Where can a degree in creative writing actually get me?
So I’m supposed to be studying a creative writing course for three years at university in September, however over the last two months I’ve been having major second thoughts. With the whole student debt thing in todays financial climate, along with living costs and course cutbacks I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth it? I’m only going to uni because nowadays that seems like the ‘right’ thing to do. I don’t have a job in mind, however I do want to earn good money- which is why I thought I’d ask, are there any well paid jobs I can go into with a creative writing degree? And has it helped anyone else?
So what do you want the degree to do? ..now, what you’ve indicated is you are basically following the education conveyor belt.
So a degree like this doesn’t have the obvious industry or career link as you get with say medicine, engineering, pharmaceutical science, accounting...
When you do these degrees with less direct industrial link I think it’s important to use university for your prospects, and have a plan. Their will be a lot of opportunities you could pursue but ultimately as a graduate looking to get into a great opportunity you’ll need to plan & make yourself attractive to employers perhaps via internships, leadership skills, ambition, volunteering, academic achievement...
Now a lot of these skills aren’t difficult to show if you have a plan and you work towards them, but university goes by fast & if you don’t develop them then you’ll find graduate life can be tough.
If you really don’t have much interest in the degree or know what you want to do, perhaps consider a gap year, and in the gap year get a job, do some volunteering & use the year to work out what you want & you can always re-apply for university at the same time.
So a degree like this doesn’t have the obvious industry or career link as you get with say medicine, engineering, pharmaceutical science, accounting...
When you do these degrees with less direct industrial link I think it’s important to use university for your prospects, and have a plan. Their will be a lot of opportunities you could pursue but ultimately as a graduate looking to get into a great opportunity you’ll need to plan & make yourself attractive to employers perhaps via internships, leadership skills, ambition, volunteering, academic achievement...
Now a lot of these skills aren’t difficult to show if you have a plan and you work towards them, but university goes by fast & if you don’t develop them then you’ll find graduate life can be tough.
If you really don’t have much interest in the degree or know what you want to do, perhaps consider a gap year, and in the gap year get a job, do some volunteering & use the year to work out what you want & you can always re-apply for university at the same time.
Original post by a.ivi
So I’m supposed to be studying a creative writing course for three years at university in September, however over the last two months I’ve been having major second thoughts. With the whole student debt thing in todays financial climate, along with living costs and course cutbacks I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth it? I’m only going to uni because nowadays that seems like the ‘right’ thing to do. I don’t have a job in mind, however I do want to earn good money- which is why I thought I’d ask, are there any well paid jobs I can go into with a creative writing degree? And has it helped anyone else?
Consider why you want to do a course in creative writing. There's a huge market for self published authors nowadays. Making it easier than ever to get into writing. Degree or no degree.
Writing of scripts for video games is quite lucrative, some journalists make quite a lot. Obviously you can go into editing which is a higher paid job.
I would say that I currently work a job that requires no degree and pays a lot more than I'll make as an entry level graduate of my degree. I am studying my degree to upskill myself and improve my knowledge base.
For some people, the discipline of writing to order, as you do on a structured course, means they get the work done. Otherwise, you need to be hugely self-motivated to write, especially if you are also working, and most people struggle with this. Add to that that lots of writers work part-time on creative writing courses to supplement their incomes, so if you get onto a decent course you will make contacts and get opportunities that you might not otherwise get. Furthermore, you will try different genres and may discover a talent for something you didn't know you had. So here are some good reasons to go ahead but investment in future career building may not be one of them. I would go back to basics and ask yourself why you chose creative writing in the first place. If you're just not sure at this stage, why not defer entry and take a year out, do some writing on your own, or join a group. Maybe even do an Arvon course https://www.arvon.org/about/arvon-home-of-creative-writing/
Original post by a.ivi
So I’m supposed to be studying a creative writing course for three years at university in September, however over the last two months I’ve been having major second thoughts. With the whole student debt thing in todays financial climate, along with living costs and course cutbacks I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth it? I’m only going to uni because nowadays that seems like the ‘right’ thing to do. I don’t have a job in mind, however I do want to earn good money- which is why I thought I’d ask, are there any well paid jobs I can go into with a creative writing degree? And has it helped anyone else?
@a.ivi
If you choose to do a creative course, then it is important to know that it's not a guarantee that you will end up in a well-paid job (most probably the opposite)! Studying a creative subject is a risk. There will always be a cost no matter the economic climate (there are a lot of talented and creative people), so do you have to be prepared to succeed but also to adapt your plans and even your ideas about what success looks like e.g. the number of people who read your blog.
If you want to be a writer, then it may help to be around others who have a passion for writing, who you can learn from, be inspired by and who can critique your work and further improve your writing. Giving yourself three years to focus on your writing, will give you the unique space and time to find yourself as a writer and to perhaps start or find an idea for a debut novel.
