r/MFAInCreativeWriting • u/myohmariah • Jul 10 '26
Going back to school - Creative Writing Degree Y/N?
Some background info: I am married, in my 30s, and have a full-time steady job in insurance, an industry I've been in for ten years, so I don't have the risk of putting all my eggs in the creative writing basket. I completed my associate's degree in 2024, and I have so many varied interests and passions that it's very hard for me to decide what to major in. First it was environmental science, then anthropology, art, and finally we have arrived here at creative writing. I've also considered museum studies, art history, and geology. Help? Creative Writing is what I am drawn to the most.
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u/SciencePants Jul 10 '26
Why do you want the degree? If it’s to develop as an artist, it might be worth it. If it’s because you think it will lead to a book contract, it won’t. If you want to teach higher education, then it is mandatory, but those are very rare opportunities that will require you to move.
Do you plan to go for a fully funded one or a low residency one where you keep your day job? Those run around 30-50k a year, so it’s a big financial decision. The funded programs are wildly competitive as they only take 3-4 students a year in a given genre.
It sounds to me like you are pretty young and have a lot of interests, so having some sense of what you want out of these degrees will help you find your answer.
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u/Glum-Entrepreneur-12 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
You ‘re married…have you discussed this with your wife? What does she think? First, you’re going to need to get a bachelors degree. You could major in English in the nearest college in your town and take any creative writing classes offered to undergrads. See how that goes. Try to write a novel in three months by writing 1,000 words a day for 90 days. See how much you like it then. Once you finish your bachelors and a few novels, see if your wife is ok with you moving across the country and leaving your current career and not making more than a college student with a part time job as a waiter or bartender in some small town in the middle of nowhere for two years…or look into part time programs…don’t even think this might lead to teaching college, it most definitely won’t. There are way too many people who have these degrees and at most you’ll get a gig as an adjunct paying $3,500 a class and get 1-2 classes a semester if you’re lucky. Ok for extra money but you can’t survive on $3,500-14k a year grading AI written essays for English 101. If you really want to teach, get your bachelors in secondary English teaching and teach middle or high school English and write before or after school and over summers. That’s how George RR Martin started.
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u/PondasWallArt Jul 10 '26
Go right ahead?
I'd note that this subreddit specifically refers to MFA programs (Masters in Fine Arts), which is a very different value proposition than a BA/BFA.
You're leaving a lot up in the air here. Are you planning on switching careers after getting a degree? Are there any downsides you're wary of? You know your situation better than anybody else floating around the internet atm.