Career - School Advice, Creative Career advice and Full Time Job Postings

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > Career - School Advice, Creative Career advice and Full Time Job Postings

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

I'm doing an MFA in fiction at Emerson. If anyone would like to hear about MFA life or my personal theory of how/where to apply, I'd be happy to post a little something.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2007 23:38

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 2, 2024 21:15

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

I cant rhyme posted:

What are you going to do when you get out? What's your BA?
How do you like it? How hard was it to get in?
What are the best schools?
I plan on doing that after I get my Ba, teach part time and write part time, hopefully.

My BA was in English at a SUNY school. But it doesn't matter what you did; so long as you write well they'll take you.
When I get out, I am going to get a publishing job and start shopping my thesis novel around.

I don't really know how hard it was to get in. I like to think it was pretty drat selective. 95% of your application is the writing sample. You could have a recommendation from the Pope and they still wouldn't let you in if your pieces weren't good. I applied to 2 MFAs, Emerson and Columbia, which are both big classes (Emerson at 40 or so and Columbia takes 70). Compare that to a place like Johns Hopkins, which takes less than 5 fiction writers A YEAR. Emerson took me, Columbia didn't.

Now that I'm here, I love Emerson. I love that it's all about writing. That was my biggest problem with undergrad, that we didn't get to work on our own fiction. Ain't no problem with that anymore. It's also so amazing that now I have all these friends who care about writing the same way I do. Who want to sit around and talk about it, and share their work, and take and give honest critique.

The best school is The University of Iowa. This is undisputed. Extremely selective to get in, extremely good writers coming out. I don't know why (though I have a theory). After that the next group is Johns Hopkins, Columbia, NYU, UVA and UC-Irvine. I firmly believe that if you can't get in to a good school, you shouldn't get your MFA. It's not a practical degree, so reputation counts for so much. Emerson is top 20, though US News hasn't ranked MFAs in years, and outside of the top 6 or so it varies widely list to list.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2007 05:36

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Kraven Moorhed posted:

So it doesn't matter where you get your BA, as long as you get one and can produce good writing, correct? If so, there might be some hope for me after all. I'd hate for them to look down at me for getting my BA at VCU.

Exactly. You might have a slight advantage if your undergrad is in something exotic (ie. not English) but certainly WHERE you went is of no consequence.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2007 19:13

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Graq posted:

Defenestration, maybe you or another writer could help me on this one. I want to switch majors to something that will qualify for some admittedly nerdy goals; I want to write for tabletop RPGs, comic books, or video game scenarios. Does that fit under a MFA in Fiction or is something else more appropriate for any/all of these?

An MFA in fiction will not help you do this. The vast majority of MFA programs are focused on producing literary fiction (think Updike), and even genre writers (like sci-fi) are just starting to become more accepted. I'm not sure how one goes about writing for game companies!

Are you an undergrad now? I strongly discourage undergrads from switching to creative writing majors. It's not marketable.

# ¿ Dec 4, 2007 05:58

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Grimtooth posted:

I am about to graduate with a bachelor's degree in English with a focus in creative writing, and I'm trying to prepare myself for getting into graduate school for an MFA in Creative Writing.

I have no idea where to begin.

I would like to stay close to home (I basically live in Cincinnati), but even if I change my mind on this, I'm having a real problem even finding a list of schools that offer an MFA in Creative Writing. I'd love a map, but that's probably asking way too much.

Also, my grades suck. I spent the first four year of college grinding, and failing, my way through computer science before switching to my original dream of writing. So all my science and math grades are terrible and all my English classes are outstanding, situating my grade at a very blah 3.25. Obviously this GPA is none-too-impressive, so does anyone, especially anyone who has done it themselves, have any suggestions for getting into graduate school with so-so grades? To my credit, I am a member of the English honors society as well as a 2 year editor for my school paper, and will, by next year, have my work published in every literary publication my college has to offer but one.

I am also down for any book recommendations. I have bought one so far and it sucks so I'd really like to have suggestions before I blow any more money on this.

Do not worry too much about your grades. Great grades might have helped you get scholarships, but for creative writing programs, 95% of the decision is your writing sample.

