I would probably prefer writing on general current issues.

I know you weren’t saying the degree is a waste of time for everyone, but I think you’ll learn it wasn’t a waste of time for you either. People really respect English degrees. I’ve had a lot of different jobs and that degree has helped me with them all.

Don’t give up! Maybe try another job while you write on the side, but
don’t give up. Lots of writers have had and still have non-writing jobs.

As to whether 18-year-olds know what they want to be when they grow up — I think Ann is right, some do and some don’t. Eighteen is an arbitrarily decided age for legal adulthood — just because teens are legally adults at 18 doesn’t mean they have the mental capacity to make decisions like one. The human brain does not actually finish maturing until the early to mid twenties. Of course, there are always kids who mature faster than others, which is why I agree with Ann — some know what they want to do, and some don’t.

To add personal experience to this comment, I knew throughout my teenage years that I wanted to be a writer. I remember completely frustrating teachers and guidance counselors when I tried to refuse to take yet another career aptitude test, saying I already knew what I wanted to do. Nevertheless, I eventually caved under the pressure and abandoned my dream.

Of course, what that meant was that I abandoned college, too — not what the well-meaning adults intended, I’m sure. I worked full-time for four years before realizing that minimum wage jobs were NOT my cup of tea. I went back to school, and hey presto! — within a year I had found my way back to an English major, and a year after that I was again leaning towards becoming a writer.

Obviously, I was right when I said as a teen that I knew what I wanted to be. But my point is that I didn’t yet have the maturity to make a decision and stick with it. Many teens feel inclined toward any number of things, but I don’t think that necessarily means they have the capability yet to make a final decision of that magnitude.

Now that I actually work FT, I’ve come to a few realizations:

1) My college coursework did not prepare me very much to actually work in my field (HR). I learned some theory that sounds good to spout off at interviews, but real practical skills were something I had to get on-the-job training for.

2) There are a lot of smart people who could not afford college who are being held back because they don’t have that piece of paper. If we did more employment testing and focused on those practical results rather than degrees, I think we’d have more qualified people doing certain jobs.

3) There are a lot of people who have degrees that cannot use a comma appropriately or write a business report to save their lives. Being a college grad doesn’t automatically make you successful. It is just one piece of the pie.

I forgot to say, I don’t think flawless grammar makes a good piece. it’s the angle and the story which makes it one. Grammar only serves as a polisher. Just my 2 cents.

I have a degree in Biology and while it may not contribute to my being a good writer, it certainly has helped me choose my niche and sharpen my skills.

I live in a degree-driven society. For someone without a college degree to be successful in any field here, years of sweat and blood are necessary.

I have had another writer question my abilities before just because I didn’t study Journalism or creative writing in college. She said not because someone has a keyboard, one is a writer.

While I do agree that not everyone can write, getting a related degree doesn’t mean you can automatically become a good writer. There are many journalism, English, and Creative Writing graduates who can’t even come up with decent pieces (no offense to those who hold said degrees).

So in essence, do I think a degree is needed to become a good writer? Definitely NOT. I could study the technicalities of the English language on my own. Do I think having a degree helps? Yes, I do. Especially in finding a job because the science graduate that I am, no newspapers and mags have been willing to hire me. But that’s why I’m working as a freelancer right now — to build a portfolio. A portfolio, I believe, speaks in volumes.

Oh, I loved the learning, but it hasn’t done me any good in way of landing gainful employment. This is an R&D town. The only publisher in a fifty mile radius is full up with less than a dozen people on staff. Besides, after nine months without a single bite from anyone not wanting morally questionable work, I’m beginning to think Mom was right about my chances of ever making it as a writer. So, it’s likely not the degree but my apparent lack of talent that’s the issue.

