Are degrees important?

[Writing mermaid]

Hello, I am wondering:

1. How important it is to have a bachelor's degree for different writing jobs?
2. How important it is to have a bachelor's degree for an editing job? Would any editors would be willing to share how they became editors?
3. If there is anyone who has gone to school for writing in Canada, and would they be willing to share about it? (I am from the US.)

Thank you.

(I have an associate's degree in liberal arts with a lot of allied health courses. I am interested in writing about health, education, and disabilities.)

 

[MaeZe]

I can't answer your questions with experience but it sounds important, especially the question about an editing job.

There is also the benefit of the degree. You should consider the degree because it is something you want to study, not just as a step toward a specific job. If you can get that degree, do it. That's my advice.

 

[Paul Lamb]

Hello, I am wondering:

1. How important it is to have a bachelor's degree for different writing jobs?
2. How important it is to have a bachelor's degree for an editing job? Would any editors would be willing to share how they became editors?
3. If there is anyone who has gone to school for writing in Canada, and would they be willing to share about it? (I am from the US.)

Thank you.

(I have an associate's degree in liberal arts with a lot of allied health courses. I am interested in writing about health, education, and disabilities.)

I actually hear this subject come up on writerly podcasts I listen to, though it is more specific to MFAs because the podcasts are about fiction writing. There hasn't been a consensus in the (admittedly limited) sampling I've done.

I'd say that if you're talking about writing non-fiction, then having an academic background in the subject is going to help you develop and write the work and persuasive to an editor who will commission/buy it.

However, it's also been my experience in the corporate world that ANY degree is sufficient to get hired for most jobs. (Yes, accounting, medicine, and particle physics probably do require a specialized education.) It seems to me that most employers just want to see that you can sit still for a few years and work toward a goal. You could have a degree in early morning bird calls and get hired into most of the jobs in the world (because they're clerical and your employer will teach you what you need to know). Given that observation of mine, I'd say that you could still develop a credible reputation in a field without a college education in it. You already have that education in the subject matter you want to write about, so it's really just a matter of developing or honing your writing talent.

As for creative writing, while I think an MFA can help with getting started in the field (though I've also heard that we have an abundance of MFAs that are cranking out identical stuff), I certainly don't think it's required. Good reading and natural talent, plus a lot of practice, can produce quality creative writing regardless of the letters after your name. And I can't help but wonder what the thousands of creative writers through the ages would say about this, not having had the benefit of an MFA to their name.

 

[Paul Lamb]

Hello, I am wondering:

1. How important it is to have a bachelor's degree for different writing jobs?
2. How important it is to have a bachelor's degree for an editing job? Would any editors would be willing to share how they became editors?
3. If there is anyone who has gone to school for writing in Canada, and would they be willing to share about it? (I am from the US.)

Thank you.

(I have an associate's degree in liberal arts with a lot of allied health courses. I am interested in writing about health, education, and disabilities.)

I actually hear this subject come up on writerly podcasts I listen to, though it is more specific to MFAs because the podcasts are about fiction writing. There hasn't been a consensus in the (admittedly limited) sampling I've done.

I'd say that if you're talking about writing non-fiction, then having an academic background in the subject is going to help you develop and write the work and persuasive to an editor who will commission/buy it.

However, it's also been my experience in the corporate world that ANY degree is sufficient to get hired for most jobs. (Yes, accounting, medicine, and particle physics probably do require a specialized education.) It seems to me that most employers just want to see that you can sit still for a few years and work toward a goal. You could have a degree in early morning bird calls and get hired into most of the jobs in the world (because they're clerical and your employer will teach you what you need to know). Given that observation of mine, I'd say that you could still develop a credible reputation in a field without a college education in it. You already have that education in the subject matter you want to write about, so it's really just a matter of developing or honing your writing talent.

As for creative writing, while I think an MFA can help with getting started in the field (though I've also heard that we have an abundance of MFAs that are cranking out identical stuff), I certainly don't think it's required. Good reading and natural talent, plus a lot of practice, can produce quality creative writing regardless of the letters after your name. And I can't help but wonder what the thousands of creative writers through the ages would say about this, not having had the benefit of an MFA to their name.

 

[lizmonster]

As for creative writing, while I think an MFA can help with getting started in the field (though I've also heard that we have an abundance of MFAs that are cranking out identical stuff), I certainly don't think it's required. Good reading and natural talent, plus a lot of practice, can produce quality creative writing regardless of the letters after your name. And I can't help but wonder what the thousands of creative writers through the ages would say about this, not having had the benefit of an MFA to their name.

An MFA might - might - help if you're writing litfic, but in general they're notoriously hostile to genre fiction.

The key would be to find a program that suits the type of writing you're doing. Coursework that requires you to write, critique, and take critiques can be tremendously helpful.

Will it help you get a publishing contract? I doubt it, at least not in isolation. Will it give you a dedicated environment in which to polish your craft? Yeah, with the aforementioned caveats about finding the right program for you.

Is it necessary to have an MFA to publish fiction? Absolutely not.

 

[stephenf]

I don't know about Canada , but in the UK to have any chance of employment in publishing a degree would be essential, and I believe a Liberal Arts degree would be useful. We don't have associate degrees in the UK . Health is a specialised area and having no qualification in the subject might be a limiting factor . If I have understood you correctly, and your looking for a job in publishing, make a list of publishers and apply to them directly . Most will reply and will let you know what they require. Good Luck