[igg now, will add more later. sorry I didn't see your post until like two weeks later]

# ¿ Jun 1, 2008 16:11

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

For editorial assistant jobs, you should know Word (with Track Changes! Very Important!) and Excel, how to export to PDF, and the big two desktop publishing programs: Indesign and Quark (though Quark is definitely on its way out).

# ¿ Jan 2, 2009 09:36

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

DriveMeCrazy posted:

I'm planning to type up my resume (which has hospitality work only, went to a good high school but got bad marks) and send it, along with a cover letter, to whatever publishers/magazines/editors I can find in my city, addressed personally to their HR guy (or just the HR department if I cant find a name).

The letter would say something like "Hello I am looking for a job, I am well-read with a passion for literature. I have good computer skills and if you have any available entry-level openings in any department I believe I would make a competent and enthusiastic employee" blah blah.

Obviously phrased better, but the concept is there -- just send out a cover letter with my resume (although there's nothing relevant on it) to all the publishers I can find.

Is this a waste of my time, a waste of their time (and annoying people who would advertise if they had job openings), or one of those "couldn't hurt, maybe you'll get lucky" situations?

Edit: I figure I'm so unqualified that if I want a job outside of hospitality I'd be getting 'helpdesk' style work regardless of what industry I choose to join, so I may as well join an industry where any advancement actually puts me closer to something I'll enjoy.

I hate to break it to you but having a passion for literature is like writing in to a publishing company and saying "Why yes, I have a pulse."

Unless you're in bumblefuck west, not having a college degree (or any relevant experience whatsoever) is going to kill you. Especially if you got bad marks in high school. What have you proven to them about your ability to do the work? Everyone knows an English degree doesn't prepare people to work at publishing companies but let's be honest there are thousands of English graduates out there looking. Why hire someone without?

There are two ways this scheme might work. 1: You have documentable office experience. 2: Your mom is a famous author.

If you still insist on sending out your resume don't just give a blanket plea for any job. Look up who the publishers are and go to their website to see if they have openings. Publishers are not the kind of company that hires even 1 more person than they need. (can't afford it)

tldr: I can't pay the bills yet/cuz I have no skills yet. Get office experience as a front desk jockey in a service industry or look into unpaid internships.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2009 06:34

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

DriveMeCrazy posted:

That's fair enough, I wasn't expecting much. How do people generally get jobs? Family connections and just getting lucky on a CV-mailing spree after graduating with an arts/journalism degree?

I want to do an arts degree starting second semester 2009 but would entering and placing in writing competitions help, or is that more relevant towards actual writing than publishing?

If you're looking to be a writer then absolutely, you should be sending your work out all over. I don't personally agree with contests (where I have to pay a "reading fee" or whatever) but that's not to say they are all scams.

Winning writing contests will not get you full time jobs. Doing internships will. It's a great time for unpaid interns right now because economy :supaburn:

and all. When you start your degree, put in your time at on-campus publications, or the podunk hometown newspaper.

It took me three months and 30 cover letters to get my first publishing job (a paid internship that became full-time).

# ¿ Feb 11, 2009 21:01

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Impper posted:

Okay, this was originally addressed to Defenestration but his PM box is full. I'm posting this here in case he's still reading the thread, and hey, maybe he can reply to it and help out any other prospective MFAs in CW. Maybe somebody else can weigh in, too.

Hey Defen,

I saw a few of your posts in the career thread in c&c. I graduated a couple weeks ago with a degree in financial economics, but a lot of my energy has gone into my writing. I'm not likely to pursue a career in banking or the government. I'm also taking a year off, which will give me some time to write and organize the application process for grad schools next year. Anyway, I have some questions for you if you don't mind me asking.

How do I best go about choosing my writing sample? Most of my fiction is quite long, with short stories running from 5000-10000 words. CW profs. have told me that the stuff is publishable, or at least near publishable. I also have a good deal of newer stuff, including the beginning of a novel I'm planning. In my personal estimation, what I have (of the novel) is quite good, but it hasn't seen editing or critique from anybody outside of myself. As you can imagine, this is a problem since most schools seem to only be interested in seeing 15 or 30 pages. I'm planning on asking some of my professors what they'd recommend I submit, but it's the summer and it may be a while before I get a response. Is there any chance you could skim the stuff?

