Hi, all! I graduated with a BA in English Literature with a concentration in creative writing in 2019. I wasn’t sure what my next move was so sort of bounced around job wise doing some substitute teaching, journalism etc.
I know more now than I did when I started my BA about the realities of careers in the humanities, but am still glad I pursued that degree because it’s what I enjoy and I learned a lot. At the moment I’m sort of at a loss in regard to career direction and I keep coming back to continuing in the humanities with an English Literature MA because if nothing else, I enjoy the subject matter, theory, writing etc.
I know that Reddit is often a pretty negative space, but hoping to find some nuance if there’s any to be found at all. Can anyone speak objectively about MA programs, the potential of funded PhD programs, career potential inside and outside of teaching, salaries, realities of finding work, job satisfaction, and whether or not it was worth it or you’d do it again?
My career trajectory is such that I don’t really ever anticipate making a high salary regardless of what option(s) I choose and I figure at the very least I could do something that I know I enjoy and excel at and hope for the best. Is that a totally naive idea to have? Any thoughts, advice, rants, encouragement welcome. Thanks in advance and have a great day.
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Have you looked into pursuing an MA or PhD in rhetoric and composition/writing studies? We basically study writing itself and writing processes rather than literature, so it’s kind of on the humanities/social sciences border. You’ll have to find a school that offers a program in the field (not every school does), but the job prospects are much better than in literature or creative writing. Happy to chat about it more if you want to DM me!
I just graduated from a similar MA. In my country (which is Greece) pretty much everyone has an MA, so that in and of itself does not really give me a competitive advantage in the job market. However, it did allow me to score teaching positions in higher institutions (think community college type of schools) where the pay is a little bit better and I just have more fun.
Overall, I had issues with my university and the structure of the programme, but I did enjoy it. I learned a lot, and I really became a lot more proficient in research and writing; it also helped my creative writing, as I can utilize (and recognize!) more techniques when writing my own work. It was challenging but fun, and I did come out of it feeling happier for having taken the leap. It really depends on your situation: will you be able to support yourself financially during your studies? if there are fees to be paid, can you afford them? will you be able to work AND complete an MA? (this one was hard for me, and my master’s wasn’t even than intensive, and I’d definitely not recommend doing a Phd in Humanities while working full-time).
I went in with the same mindset as you, that being “well, I get shit pay but I enjoy being a teacher, so at least I’ll do something fun”, but also with the intention of getting a Phd later on. Not sure about the PhD, but I do not regret the MA!
A member of my family did an MFA in creative writing. She worked for magazines and publishers, and has published several short stories in well-known journals. She teaches courses on writing and now works as an editor for a national non-profit. She is doing very well. The catch is she is also very good at writing. The credentials certainly help though. If you are actually skilled at writing there is a market for it. Most people really suck at it.