{"id":32372,"date":"2022-12-02T11:34:05","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T11:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/?p=32372"},"modified":"2022-12-02T11:40:45","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T11:40:45","slug":"ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/","title":{"rendered":"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"32372\" class=\"elementor elementor-32372\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e9cdc96 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e9cdc96\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a1b5687\" data-id=\"a1b5687\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-179cf7a elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"179cf7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;],&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;numbers&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\"><svg class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7fa56c7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7fa56c7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask ten UX writers\/content designers what they did previously in their careers, and you may get ten different answers. Copywriter, journalist, technical writer\u2014sure, those are the obvious ones.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But we at the UX Writing Hub have always known that many other professional backgrounds are represented in the field.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writing-salary-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">our most recent salary survey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>we asked UX writers and content designers specifically what they did before getting into the field<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this quick article, we\u2019ll share the data, do some analysis, and look at the advantages of various professional backgrounds for career transitioners.<\/span><\/p><h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The professional backgrounds of UX writers\/content designers<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I won\u2019t keep you in suspense\u2014here are the numbers:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a19ca21 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a19ca21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"800\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image2-1024x633.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-32375\" alt=\"UX writing\/content design career backgrounds pie chart\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image2-1024x633.png 1024w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image2-300x185.png 300w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image2-768x475.png 768w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image2-1536x950.png 1536w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image2-400x247.png 400w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image2-150x93.png 150w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image2.png 1999w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-147be84 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"147be84\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<table><tbody><tr><td><p><b>UX writer\/content designer professional backgrounds<\/b><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>Percentage<\/b><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing &amp; editing<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketing &amp; copywriting<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communications &amp; PR<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Education<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Misc. content roles<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customer roles<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content strategy<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Product management &amp; analysis<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Designers &amp; other UX<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Translation &amp; localization<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journalism<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Academia<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Community roles<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creatives<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fashion<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graphic design<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developers<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Law<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8%<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a0d563f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a0d563f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These stats are a mix of what we\u2019d expect to see, along with some surprises.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, <strong>writing, editing, marketing, and copywriting are the most popular backgrounds and, together with content strategy, make up 30% of responses<\/strong>. It\u2019s not surprising that those are the top backgrounds, but the fact that 70% have a different background is unexpected.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another surprise: 10% of UX writers\/content designers worked in communications &amp; PR.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if we look closer, we see that <strong>many UX writers\/content designers don\u2019t have a writing-focused professional background at all<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p><h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you need a writing background in UX writing?<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s dive deeper into those stats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019d count the following as writing-focused backgrounds:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing &amp; editing<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketing &amp; copywriting<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communications &amp; PR<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Misc. content roles<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content strategy<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Translation &amp; localization<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journalism<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These make up about 55% of respondents. Then, we should include education too, since many respondents were specifically English or language teachers. That gets us to about 63%.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m tempted to put academics in there as well. I mean, they write a lot\u2014if you could call it writing. OK\u2014cheap shot. Academic writing might not be clear or concise, but we\u2019ll put them in the \u201cwriters\u201d category, which gets us to 64%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So who are the rest?\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a lot of product people. These are the PMs, UX\/product designers, UX researchers, and other UXers. Together, they make up 11% of respondents. So writers plus product\/UXers gets us to 75%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for the remaining 25%, it\u2019s a wonderfully eclectic mix of backgrounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Non-writing backgrounds of UX writers and content designers<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To answer a question that we get asked a lot: no. <strong>You don\u2019t need a writing or UX background to work as a UX writer<\/strong>. It obviously helps, but backgrounds in customer service, community, graphic design, fashion, and law all made a showing in the survey results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some other responses:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Art direction<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Banking<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cultural projects manager and actress<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HR<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IT support<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nonprofit volunteer manager<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Operations and finance director on a mayoral campaign<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Photographer<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social