I had no idea there were so many English majors around here. : )

I’ll have to disagree with you slightly Sue. I live with an engineer too, and I don’t get those comments. For whatever reason, my husband happens to be a really good writer too.
And it took me a while to settle on my major (Psychology undergrad), so I spent time taking upper level courses in many disciplines, and I don’t think any one major is any easier or harder than any other major. The science types who insist their major is THE hardest, are really just ego-cases who aren’t passionate about science, but want whatever perceived status they think a science career will bring.

And I agree with A.B.-I broke way too many beakers to consider a career in science.

Do I think the degree is necessary? No. Do I think the degree can help your writing career? Yes indeed. I know a lot of people who got off to fantastic starts because of the contacts they made in college.

What I always hated, though, is the attitude of a lot of people in the hard sciences or technology fields who think an English degree is for those who “can’t cut it in a ‘real’ major” or it’s so easy that “even an engineer can make a career writing.” (No offense to the engineers — but I live with one and spend a lot of time with them. And this is the type of stuff they say to me all the time.) English is a hard major. Not only are you judged on your technical skills, but you have to get past the personal biases of the professors.

On the flip side, I HATE the fact that I have student loans. It’s a huge financial investment, and it’s annoying when you’re in class with students whose parents pay for everything. And in some cases having an upper level degree was a liability- “hmm, you’re 23 with a Master’s and virtually no “real-world” work experience, we have nothing for you, you’re not qualified for the job because you have no work experience/you’re overqualified for the job because you have an upper level degree.” That’s why I’m now self-employed:)

My brother had no idea and took a year off to sample different jobs before going to college. He’s now in a job he loves, completely different to what he’d originally thought might interest him, and he was so successful in his first four years of college that they offered to pay his additional 2 years of college for a Masters by working as a teaching assistant with one of the professors.

Meanwhile, my sister-in-law at the age of 18 just knew that a degree in art was for her. 30 years later she has her teaching degree in art and has never used it. She cleans houses for a living, much to my husband’s dismay because her college education meant that his father wouldn’t allow him to go to college unless his dad picked his major. In the end, his dad gave him a choice between teaching or civil engineering – neither of which interested him – so he wound up trying to change his major. When he did, his father refused to help him pay for college by co-signing anything and demanded my husband pay back the first year’s tuition. In the end, my husband was forced to drop out and worked two jobs to pay his dad back.

It all comes down to the individual person and just how mature they are at that age. You can’t generalize either way. Some 18 year olds are wise enough to know and others need more time to develop. I also think parental support plays a big part in this maturity.

I think a lot has to do with how you are marketing yourself. If you are putting your shingle out there as a general pen for hire, then a college degree would probably be a waste for you, if you work involved convincing people you are an expert, and dealing with a lot of the corporate types, then the degrees go a long way. Its a matter of the client base you have, and what they value.

As to your comments ArmyWife, I think 18 year olds know what they want to do, some of them just change it because of external pressure. I didnt change majors, and what I do now is very relevant to my studies. You cant make a generalization about all 18 year olds based on your personal experiance, any more than I can. The difference is my volunteer work puts in contact with a lot of bright and focused teens who know exactly what they want, and how to get it.

NancyP – Have you done a complete study of the writing of college grads. I have to tell you, if your looking for the good writers at a university one does not traditionally look to the economics department.

Not that you’re not a good writer Deb- I love your blogs- But people are just making unfounded generalizations here, and that bugs me. You people talk about college like you think it is a 4 year vacation, I promise you its not.

A degree can be a very valuable piece of paper, if you choose the right one. However, how many 18 year olds really know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I thought I knew and I went to college. After my first year though, I changed majors and schools. After my second year, I added a minor and after my third year, I added a second major. By my final year, I realized I wanted nothing to do with my “main” major, so after graduation I began taking classes to earn a certificate to supplement my second major. Now, I’m an HR Director, which had absilutely nothing to do with either of my majors or minor. I write in my spare time and my mom and I are in the beginning phases of starting our own event planning business.

If I had waited until now to go to college, my degree would definitely be very valuable instead of just taking up space on my wall.