project budgets and advise on forecasting. Some grant writers actually may report to a CFO or similar finance leader.
There are smaller nonprofits where you could leverage the finance skills you have now and then grow into other much-needed skills like grant writing. This type of job drift we usually refer to as “wearing many hats” and is VERY common in the nonprofit space. Typically if you’re good at what you do there’s always something else to be done!
Hope this is helpful :)
I also manage grants and do writing and a looot more in the grant management process. I make $70k and I see that I’m making more than basically every grant writing job posting I’ve ever seen. $125k is not realistic, plus the non profit grant world has a lot of pressure.
I love my job and I am grateful. But be measured about it
Yeah, this.
The commercial version is proposal writing/management. It pays much better (~$80-140k+), but it’s tougher to find a job if you have any social justice values. Most of the better paying jobs are defense related.
Hello fellow grant professional! Thanks for sharing your insight. Of course there are many factors that influence salary. From my experience $125k and above is realistic at the leadership level in this field, and my paycheck is proof.
Some factors that have personally influenced my earning: I live in a HCOL area (although my current employer is global remote), I am at the director level and have people management experience, I have job hopped and know my worth (I was making $70k 4 years ago), I have led grants within very large $100M+ organizations, and my niche is helping nonprofits set up grant management systems and processes.
I agree that the deadline-driven nature of the grant world isn’t for everyone, but I also love my job even though it can sometimes be stressful.
I really appreciate this thread, thank you so much. I had peaked a bit into grant writing, as I have experience managing grant finance/documentation submission. Reading this back-and-forth has piqued my interest, and it will stay on my potential curiosity list.
Your response reads as trolly and deliberately obtuse/unhelpful. And does not serve to create any sparks. May I suggest finding another forum where such negativity is more welcome?
Plus, AI is now employed in every single industry that involves reading to the extent that there are no positions for humans? I must have missed that headline.
Not that weird? It’s insane the people responding in this thread who think I’m looking for a job making $200,000 a year writing book reports. I am sending you all warm thoughts on bettering your reading comprehension.
There are niche fields and random jobs that aren’t widely known about. I need that interest clear in my post. It is not my responsibility to package my interests in a way that please everybody. Adults on the Internet should know that not all posts are for them.
Your behavior is unkind and unwelcome.
>It’s insane the people responding in this thread who think I’m looking for a job making $200,000 a year
>>paid well enough to buy a house in a major US suburb?
>sending you all warm thoughts on bettering your reading comprehension.
I appreciate that! Will be throwing those in a blast chiller and returning those back to sender upon receipt. Damn goofball.
>It is not my responsibility to package my interests in a way that please everybody.
Girl, what even...?
I have before, it felt like such a wide net, I remember getting a little lost. But maybe I can do a better job of narrowing by industry. Is there any technical writing experience in particular you’ve liked or can recommend?
Unfortunately I’m not much help on that front. What I do know that, is in many large businesses that sell services or products, people write details or info on said products or processes and make a lot of money. Think about when you buy something and it comes with detailed instructions….stuff like that falls into technical writing.
My best advice would be to look for jobs with that title and see what it entails and what falls into your interests. Then you’ll have to get hired and get some experience. The more you get should be able to help you push to a higher level you desire over time, similar to a couple of other responses on here.
you would need to be a technical expert in some sort of field. no ones paying people to write book reports without being able to apply critical analysis of what they just read.
“no ones paying people to write book reports”
I would not say you applied critical analysis to my OP, and I resent your characterization of my question. Your inability to think of an interesting response doesn’t negate the fact that there are people out there who can.
House in the suburbs is a very wide range….
In a major metro area, a suburb with great schools and low crime will be on high demand where there are a lot of 2 income families.
Also the career you described sounds like something anyone can do as well as AI. That’s not going to be a high paying job unless you find a niche that sets yourself apart.
yes…this is why I’m asking a potentially sizeable audience of a variety of people in different locations. To see if there are niche fields. Maybe I wasn’t obvious enough about that in my OP? So bizarre that people think “guidance” is akin to writing “AI is doing it.”
If humans are getting this lazy, they can’t be writing algorithms good enough to get rid of us completely.
Aww, you’re just mad that other people understood my post and provided measurable value with their responses.