work manager<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Theatrical adviser<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Line cook<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, while running the UX Writing Academy, we\u2019ve worked with students who successfully made the transition from roles including:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kindergarten teacher<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">College admissions consultant<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retail specialist<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Architect<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Esports commentator<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Van life conversion design<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scuba diving instructor<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Banjo-playing hobo (JK\u2014just keeping you on your toes)<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, most uncoincidentally, we\u2019re currently running a poll on LinkedIn to get more data. So far, some of the non-writer\/non-UX results are:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biology<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speech-language pathologist<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Librarian<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Industrial design<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quality analyst<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The LinkedIn poll was phrased differently and gave people four choices: copywriter, technical writer, UX designer, and other (please comment). That might account for some discrepancies between the salary survey and LinkedIn poll results. A lot of LinkedIn respondents likely picked an option rather than going into detail. Here\u2019s where it currently stands:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f435ebc elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f435ebc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"739\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image3.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-32377\" alt=\"Poll stats from LinkedIn: copywriter 48%, technical writer 16%, UX designer 11%, other 25%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image3.png 739w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image3-300x148.png 300w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image3-400x198.png 400w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image3-150x74.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 739px) 100vw, 739px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0050f5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f0050f5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of the day, the exact figures aren\u2019t important. Yes, most people in the field have strong writing backgrounds or UX experience. But even if you don\u2019t, <strong>you can still make a career switch to UX writing\/content design<\/strong> like countless others have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s the best background for UX writers and content designers?<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trick question\u2014there is no single best background. But let&#8217;s examine a few to see what each brings to that proverbial product team table.<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing &amp; editing<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Survey results included<\/strong>: technical writer, proofreader, knowledge base writer, proposal writer, scriptwriter, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly, the wordsmiths have an advantage when it comes to general writing skills and making sure product copy is grammatically correct. They also benefit from editorial skills (make it shorter!) and typographical knowledge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketing &amp; copywriting<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Survey results included<\/strong>: copywriter,\u00a0 marketing specialist or manager, social media coordinator, campaign manager, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketers and copywriters know the importance of understanding and appealing to a target audience. They also have experience creating fun, witty, attention-grabbing copy. That\u2019s not job #1 in UX, but it\u2019s occasionally beneficial.<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Education<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Survey results included<\/strong>: creator of educational test preparation material, English professor, teacher assistant, eLearning specialist, and more.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We hear from many teachers who are interested in UX writing, and they often fail to see just how relevant their experience is. Educators have a knack for avoiding the curse of knowledge, i.e. they recognize that others don\u2019t necessarily know what they know. This is crucial when guiding users through a complex interface.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Combine that with patience and empathy, and it\u2019s no wonder teachers make for great UXers.<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journalism<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Survey results included<\/strong>: journalist, chief editor, news publisher, and more.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gratuitous factoid: \u201cjournalism\u201d comes from the french word \u201cjournal,\u201d which means \u201cnewspaper.\u201d Journalists know how to cut the fluff and keep it short and simple\u2014just like in UX.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content roles<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Survey results included<\/strong>: content analyst, content developer, content manager, content producer, content lead, content strategist, and more.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ever get the feeling that you can just slap any ol\u2019 word on after \u201ccontent\u201d and make a new tech role? Content synergist, content impresario, content transmogrifier. Where does it end?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content roles are generally under marketing, so the same advantages typically apply (see above).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55cd21d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"55cd21d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image1.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-32378\" alt=\"transmogrifier written on a cardboard box\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image1.png 960w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image1-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image1-400x300.png 400w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image1-150x113.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">source: https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/calvinandhobbes\/comments\/qf8r4w\/transmogrifier_oc\/<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1238ae4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1238ae4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Academia<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Survey results included<\/strong>: academic, academic researcher, grad student, and more.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are plenty of former academics in UX\u2014and for good reason. Conducting, analyzing, and drawing actionable insights from research are something every UXer should be able to do. Just be sure to avoid copy like: \u201cIt is the opinion of the author of this interface that you should click here.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are writers (and so can you!)<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To sum up, most UX writers and content <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><del>amalgamators<\/del><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> designers have either a writing or UX\/product background\u2014but not all!\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I for one think that\u2019s great. People from diverse backgrounds can bring a fresh perspective to the role. The world needs writers\u2014both experienced ones and those eager to join the party.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>So no matter what your current role is, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019re doing something that counts as relevant experience<\/strong>. Think about the advantages you bring to the table.