As a Speech Writer, you prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speech Writers are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. You can also be employed to write for weddings and other social occasions.

Being a Speech Writer, you might come face several challenges, some of which are:

• Needing access, but getting none
• Not making much more money than anybody else
• Working in a small niche domain within a niche
• Struggling with speakers because they don’t always know what they want
• Delivering speeches under intense pressure and in short periods of time

As a Speech Writer, you get to:

• Advance through word of mouth from one politician to another, or gradually move up in local government
• Come across more opportunities 
• Work as a freelance who also write for several other publications and do not depend solely on speeches to make a living

To become a Speech Writer, you must have a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with concentrations in Communications, Public Relations or even Speech Writing if it is offered. Journalism students are almost always required to intern at a publication such as a newspaper or magazine in order to build their portfolio of clips and gain real-life writing experience.