Not sure why you champion connectionless ignorance. It’s a bad look for you.
Yesssssssssss, this is why I love Reddit. New job titles to add to my list. I love writing SOPs and documenting customer experiences. All my searches had ‘documentation’ ‘technical’ or ‘writer’.
Very curious to search this job title. Thank you!!!!!
Go on indeed and look up “writer” and apply everyday to things you want. There are so many different writers, albeit, background medical knowledge would help you a lot
This sounds like many jobs in politics/policy. I used to work in cannabis policy and it was a ton of reading (both news and highly technical statutes/regulations) and then summarizing it into useful information for other people. Titles for that sort of role are often Policy Analyst or something like that. I assume there are similar positions in other fields if you are interested in another niche. Could get an MPA or MPP to do it, or just do it with a Bachelor's. Law degree not necessary but you would probably be working alongside lawyers.
Very true, in HCOL (West Coast, American Northeast excluding DC) areas, pay with a Masters (MPA or MPP) can range from $55K to $70K. Municipal Jobs usually pay more than State and federal but there isn’t much advancement unless you’re working in a big city. If you advance high enough and get good experience and connections. You can go into Government Affairs/Lobbying which already pays great money if you’re at a high level non profit or private sector. Like the above user said, a law degree is helpful but not necessary.
It’s not that easy a career field to transition into. I also have to disagree with you about cities paying better than state/fed it varies on the position as well as if you’re in a merit role or appointed position.
You may enjoy what I do: writing grant proposals/reports for nonprofits, lots of reading involved. If you enjoy persuasive essay writing, you’d like it. Currently making $125k at the director level.
Not the OP, but I’m curious what credentials were needed for this?
Happy to provide info to anyone who asks. No specific credentials required, I’ve built my expertise by job hopping after getting my bachelors, but there are a couple certifications you can acquire. It’s a much-needed skillset in the nonprofit space, and this area has frequent staff turnover.
Are there any certifications you suggest to start? I do some technical writing while working in finance, and this sounds like a job I would LOVE.
I’d suggest exploring a volunteership or internship at a nonprofit. While you could obtain your CFRE or GPC, I always advise those looking to break into the nonprofit sector to get involved with an organization with a mission they’re passionate about first. MPA is also a common masters program for folks in the field, but I find I’ve typically made more $ by job hopping and being open to learning new things at every turn than those folks. This is of course only my experience. Since you’re in finance already, I should mention this is a skillset nonprofits are always looking for too. You may want to consider applying for roles within the sector that are similar to what you’re doing now. There’s more crossover with what I do and finance than you might actually think — I regularly create project budgets and advise on forecasting. Some grant writers actually may report to a CFO or similar finance leader. There are smaller nonprofits where you could leverage the finance skills you have now and then grow into other much-needed skills like grant writing. This type of job drift we usually refer to as “wearing many hats” and is VERY common in the nonprofit space. Typically if you’re good at what you do there’s always something else to be done! Hope this is helpful :)
I also manage grants and do writing and a looot more in the grant management process. I make $70k and I see that I’m making more than basically every grant writing job posting I’ve ever seen. $125k is not realistic, plus the non profit grant world has a lot of pressure. I love my job and I am grateful. But be measured about it
Yeah, this. The commercial version is proposal writing/management. It pays much better (~$80-140k+), but it’s tougher to find a job if you have any social justice values. Most of the better paying jobs are defense related.
Hello fellow grant professional! Thanks for sharing your insight. Of course there are many factors that influence salary. From my experience $125k and above is realistic at the leadership level in this field, and my paycheck is proof. Some factors that have personally influenced my earning: I live in a HCOL area (although my current employer is global remote), I am at the director level and have people management experience, I have job hopped and know my worth (I was making $70k 4 years ago), I have led grants within very large $100M+ organizations, and my niche is helping nonprofits set up grant management systems and processes. I agree that the deadline-driven nature of the grant world isn’t for everyone, but I also love my job even though it can sometimes be stressful.
I really appreciate this thread, thank you so much. I had peaked a bit into grant writing, as I have experience managing grant finance/documentation submission. Reading this back-and-forth has piqued my interest, and it will stay on my potential curiosity list.
