The Old Soldier has a BA and an MFA in fiction writing. He got both of them from the University of Pittsburgh. So, I think I can write with a little authority on whether or not a writing degree is worth all the money that it cost to get.
Recently, I was walking down the street enjoying the summer-like weather and trying to come up with some content to blog about. I remembered a news report that I saw on public television about how much debt college students were taking on trying to get their degrees.
There is a hot debate going on now in the United States about the cost of higher education. Because the economy will be very tight for years to come, most college students will never find a job that will allow them to pay back their student loans.
A crowd of college students at the 2007 Pittsburgh University Commencement. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I was awarded a fellowship for flash fiction that paid for my graduate studies; but I still owe money for my undergraduate studies. I got both my degrees when I was in my late 50s and never could get a job that was going to allow me to repay my student loans. Now I’m retired. I had to take early retirement in order to get social security in order to keep my apartment. I guess it was foolish of me to think that a 59-year-old man with a new MFA in fiction writing could really find a decent paying job to help him pay back his student loans. I was smart enough to get the fellowship, but not smart enough to get a good job.
A degree (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I will die still owing money on my student loans because the interest keeps building up and up and up.
Will going to college for a writing degree help you to become a better writer? In my opinion, definitely yes.
Will you be able to find a job with a writing degree that will allow you to pay for that degree? In my opinion, probably not.
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Related articles
- Too much bipartisanship in student loans (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- For The First Time, The Majority Of US Unemployed Have Some College Education (businessinsider.com)
Filed under: Commentaries Tagged: | BA and MFA, creative writers, graduate studies, Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette, student loans, undergraduate studies, United States, University of Pittsburgh, writing degree
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