Well, I did it! Four years later, I finally finished my
degree and made it through my Masters! Well. I say “finally”. That was 5 months
ago, really. And I’ve spent 5 months wondering how the hell I’m supposed to
apply it to anything.
“Go to University” they said; “join the Drama Society but
take an academic subject. Get the best of both worlds”. Now I’d like the middle
of either world, please. Coincidentally I wrote a term essay during my Masters
on why having a BA won’t help you get a job. My modernist-poetry-spouting
teacher didn’t like it much. I can’t imagine why.
Well, turns out, Sir, I’m exactly where I said I’d be, which
you only 54% agreed with: is my BA OR my MA helping me? I’ll have you know that
two gentlemen at work the other day said I “sounded intelligent”. I take it all
back; it’s doing me wonders.
Do I regret doing my BA? No, of course not. And going to
University was one of the best things I’ve ever done – I made completely new
friends; I felt my brain expanding every day; I saw it splatter all over the
wall on multiple occasions, usually during long essay-writing spells; I moved
out; I had my first relationship; I had to walk away from it and somehow pull
myself together again. I did a hell of a lot of growing up and learning in a
short space of time. How on earth could I regret it. Yet it doesn’t change the
fact that I stand by my essay: a degree – specifically a BA – will not
guarantee you a job like it used to. So an MA. Yeah, it does exactly the same
thing. Except you know in yourself that you are a little bit smarter.
I studied English and then went on to do Creative and
Critical Writing. We covered so much, from Language to Psychology to Philosophy
to Sociology to History to Religious Studies. We covered The Norman Conquest
all the way through to Modernism and Post-modernism (which, despite 4 years of
studies to open my eyes, I still think is absolute bullshit). But what do my
qualifications tell people? I can read, and I can write. Have you tried looking
for a job based on those appraisals?
It’s hard to get a monthly wage that will cover your rent as
a ‘creative writer’. Writing gigs can be one-off editions or performances, or a
case of ‘writing copy’ which isn’t quite the same. It feels ridiculous to apply
to people and ask them to employ you because you can write. ‘Have another skill’
many advise when one ventures into the Arts. My skills and interests include
Directing and Acting alongside Writing. Sigh.
What a plum. Why do I have to have a completely financially redundant skillset?
Culturally, socially, the Arts have so much
worth. Even within a working environment, an understanding of cast and crew
mentality from the Theatre is so beneficial, and an eye for patterns, colour
and design is important for marketing any business. But you try telling the
manager of X retail store that your cultural enlightenment is ‘worthy’.
P.S. Don’t bother searching ‘writer’ on Indeed.com. You don’t
need that on a Thursday night.
We try to define education based on its practical application, and more importantly, its capital value. This is, of course, a very small part of why we pursue it, not to mention an arbitrary delineation. You are questioning why you pursued your degrees, but why did you finish college? Why did you go to school? Why did you learn how to read and write? Because it would help you get a job?
ReplyDeleteLearning is something we do every day in many different ways and the system of academia that we have is one of the least efficient of these. What you learned at uni won't help you get a job, but it will help you be better at whatever job you have and it will help you deal with many other aspects of life.
The piece of paper that says you have a degree, that might help you get a job. The trick is to make it a job that you actually want.