How many schools should I apply to? I'd prefer to limit myself to NYC/Seattle/San Francisco/Chicago... honestly, at this point, I'm not too sure how important reputation is to me. I think I just need some time to write and interact with other writers and people who can competently edit. Just for example, I imagine (though I'm willing to be told otherwise) I'd rather go to a middling school in NYC than to the University of Houston, which supposedly has a great program, and broil to death in Texas.

Well, anyway, I had a bunch of other questions but you answered some of them and this is already an essay. Thanks a lot

I emptied a bit so you can PM me now if you want.

If you want a place to interact then pick one with a large MFA class, like Emerson, NYU or Columbia. Or one in a city with a big publishing industry (NYC, Boston and maybe SF). Absolutely not a low-residency course because most of those are done by mail.

You do have to pick schools that you'll be happy at. For example, I'm a huge prestige whore to begin with but I didn't apply to Iowa because I honestly could not have lived in a cornfield for 2 years.

Picking a submission is a more difficult question, especially since you've been working hard on everything (usually I would say to just pick your best one, because most people at that stage only have like 1-2 really polished stories). As a rule, if you have a short story that's more than 25 (or heaven forbid more than 30) pages, it's not tight enough and needs cutting. Lit mags won't publish anything longer anyway.

Here are some other things to consider when you're trying to impress MFA Faculty with a story:
- Most MFA programs are ridiculously conservative. Don't send experimental pieces, gimmick pieces, or anything that needs an outside explanation for people to "get".
- No genre. Unless the program is specifically for that (most of those are low-res). They really don't want to read scifi, fantasy, or heaven forbid, fanfic/erotica. It can have some sci-fi elements to it, maybe, if the story is still not dependent on the gadgets/setting. which leads us to
- Character-driven. You hear this a lot and what it means is "your main character has a problem and a desire, and while trying to resolve them, something important changes." Rather than what I see a lot of goons doing in CC: "my character is a cool/interesting misanthrope, let's let him talk about what he thinks about it for pages and pages".

As an aside, Impper, why not work in the financial sector this year? (besides the obvious issue of job availability) MFAs are expensive, and you could definitely use the scratch. But more importantly, part of the program is learning to discipline yourself to write: when you graduate, you're still going to need to support yourself with a day job and write at night. Plus, there's nothing more motivating to make you want to excel at art school than working a poo poo job you hate.

# ¿ May 24, 2009 15:53

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Astian posted:

How is the funding situation at Emerson? Do you have a TA position? If not, is it because you don't want one or because they are in high demand?

I decided recently that the only way I would do an MFA program is if I were able to get through it without going into debt. From what I've read this is definitely possible if you get a good package+TAship. If you have any insight into the funding end at Emerson or other schools, I'd love to hear it.

Funding: If you want a free-ride, you'll need to get in to a tiny program that gives them automatically, like Johns Hopkins. Or be so exceedingly good that you get one of the say 1-2 full rides a year at a bigger school. It's available, but realistically, most MFAs will put you in some debt. But debt in itself is not a bad thing, so long as you're in the program for the right reasons, and make sure you set yourself up to have gainful employment once you're out (or during)

Teaching: Is usually not like in PhD programs, where it's required and part of your tuition. Some will do tuition remission, but it won't be a stipulation of everyone entering the program. At Emerson the teaching program is a separate adjunct position that you have to apply for after taking the pedagogy class. Roughly 1/3 of people who apply get the job. I have my own section of freshman comp: I write my own syllabus, I grade my own assignments. It is way better than being a TA and a lot more work.

Me: I got an assistantship which covered roughly half my tuition per semester, where I worked in the writing center to earn it. This might have been either due to my previous experience in my undergrad WC, or my GRE verbal scores (learn those words!). Other people got similar deals to work the front desk of the department, or be "research assistants" for professors, or intern at the bigtime lit mag that's attached to the school (not the graduate-run one)

# ¿ Jun 10, 2009 08:19

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

magnificent7 posted:

Fast-forward 12 years and here I am, a Creative Director of sorts for an in-house ad agency for weather.com, designing ads for external clients.

