Careers for Creative Writing Majors

Video Transcript

"Creative writing managers don't really have careers. Most people don't get paid for their creative writing or don't get paid enough to live on. So people with creative writing majors usually wind up getting one or two more degrees. The MFA's are still considered the terminal degree in some places not every place. There are doctorates in creative writing. Or you can get an MFA and then get a doctorate in something like composition or children's literature where there are jobs teaching. Basically how you are going to use that degree is teaching. There are jobs for creative writing majors in advertising as well. Some not many. And the problem with that is that it's very hard to write good advertising copy during the day and then go home and write good poetry or fiction or creative non fiction. Whatever it is you are writing. Because you've used up all of that energy. Personally for people who want to be creative writers I suggest plumbing, carpentry. Jobs that pay reasonably well, pay better then teaching in a lot of cases. Are not dependent on your imagination so much so you can work on your, think about your work while you are sawing and hammering and sweating pipes and whatever it is you are doing. And then go home and your imagination is then free. It hasn't been used up during the day. A lot of our great writers have been in insurance. Moeller Stevens and Ted Kooser for example. Both had careers in insurance. William Carlos Williams was a doctor. There are plenty of writers out there who have worked in factories. And it doesn't hurt their writing at all if anything it may help it. Because they are getting more experience of a certain type of life. I actually urge young writers not to take creative writing degrees at all. The courses are good but take a degree in something that might help you find a job and unfortunately I was an English major. I know. A creative writing degree is not going to help you find a job."