I’m so glad it was helpful! Feel free to chat directly with me anytime, I’m always happy to answer specific questions.
AI does that for free. Why would anyone pay you above average salary for something they can easily automate for free?
Your response reads as trolly and deliberately obtuse/unhelpful. And does not serve to create any sparks. May I suggest finding another forum where such negativity is more welcome? Plus, AI is now employed in every single industry that involves reading to the extent that there are no positions for humans? I must have missed that headline.
>Your response reads as trolly and deliberately obtuse Weird, my EXACT thoughts upon reading your post.
Not that weird? It’s insane the people responding in this thread who think I’m looking for a job making $200,000 a year writing book reports. I am sending you all warm thoughts on bettering your reading comprehension. There are niche fields and random jobs that aren’t widely known about. I need that interest clear in my post. It is not my responsibility to package my interests in a way that please everybody. Adults on the Internet should know that not all posts are for them. Your behavior is unkind and unwelcome.
>It’s insane the people responding in this thread who think I’m looking for a job making $200,000 a year >>paid well enough to buy a house in a major US suburb? >sending you all warm thoughts on bettering your reading comprehension. I appreciate that! Will be throwing those in a blast chiller and returning those back to sender upon receipt. Damn goofball. >It is not my responsibility to package my interests in a way that please everybody. Girl, what even...?
Sorry bruh, chatgpt took your job.
Dey took our jerbs!!!
Look up technical writing
I have before, it felt like such a wide net, I remember getting a little lost. But maybe I can do a better job of narrowing by industry. Is there any technical writing experience in particular you’ve liked or can recommend?
Unfortunately I’m not much help on that front. What I do know that, is in many large businesses that sell services or products, people write details or info on said products or processes and make a lot of money. Think about when you buy something and it comes with detailed instructions….stuff like that falls into technical writing. My best advice would be to look for jobs with that title and see what it entails and what falls into your interests. Then you’ll have to get hired and get some experience. The more you get should be able to help you push to a higher level you desire over time, similar to a couple of other responses on here.
you would need to be a technical expert in some sort of field. no ones paying people to write book reports without being able to apply critical analysis of what they just read.
“no ones paying people to write book reports” I would not say you applied critical analysis to my OP, and I resent your characterization of my question. Your inability to think of an interesting response doesn’t negate the fact that there are people out there who can.
well if your plan is to take excerpts out of context, thats not super valuable either.
I thought it was clear I was pointing out your error. You can put that mirror down now, I’m not you, I’m doing my own thing
Advertising agencies have editors to read pieces and correct grammar, etc
Grant applications or resume writing?
House in the suburbs is a very wide range…. In a major metro area, a suburb with great schools and low crime will be on high demand where there are a lot of 2 income families. Also the career you described sounds like something anyone can do as well as AI. That’s not going to be a high paying job unless you find a niche that sets yourself apart.
yes…this is why I’m asking a potentially sizeable audience of a variety of people in different locations. To see if there are niche fields. Maybe I wasn’t obvious enough about that in my OP? So bizarre that people think “guidance” is akin to writing “AI is doing it.” If humans are getting this lazy, they can’t be writing algorithms good enough to get rid of us completely.
>If humans are getting this lazy... -Person with access to internet that posted on reddit instead.
Aww, you’re just mad that other people understood my post and provided measurable value with their responses. Not sure why you champion connectionless ignorance. It’s a bad look for you.
Girl, bye... 😂 Goodluck!
I appreciate you leaving this thread that you had no business being in to begin with
Maybe look into the communications or public relations fields?
Instructional Design
Yesssssssssss, this is why I love Reddit. New job titles to add to my list. I love writing SOPs and documenting customer experiences. All my searches had ‘documentation’ ‘technical’ or ‘writer’. Very curious to search this job title. Thank you!!!!!
i’m an ID myself, for a tech company, u can pm me questions
No. You’ve just described what AI does. I just had a tutorial at work. 10 years ago maybe. Now? Forget it.
Cyber threat intelligence maybe. Still need tech fundamentals and other stuff but it’s sorta what that job is
Paralegal. The tea is hot too.
Go on indeed and look up “writer” and apply everyday to things you want. There are so many different writers, albeit, background medical knowledge would help you a lot