Don't get me wrong. Some of the poo poo we throw up is crap. It's annoying, the client WANTS it to be annoying and isn't interested in less obnoxious solutions, until it's their ad thrown up on the article talking about the sad state of advertising.

Stop putting up ads that pop up a big fruity gum picture over the drat weather map. you're weather.com not big fruity gum picture.com.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2009 01:20

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

MyStereoHasMono posted:

If you're a moderately successful writer who had been published in reputable publications, are universities willing to forgive the lack of masters or PhD if you want to teach courses at them?

2 books minimum. Preferably some kind of award winning

without an mfa you need to be more than moderately successful.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2009 17:04

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Pantothenate posted:

Boo hoo hooery aside, I do have a few legitimate questions: I've seen a couple of editing jobs posted, but I've never seen any postings to do with acquisitions, nor have I seen any postings within literary agencies. Hell, I've only seen one or two positions within non-textbook publishing companies as well. Is this just because the market is absolutely flooded with applicants? How do current agents, acquisitions editors, etceteras, get their start? Do you have to no somebody? Do most companies just poach interns out of universities?

So much to say here. Yes the market is terrible, but you didn't need me to tell you that.

You're seeing a lot of textbook publishers because a ridiculous percentage of the market is actually educational. There are maybe like 5 people doing literary fiction, and they will die at their desks before they give it up.

Agencies just don't post. If they need someone they need 1. coffee bitches 2. slush readers. And because it's their job to know everyone who's anyone, they always know where to get some young thing to intern with them. If you have previous slushreading experience you can try emailing them directly and asking if they need help. (Sometimes places will contract out)

Current editors got their start by being editorial assistants and working their way up. Small houses are better for early experience than large ones. Almost all editors are in "acquisitions", meaning they bring in their own projects from outside (pitched by agents). It sounds like you've been looking outside the traditional commercial publishers, which is good - copywriting and grant writing and other stuff like that is still legit.

mediabistro is good for NYC jobs. also craigslist for nyc jobs. indeed.com for the nuclear bomb approach to a city (search "publish*"). I don't know jack about canada, but if you are serious about this publishing thing, then be prepared to move to a city that has a publishing industry.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2010 20:14

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Some dillweed posted:

I know it's kind of an impossible question to answer, but would getting a BA really be worth it? How important is a degree in the games/entertainment industry, for the kind of work I'd like to do?

DON'T GET A BFA IN CREATIVE WRITING :siren:

This applies to everyone. Take all the upper division workshops you can, but major in something that has transferable skills.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2010 22:40

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Insipid Oyster posted:

Does anyone have any idea how to get an entry-level clerical job in a publishing company? Google is failing me.

I want the experience in the company to decide if I want to pursue publication. I'm currently working on a two-year degree in International Studies, planning on studying abroad in Germany for my BA in one of the following: linguistics/translation/interpretation/journalism/creative writing. It all depends on where my job experience takes me.

I live in northern New Jersey, and could easily commute to New York City for this.

I'm just getting hosed over right now in retail (shocker there), so if I'm going to get poo poo pay and do bitch work, I want to get poo poo pay and do bitch work in a position related to my interests.

Work experience:
Position - Employer - Time/Duration
Clerical assistant - PTHSD Board of Education - Summer 2008
Copy and Print Production Center Specialist - Staples - May 2009 through October 2009
EasyTech Specialist - Staples - November 2009 through June 2010
Customer Service Lead In-Training - July 2010 to present

A. Don't get a BA in creative writing
B. What do you mean "I want the experience in the company to decide if I want to pursue publication"? It makes sense to take a publishing job if you want to see if you're interested in working in publishing, but if you're thinking of writing, that's totally different.
C. Realize that you are competing with scores and scores of English BAs who also want entry-level publishing jobs. This will likely be a long and difficult application process.

Your work experience will make you more likely to get a position in printing or production, as opposed to editorial. I'd focus your search there, and try to get internships (there are paid internships in nyc, though I don't know how well you can support yourself on them)

As to where you find printing/publishing positions in the greater NYC area: Craigslist. You can try mediabistro but they tend toward more midlevel/skilled jobs.

# ¿ Sep 6, 2010 16:50

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Pantothenate posted:

Oh, writing degrees are also apparently a good springboard into law, and textbook publishers are always hurting for people with law degrees willing to work for a publisher's wage.

