Do you ever feel conflicted over what career path to pursue? Do you have multiple passions or interests you’d like to work into your life?
For many years, I faced this dilemma. In high school (in the UK, where students choose their classes in later years) I chose physics as my main area of study, before switching to music at university. After that, I tried a career working in architecture and city design, while also studying history and philosophy. These many interests seemed to be fighting for my time and attention, hindering me in building a successful career out of any of them.
Then I got into writing. At first, it was just another hobby alongside all the others. But as I developed my skill as a writer, I began to realize that it enabled me to integrate all my various passions into one line of work. Although I fundamentally write about philosophic ideas, I can apply these to any field that interests me. I have written about science, architecture, music, film, politics, history, and much more.
But there’s one thing aspiring and beginning writers need to know: Writing is a lot more than just sitting down and typing the first thing that comes into your mind. When I joined the writing and editing team at The Objective Standard, I thought I was a pretty good writer. But I had a great deal to learn about how to write clearly, concisely, and convincingly, and how to edit my work. I had to learn the difficult skill of communicating complex, controversial ideas in simple, accessible language before I could write for a living.
Fortunately, you have an opportunity to learn those skills much faster than I did, thanks to Objective Standard Institute’s online writing courses, including the brand new “Six Perspectives on Writing in Defense of Liberty.” In it, you will learn techniques and principles for writing clear, persuasive articles from accomplished writers such as former Reason magazine editor Virginia Postrel, FEE.org managing editor Jon Miltimore, prolific writer and lawyer Tim Sandefur, senior attorney Deborah J. La Fetra, attorney and law teacher Donna G. Matias, and OSI’s own Jon Hersey, lead editor of The Objective Standard.
If you like the idea of developing a career in writing, or even writing as a hobby or part of a varied freelancing career, this course is for you. Full scholarships are available for students and young adults. Classes begin on Tuesday, February 8, and continue for five weeks.
