Is a Degree Needed in Order to Be a Writer?

 

Some writers may wonder if they need a degree in order to be a writer. The answer really depends on what kind of writer you want to be.

 

If you want to be a journalist, then some college training in journalism, or even a degree, would be important to have.

 

If you want to be a freelance writer, you don’t need a college degree for it – UNLESS you plan to specialize in a field such as astronomy, medicine or history. Then having that degree would certainly help you because it shows you received formal training in that field, making you a qualified and authoritative candidate for writing about it.

 

But if you just want to write novels, then you don’t need a degree.

 

But what about the MFA? An MFA, or Master of Fine Arts, degree is the kind of graduate degree which shows a student has completed studies in visual arts, performing arts and creative writing. Many writers out there have strived to obtain the coveted MFA, hoping that by doing so this will give them better leverage in their writing career and help them stand out above the average writer.

 

But does a writer really need an MFA?

 

I am subscribed to the SPILL IT! Newsletter published by Vine Leaves Press. They recently ran an article by writer Ian M. Rogers titled “Do You REALLY Need an MFA To Become a Writer?” I read this article with interest because I have always wondered the same thing! I often read writer bios, and I have come across many where the writer notes they have an MFA in writing. I often wondered if that MFA is what helped them to get their work accepted for publication.

 

Well, this might not always be the truth.

 

As Rogers noted in his article, “I know a lot of great writers who never set foot in grad school, and many who have degrees but whose books I have zero interest in reading.”

 

I second that! Heck, I’ve read amazing work written by high school students, college students, college graduates without an MFA and even high school dropouts. I have also read many works by writers with an MFA who I didn’t particularly care for – and some that I have!

 

I think what it really boils down to is talent. How good of a writer you are. You really don’t need a college degree, doctorate or MFA in order to be a writer – or even a great writer. By consistently writing, practicing, reading and learning what you can about the craft of writing, you can STILL be a writer sans the MFA.

 

Of course, if you still feel an MFA would help you as a writer, you don’t need to go to graduate school to earn it. You can earn it online! My recently released ebook, Free Stuff For Writers, which is available free on Kindle, includes the resource for a “DIY MFA.” So you can try that out too.

 

Bottom line: A degree can absolutely help you as a writer and with your writing career, but it is not required. The choice about pursuing a degree is a personal choice.