As someone with a writing degree who used to make a living writing about lawyers (and now works for a textbook publisher), I have no idea wtf you're talking about here. They need lawyers to do what, exactly? Even if they did have some important function, based on the state of both industries, I have no doubt that there are plenty of lawyers willing to work for "publishing wages."

Also in case this is any way construed as a recommendation, for god's sake don't go to law school

# ¿ Sep 14, 2010 03:02

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Pantothenate posted:

Edit--man, that law school thread is depressing. I retract my advice about looking into law--either flip burgers or taking a nap with our head in the oven, because those are the only ends left in this miserable loving world.

This is all I wanted to hear, really.
Carry on, sir. Godspeed

# ¿ Sep 15, 2010 19:17

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Oldsrocket_27 posted:

I was hoping I could get some advice on polishing my resume. I'm a graduating English major, and I want to try and get into either reading slush somewhere, entry-level editor's assistant type stuff, editorial internships, just something to get my foot in the door to get started towards editing, proofing, etc.

Ok, this resume is not good. You don't have any relevant work experience or explicit extracurriculars (which you acknowledged in your post), so you're going to have to make this skills-based and do some creative justifying. Think of this as a particularly tough persuasive essay in bullet form.

Do you have any publications? Even in the crappy school journal? Do you have any volunteer work? Make your Eagle Scout project its own section and talk about all the organizing/leadership work you did for that (I don't suppose it was in any way publishing/literacy related was it?) Did you do any large projects or a thesis for your classes? Were they publishing related?

Next, the point of a resume is to show them that you are capable of doing this job. So far what we have is you are capable of getting good grades, which is nice but not a very good metric. SKILLS! What can you do? What have you done that proves his? What will an agency or a publisher want to know that you can do?

For one, having basic computer skills are absolutely crucial to the job. Do you know Indesign, Quark, Acrobat, Photoshop? At the very least, highlight MS Office and database/spreadsheet skills.

Education is taking up most of the page, when all that information could be easily pared down into 2 lines. B.A. English, Blah College 2011, minors in xyz, GPA 3.86 (Dean's List). Resist the urge to pad this. Instead think of new creative ways to sell your experiences/skills.

And god, ditch your terrible arrow bullets.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 19:08

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Gray Ghost posted:

Following on the heels of Oldsrocket_27, would y'all mind taking a look at my resume. I'd like to move laterally from textbook publishing to online publishing/editorial, but I'm not sure that this resume is competitive. Would y'all mind taking a look and giving me a little feedback?

Resume

This looks like a competitive resume to me (but I am in textbook publishing and have no desire to move to online). If you're looking to do more writing I'd highlight your feature work and awards in that area.

In general you have a lot of good stuff that is getting lost in a wall of text. Change your layout/font so that you get better spacing. Also edit those descriptions down as much as you can and be consistent in your punctuation (periods on the ends of bullets etc)

The toastmasters bit is a nice touch but the sentence is way clunky.

# ¿ Apr 21, 2011 20:50

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Sulk posted:

Do well-maintained/written blogs work well at all for one's resume and experience these days as a writer? I've been thinking of starting one up that's not just my junky WordPress, which I've only used a couple times for writing about music or some specific interest. I've seen some places ask for writing samples, and wonder if something like that would look good. That and attention in some way would always be good.

I've kind of been torn between doing that and actually getting myself working on a novel I've had in mind for a long time, and as bad at it as I am, I'd maybe like to try and focus my efforts. I'm still in the midst of studying but something to do while I'm working and getting experience (although completely unrelated to writing) would be good for me. Sorry for the bit of E/N.

Blogs are not what they mean when they ask for writing samples (unless maybe if they are a blog). Your blog will only matter if it gets very popular. Beyond that it's just for practice.

Start the novel. Write some clips for freelance. Learn to use specific nouns when you write. (I only have the vaguest idea what your situation is here)

# ¿ Apr 21, 2011 23:33

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

100 HOGS AGREE posted:

Recently, I lost my poo poo dead-end job and I've decided I'm going to stop settling for crap underemployment and actually put in a real effort at getting a real job. I've been seeing a lot of copywriting and technical writing jobs in my area lately but I haven't been applying to them because:

I've got no portfolio and no experience. I got my B.A. in English back in '09 and since haven't done much of anything to make myself more appealing to employers.

