Also called: Television Writer, Story Editor
Writes episodes of TV series as part of a writers' room.
A TV writer spends the day in a room with other writers 'breaking' episodes on a whiteboard, pitching jokes and plot twists, then writes their assigned episode's script.
WGA staff writer minimum is roughly $5,000+ per week, but rooms last only weeks to months and many writers go long stretches between jobs.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Degree common; many start as writers' assistants.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Screenwriting, English, Theater.
Growing slowly. Number of scripted series has fallen since 2022.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI can pitch ideas and drafts, but union rules and the room's collaborative craft keep human writers.
Classes: Creative writing, English literature, Theater, Speech and debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3043.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.