If you are just looking for a degree and do not have much interest in writing and if earning a certain amount of money is very important to you, then it might be advisable to look at STEM or financial courses. You might still be able to use your writing skills by doing research or writing for science or finance publications.
Hope that helps,
Oluwatosin – 2nd year student – University of Huddersfield
Original post by a.ivi
So I’m supposed to be studying a creative writing course for three years at university in September, however over the last two months I’ve been having major second thoughts. With the whole student debt thing in todays financial climate, along with living costs and course cutbacks I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth it? I’m only going to uni because nowadays that seems like the ‘right’ thing to do. I don’t have a job in mind, however I do want to earn good money- which is why I thought I’d ask, are there any well paid jobs I can go into with a creative writing degree? And has it helped anyone else?
While it is harder to find jobs through creative writing it isn’t an impossibility and there’s a lot to be had with a writing degree. I did English Literature and Creative Writing and just graduated, but I’m dripping creative writing in favour of just literature for my masters degree because I found the BA enough. If you want a career in writing it’s worth the course but if you’re only applying for the “education timeline” then you may want to take a gap year, apply for jobs and see what you really want to do.
Maybe consider doing a joint honours and take something alongside the creative writing if you want to enhance your university experience? There isn’t an inherent disadvantage taking a creative subjects financially if you look at statistics but it may appear that way for a lot of the creative arts.
A writing degree can get you into so many places that require scribes, translators, transcribing, marketing, advertisements, teaching, authorship, journalism, scripts, tv scripts it isn’t all linked to writing on a page a lot of jobs need creative thinkers and a writing degree would help your CV in this regard.
What other courses do you think you’d enjoy doing?
Hope this helps,
Dom
Original post by a.ivi
So I’m supposed to be studying a creative writing course for three years at university in September, however over the last two months I’ve been having major second thoughts. With the whole student debt thing in todays financial climate, along with living costs and course cutbacks I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth it? I’m only going to uni because nowadays that seems like the ‘right’ thing to do. I don’t have a job in mind, however I do want to earn good money- which is why I thought I’d ask, are there any well paid jobs I can go into with a creative writing degree? And has it helped anyone else?
nowhere
Original post by a.ivi
So I’m supposed to be studying a creative writing course for three years at university in September, however over the last two months I’ve been having major second thoughts. With the whole student debt thing in todays financial climate, along with living costs and course cutbacks I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth it? I’m only going to uni because nowadays that seems like the ‘right’ thing to do. I don’t have a job in mind, however I do want to earn good money- which is why I thought I’d ask, are there any well paid jobs I can go into with a creative writing degree? And has it helped anyone else?
Hey there @a.ivi !
This completely depends on what career you see yourself in in the future. Creative Writing is a very helpful degree to have if you want a journalism based degree or would like to work in writing such as publishing your own books, being a ghostwriter or writing blogs. There's also the chance to be a copywriter in the digital marketing world that a Creative Writing degree would be beneficial for. It may also help if you're interested in the PR industry to go into that sort of writing, so you'd be writing scripts for press conferences and writing out copy for social media campaigns and that sort of thing.
Hope this helped!
Lucy - Digital Student Ambassador SHU
Original post by a.ivi
So I’m supposed to be studying a creative writing course for three years at university in September, however over the last two months I’ve been having major second thoughts. With the whole student debt thing in todays financial climate, along with living costs and course cutbacks I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth it? I’m only going to uni because nowadays that seems like the ‘right’ thing to do. I don’t have a job in mind, however I do want to earn good money- which is why I thought I’d ask, are there any well paid jobs I can go into with a creative writing degree? And has it helped anyone else?
Hi,
I have seen other posters recommending taking creative writing alongside another subject, as a joint honours, which could be a great way of polishing skills in both the creative and analytical arena. I've just graduated with a single honours English degree from the University of Southampton, and can give you some insight to the career opportunities available to those holding a degree in English with Creative Writing. I must add that the web page I will be referencing will be the page for the English with Creative Writing programme that is on offer at Southampton. I will post the link below:
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/english-with-creative-writing-degree-ba
Over the course of the English with Creative Writing programme, students will gain skills in presenting, researching, critical thinking, writing and project management, all of which are attractive skills to showcase to your future employers.
A degree from Southampton provides students with an amazing variety of career opportunities, and is evidenced by the wealth of careers that students have gone into post graduation. These include: administration, advertising, business, creative writing, government, including the civil service, journalism, marketing, media, publishing, public relations, teaching, and translation.
The creative and academic rigour of the programme places students in a strong position in regards to employability and may be worth looking into as an option instead of just studying the creative writing side of things, if you should wish.
I hope this has helped explain the benefits of studying a degree in English with Creative Writing. If you have any more questions, please do ask!
Jasmine (an Official University of Southampton Rep)
(edited 9 months ago)
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