So I really dropped the ball here and need to start from scratch on a portfolio since I don't have anything remotely recent and I didn't really prepare myself for a career while I was in school.

What do I do? I feel like a directionless amateur.

What kind of experience do you have? I mean even dead-end jobs, extracurriculars from college, computer skills, anything.

Employers know that colleges don't prepare students to be marketable writers or editors. So your job is to do 2 things:

1. Present your experience as well as you can, highlighting relevant skills even in non-industry-relevant positions
2. Write. You don't have to be assigned projects, just do them. If you want a theater reviewing job, practice writing theater reviews and post them to a blog. If you want to be a technical writer, find out what that entails and write in that genre.

Beyond that, if you want a job, APPLY FOR IT! Like dating, don't reject yourself, make THEM reject you.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2011 19:24

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

100 HOGS AGREE posted:

The entirety of my work experience since college is in a one month stint with Americorps that was a glorfied sales position for a nonprofit, a couple weeks writing for a local newspaper that screwed me over and never paid me, three months as a receptionist and a year as a medical file clerk.

Aside from that, I'm about average in computer skills, basic html, basic computer repair, poo poo like that, didn't do any extracurricular or internships, but I did get a couple poems in the English department's publication in my junior year.

two publications, newspaper clips, competent in computers and office experience? You're not as behind as you think. Yeah, it's a lovely market, but you're qualified to do a range of entry level publishing and editing type jobs.

clean up your resume in the resume thread, then get out and start applying. Pay attention to your cover letters (NO errors), and remember that there are lots of positions in copy writing and editing that aren't just at traditional publications (say, PR, or non-profits, or even hospitals)

# ¿ Sep 20, 2011 23:31

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

SheepThrowinBoy posted:

Am I retarded for wanting to get a MFA in Creative Writing? I've had enough experience in video production to know that it's not where I want to make a career. Storytelling has always been the driving force behind my work/art and I've always been an interested and active writer. I love school and academia in general and think I could be very happy teaching at a university if that's what the masters boils down to, but I also think I could benefit a lot personally and use the education to better my own work and eventually get more credible publishing experience.

BASICALLY: Does anyone have or know someone who has a MFA in Creative Writing? What are you/they doing with it? What do they WISH they were doing with it? If they're unhappy with the MFA, what do they with they had done instead?

Additionally, if I do go ahead and seek out my own MFA in CW, any suggestions about where to go? I've been most seriously considering Boston University because I like the way their program is structured, know someone with a comparable masters from there, and can even choose to blast through the program in one year if I decide I really hate having a social life and/or my sanity. But I'm definitely open to other suggestions.

I have an MFA in writing, and I thus know tons of people that have an MFA in writing. I could talk about it a lot, but the #1 thing you need to know is that an MFA in Creative Writing is not a career move. An MFA is 3 years you take out specifically to have time to work hard at your craft and get lots of connections with other great writers and people in the publishing industry. You will not get a tenured teaching position with an MFA until you have 2+ books at least (even then it is a crapshoot).

Suggestions of where to go: a place in the top 10, a place that will give you a free ride. No exceptions.

PS. MFA admissions care about 1 thing: your writing sample. They give no shits about any other eclectic stuff you've done with your life

quote:

I have a super-eclectic resume right now.
a published novel (though admittedly not a huge deal),

tell me more about this...what genre and house? agented?

# ¿ Dec 17, 2011 08:53

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

deviledseraphim posted:

Do you have any opinion on low-res programs? I've been toying around with the idea of doing that, even though they aren't fully funded. I figure that if I can work part-time while I do it, it will pretty much even out and it seems like a better option for me because I have a kid and husband I can't easily uproot.

I do. They are negative. From secondhand accounts they seem like a lot of half-assed story mailing, followed by two weeks of cult bonding together in a lovely hotel. Not worth the price of tuition.

You can work part time while you do regular programs too. In fact, a lot of people worked full time. (All our classes were 6-9 at night, once a week) I wouldn't recommend full time for your thesis semester though.

