Did you hear? That MFA you slaved over may be more valuable than an MBA. Well, that’s partly the case made in this article by Michael Rosen.
Despite the fact the article opens with a mention of Thomas Friedman — the New York Times’s most successful bullshitter — I found some interesting things pertinent to us creative workers, including:
• Since 1970, the U.S. has 30 percent more people earning a living as writers and 50 percent more earning a living by composing or performing music.
• 240 U.S. universities have established creative writing MFA programs (up from 20 two decades ago).
• More Americans today work in arts, entertainment, and design than work as lawyers, accountants and auditors. In fact, there are more than 38 million Americans identified in this “creative class.�
Does that mean graduates of Iowa, Columbia, or UCI will walk out with six-figure deals and golden keys to the over-valued washroom? Doubtful. But maybe the pendulum is swinging toward placing more value on creative skills vs. number crunching.
Read more here: The Right Brain: A neurological solution to the flattening world
Comments 1
While I do think commerce is shifting toward needing more creative thinkers, I can’t help but wonder if the rising number of Creative Writing MFAs offered these days is only representative of the amount of people who want them. Supply and demand.
Of course I’m loving my MFA program right now, so I’m not complaining about the availability of the program.
I’d also like to see some correlation between the facts presented. Does the 30 % increase in employed writers relate to the increase in programs? Do the employed writers have MFAs?
Posted 10 Jul 2007 at 9:46 am ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 1
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Three cheers for the creative classes!According to Michael Rosen more people are working as writers, musicians, and artists than ever before in the United States. This is good news for aspiring writers–people earning a living writing have increased 30…
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