What degrees are needed to break into the industry?

[K.P.]

I'be been always told to get an English major. I have multiple degrees (art, English, IT, computer science, computer engineering, business management - Oregon state, Missouri tech & Missouri college) but it hadn't translated to a job (because I'm 'overqualified' ftw) in a decade. It's really random, the market is difficult and there are no guarantees. There aren't any specific schools really. You can get the same (less expensive ) paper at local community college.

[Lance]

You don't need a specialized degree to be a writer; you need to know how to write in your language of choice. Going for a masters in English is not only not guaranteed to teach you that, it could be an actual hindrance, especially if you don't want to write literary fiction.

No agent is going to ask to see your diploma before she decides to represent your book, nor is a publishing house going to make a BA or MA a contractual requirement. The same goes if you decide to self-publish.

I'd say the right degree is one that can get you a job in some other industry while you learn your craft -- business, finance, IT, medicine, whatever. The only job a English degree might get you is teaching, and that's a crap shoot. It's more likely to lead to a not-dream career in retail or hospitality.

[Brenda]

The Creative Writing degree track is so that you can become a professor in Creative Writing. It has nothing at all to do with writing books or editing them.

I tell young writers to get a degree in something that interests them, or to get a job in a fascinating field. Writers need material! It's a no-brainer, to become an astrophysicist if you want to write hard SF, or a historian if you want to write Regency romances.

There is also the point that it is long odds that you will ever be able to support yourself with your writing. If you get a degree that leads to a job that puts food on the table, this keeps you alive so that you can write. It is hard to write if you live in a cardboard box under the freeway.

[Nik]

You need to be rejected by Oxford, to become JK Rowling -:)

[R.F.G.]

The only class I ever took where one had to write anything was Literature back in High School. I've never taken a creative writing class. I took CLEPs instead of college English.

People who've read my work, for the most part, think I can write a decent story.

There is no one particular class or degree path that will make someone a decent, good, or great writer. As Lance pointed out competency in one's native language or the language one is writing in is important.

To be a writer you also need to be able to tell a story in a way that captures people's interest and holds it.

An understanding of people, how they react, how they act, and how they interact is a plus for fiction writers.

Having some varied life experience is also a plus.

If someone has enough of the requisite skills, the insane drive to write before and / or after work and on weekends, as well as the thick skin to handle (with grace) having the masterpiece they finally finished rejected, they can be a writer.

My question is, why would someone voluntarily put themselves through that?

I write because the characters in my head hold my sleeping self hostage.

[Jim]

A formal academic degree is not required to become a writer. A writer is merely a person who has obtained a disciplined, working knowledge of basic spelling, grammatical, punctuation, and syntax rules, an expansive vocabulary, and then developed a narration style that can capture and hold a reader's interest and imagination.

[R.F.G.]

Tammy,

I think the most important thing for any aspiring writer to know and accept is that it isn't easy -- it takes a lot of effort, drive, and sometimes odd looks from friends or family.

Those of us who just can't stop writing are an odd varied lot at times, but when we're lucky we can help others be entertained or maybe help them see their world a bit differently.

[Justin]

You don't need a degree although I'm sure it's a nice thing to add and throw around on bios and bringing up in conversations. If anything a degree in writing shows your distinct dedication but for the most part I say a writer without one is just as good as someone with one.