Or, there are plenty of retreats and nondegree workshops you can take. Retreats are usually a week or two but can be up to a month, and some are pretty prestigious. If you're in a big enough town, there's usually good workshops run by local writers or MFA grads for community members.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2012 04:53

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Esroc posted:

I'm about to begin looking for work but I feel like my online portfolio is incredibly lovely and no one will ever want to hire me. Am I just being self-defeating or is it as bad as I think? What can I do to improve it?

http://esroc.carbonmade.com

In my unprofessional opinion, I would ditch the (self portraits?) #1, 2 and 4.

Esroc posted:

I've already gotten several replies back from local companies I've sent my portfolio to. Nothing concrete, but all of them said they liked my work and would send any contract work they need my way.

How often should I contact them or send them an updated portfolio to ensure they don't just forget about me?

I also need advice on what to expect for pay should I get lucky and one of them does call me. I honestly have no idea what is reasonable to ask for, but at the same time I'm not concerned with making huge amounts of money this early in my career. I'd be happy just getting paid something in exchange for a chance to get my work out there.

You sir might benefit from a visit to The Business of Art thread!

It doesn't have specific pricing (since that is such a variable) but having a good background knowledge of what you should be looking for will help you negotiate

# ¿ Oct 3, 2012 03:54

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

GiveUpNed posted:

Hey all. I've been working as a journalist for 15 months while finishing a Philosophy degree at a Canadian uni. In that time I've written for a freebie weekly, local periodical and a mag on the east coast.

A few days ago I received an email telling me I'd gotten a job. It was for a startup I applied for months ago and promptly forgot about. Today they told me my rate. I will receive $22 a month for four articles!

Is this a scam, or are they trying to take advantage of my (perceived) naivete? My rate has usually been between 0.10-0.15 cents a word as set by the print pubs I've worked for. The website looks professional, and upon researching the staff, they all come from other seemingly respected publications. There is even an unpaid intern working for them!

Should I ask for more, or should I take the current rate and prod for more later?

I can't speak to whether this is a scam or not (it really depends on how long those articles are and what they're about) but $22 seems low. And also a weird way to price

Also remember that it is harder to negotiate up once you're working at a given rate. Negotiate before you start. The worst they can do is say no.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2013 01:22

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Paid summer internships available :siren:

We just posted for 6 open positions to do full time rights work this summer. So if you're interested in getting publishing experience, are in college or a recent graduate, will be in Boston May-August, and enjoy getting paid a semi-decent hourly wage, this internship is for you

CAVEAT: not an editorial or creative position. Just office work, but very legit experience.

PM for link/details

# ¿ Mar 3, 2013 19:45

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Midlevel Publishing Jobs Available

We're hiring at least 2 permissions editors at my educational publisher in Boston, to do evaluations on incoming manuscripts and project manage EAs doing clearance work. PM me for details.

You should have 2 years Rights experience, or honestly, if you've been an EA or AE and done your own perms that's probably enough. We've only had 23 applicants so far and word is they're pretty lackluster.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2013 16:20

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

-Blackadder- posted:

My impression of the industry is that it's a huge popularity contest and more than half the job is marketing yourself. Which is honestly kind of annoying because if an author wanted to work in marketing they would've gotten a job with a marketing company. But I guess self-promotion being an obnoxiously large of part of success is pretty much true for every job in The Arts.

This is true but it is irrelevant to you right now.

If you want to write, write. "Show up" for writing time, don't make excuses. Finish things. Submit to journals, submit to agents. Worry about the rest later.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2014 16:12

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Budget reforecasting is coming up, and I want to propose that I take some professional development courses in the year to come. My job is 75% rights management and licensing, 25% print production. I have some good leads for Rights courses but my boss is also keen for me to get better at the image quality/color assessment and print production management aspects of my job (she comes from a design background, I do not).

What would be awesome would be if I could go on press for our art books. How can I work toward that? I'm in the Boston area so universities abounds, but what kinds of courses should I be looking for?