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re interested in exploring the field, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/course.uxwritinghub.com\/free_course\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">check out our free UX writing course<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writing\/content design career transitions<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are a few stories of others who made the switch:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bootcamp.uxdesign.cc\/how-teaching-scuba-diving-showed-me-the-importance-of-user-experience-522388689caf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How teaching scuba diving showed me the importance of user experience<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bootcamp.uxdesign.cc\/how-an-hr-background-can-benefit-ux-writing-e72b3a7b9106\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How an HR background can benefit UX Writing<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@diegocagara\/how-a-journalism-background-can-benefit-ux-writing-8737eee4f4ea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How a journalism background can benefit UX writing<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@han.filip4\/how-working-in-radio-prepared-me-for-a-ux-writing-career-f5427f55cac2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How working in radio prepared me for a UX writing career<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/from-journalism-to-ux-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Connecting My Dots From Journalism to UX Writing<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More salary survey results:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-and-designers-workplace-stats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX Writers and Designers in the Workplace<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writing-gender-insights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX Writing Gender Insights<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Ask ten UX writers\/content designers what they did previously in their careers, and you may get ten different answers. Copywriter, journalist, technical writer\u2014sure, those are the obvious ones. But we at the UX Writing Hub have always known that many other professional backgrounds are represented in the field. So in our most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":32388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tpgb_global_settings":"","_eb_attr":"","content-type":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"acf":{"descriptions":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers - UX WRITING HUB<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ask ten UX writers\/content designers what they did previously in their careers, and you may get ten different answers. %\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers - UX WRITING HUB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ask ten UX writers\/content designers what they did previously in their careers, and you may get ten different answers. %\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UX WRITING HUB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-02T11:34:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-02T11:40:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1293\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aaron Raizen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aaron Raizen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/\",\"name\":\"UX WRITING HUB\",\"description\":\"Learn to write user experience\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1.png\",\"width\":1293,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/\",\"name\":\"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers - UX WRITING HUB\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-02T11:34:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-02T11:40:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5cee662c889835f6d9a3e150e96a839f\"},\"description\":\"Ask ten UX writers\/content designers what they did previously in their careers, and you may get ten different answers. %\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5cee662c889835f6d9a3e150e96a839f\",\"name\":\"Aaron Raizen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Aaron Raizen\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers - UX WRITING HUB","description":"Ask ten UX writers\/content designers what they did previously in their careers, and you may get ten different answers. %","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers - UX WRITING HUB","og_description":"Ask ten UX writers\/content designers what they did previously in their careers, and you may get ten different answers. %","og_url":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/","og_site_name":"UX WRITING HUB","article_published_time":"2022-12-02T11:34:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-12-02T11:40:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1293,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Aaron Raizen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Aaron Raizen","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/","name":"UX WRITING HUB","description":"Learn to write user experience","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1.png","width":1293,"height":720,"caption":"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/","name":"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers - UX WRITING HUB","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2022-12-02T11:34:05+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-02T11:40:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5cee662c889835f6d9a3e150e96a839f"},"description":"Ask ten UX writers\/content designers what they did previously in their careers, and you may get ten different answers. %","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/ux-writers-content-designers-professional-backgrounds\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Professional Backgrounds of UX Writers and Content Designers"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5cee662c889835f6d9a3e150e96a839f","name":"Aaron Raizen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-96x96.jpg","caption":"Aaron Raizen"}}]}},"tpgb_featured_images":{"full":["https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1.png",1293,720,false],"tp-image-grid":["https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1.png",700,390,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1-300x167.png",300,167,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1-768x428.png",768,428,true],"large":["https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/521-1-1024x570.png",800,445,true],"default":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/the-plus-addons-for-block-editor\/assets\/images\/tpgb-placeholder.jpg"},"tpgb_post_meta_info":{"get_date":"December 2, 2022","category_list":{"category":[{"term_id":59,"name":"Best practices","slug":"content-strategy","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":59,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":122,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":false},"author_name":"Aaron Raizen","author_url":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/author\/aaron\/","author_email":"aaraizen@gmail.com","author_website":"","author_description":"","author_facebook":"","author_twitter":"","author_instagram":"","author_role":["author"],"author_firstname":"Aaron","author_lastname":"Raizen","user_login":"Aaron","author_avatar":"<img width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-300x300.jpg\" class=\"avatar avatar-200 photo\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-48x48.jpg 48w, https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-96x96.jpg 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>","author_avatar_url":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/28087314679_4b039757b4_o-1-96x96.jpg","comment_count":2,"post_likes":0,"post_views":0},"tpgb_post_category":{"category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/category\/content-strategy\/\" alt=\"Best practices\" class=\"category-content-strategy\">Best practices<\/a> "},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32372"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32372"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32395,"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32372\/revisions\/32395"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}