Creative Writing majors can find many opportunities to grow their skills and gain valuable, job-ready experience with extensive, hands-on work as part of their courses. Junior and senior level writing workshops help students develop their writing in a collaborative workshop setting.

The Marshall University Writing Center, where students can work with specially-trained writing tutors, is also a tremendous resource for Creative Writing majors to sharpen their writing skills. Advanced Creative Writing students can apply to tutor at the Writing Center, gaining solid professional experience.

Creative Writing majors have access to many valuable internship opportunities, including working with several local nonprofits and other organizations, including: Huntington Museum of Art, Mountain State Press, Branches Domestic Violence Shelter, Developmental Therapy Center, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Huntington Steel and the Cabell County Public Library.

Creative Writing majors can intern with a small, independent local company called Mountain State Press, which promotes writing in Appalachia, with an emphasis on West Virginia works. Interns gain valuable real-world skills and an up-close view of how to run a successful nonprofit organization. Interns perform such tasks as writing for social media and the Web, assessing manuscripts for possible publication, assisting with the editorial and marketing processes, and interacting directly with authors.

The median annual wage for writers and authors was $67,120 in May 2020, according to the BLS. Across the salary range for writers and authors, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,880, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $133,460.