# ¿ May 5, 2015 00:44

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Smurple Purple posted:

So I have an Business and Office Technology degree and worked as a receptionist and administrative assistant for about a year. I got promoted to the account department and knew nothing about it, but now I love it. I want to switch companies because I spend more time shredding paper for my boss than actually get things to do. I do the things I'm supposed to do such as pay the bills and make sure no one is robbing us of gas money with the company gas card. But I'll have 4 hours of nothingness. I make $10 an hour and there are companies in my area looking for people in my field for $15-$20 an hour but they want a degree in accounting or minimum of 5 years experience, which I have 1 year of.

I guess my question is: should I wait it out those 5 years? I don't know what other options I have. I don't want to go back to school another two years to get a degree in accounting. That's more money than I care to spend. It's just stressful sometimes having hours at the end of the day with nothing to do and having to find something to do.

My drive by advice is that you get 0% of the jobs you don't apply to. So if you want something apply to it and see. Don't reject yourself, make them reject you.

Though you might find better advice in the Business forum as opposed to the Creatives forum
http://forums.somethingawful.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=200

# ¿ Jun 27, 2015 15:36

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Waverhouse posted:

I want to change careers from an IT/Dev to being a fiction writer, but unfortunately I have no idea how to do this.

Fiction writer is not a career. It is certainly not a career you get because you hate your current one. There is no "best way to proceed" because there is nowhere to go. I am sorry this post is going to sound harsh, but better you hear it now and know what you're getting into.

If you want to hustle and be a freelance writer, it will be primarily nonfiction, and there is some good career advice we can point you to for that. There is also a Self Publishing thread which shows us that even modest success in this arena is as much about marketing as it is the writing. However, when you say things like

Waverhouse posted:

I was thinking once I finish this novel I'm working on I would shop it around to different publishers and self publish if I got no takers, but I don't know if that's a good or bad move.

It sounds like you're thinking that there is some step by step career path where you do XYZ and come out the end writing fiction full time and supporting yourself doing so. This is nigh impossible.

quote:

Do i want to get like an mfa in creative writing? I'm eager to escape this corporate hell

I have an MFA. The reason to get an MFA is it gives you 1. time to have intense focus on your writing 2. a cohort of readers and workshoppers and (in some programs) industry contacts. It is by no means a professional degree or a golden ticket. It will cost a lot of money unless you can get into one of the super highbrow places that pays full scholarship. If you write genre, there are an even more limited number of MFA programs that would be right for you.

The reason to get an MFA is not "I want to escape corporate." Getting a job in publishing will also not solve your problems. (Working in publishing is an office job that you love because of the material you get to work with, not a stepping stone to being an author)

So instead, commit yourself to writing as a discipline for your private time. Join a crit group. Join Thunderdome. Write the first novel, then rewrite it. And again. Write the second novel. And solve your daily misery some other way, because you can't wait for the lightning to strike.

Have you considered tech writing? The key is to think of your marketable skills and get into a position where you can use them and not be miserable.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2016 22:03

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Waverhouse posted:

I appreciate the honesty. Expected that sort of answer before I even asked the question. Hope springs eternal I guess.

The other option I had in mind was switching to part-time development work and then playing catch as catch can with freelance writing. Once again I'm not sure of the best way to start, but reading the business of art sticky helps a lot. Would you recommend doing this 50-50 split, or would the time required in writing/hunting for new work be too much, since I'd also be needing to hunt for dev work too?

I recommend that you find a stable work situation that you don't mind or even like, and work on building your skills and portfolio after hours. So for now job search (you haven't said what you hate about your job besides "it's corporate", but I promise being in a better work environment will only help your writing) and start a blog so you can showcase finished pieces in the genre/topic that interests you.

Clientsfromhell has great freelancing advice too.

# ¿ Oct 11, 2016 03:58

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 2, 2024 21:15

Defenestration: Aug 10, 2006; "It wasn't my fault that my first unconscious thought turned out to be-"
"Jesus, kid, what?"
"That something smelled delicious!"; Grimey Drawer

Doredrin posted:

I think I'm going to work on personal projects

Good

quote:

hope someone notices me

Bad. You can't passively a wait for this, you have to work hard on it, intentionally. Because if you won't, I guarantee lots of other people are

# ¿ Nov 4, 2016 22:36

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > Career - School Advice, Creative Career advice and Full Time Job Postings