What degree should a writer get?

A business degree.

What? Lets set aside the creative writing degrees, publishing workshops, and English majors a moment and really dig into this.

If you are a writer it is inherently because:

1. You like to read.
2. You enjoy writing.
3. You are fairly creative.

All these things do not require a degree and you do them anyways. Even if you have to stuff it in between the rest of your life. Your entire being wants to read, write, and create. But you know what it doesn’t scream to do? Accounting. Marketing. Public Relations. Web Design. Organization. Do I need to continue?

A writer is an entrepreneur, whether we admit it or not. Still need proof?

Here is a comparison of the two fields.

Entrepreneur: a business owner who sells something to the public.

• Must create a product or service to sell on a daily basis.
• Must market the business so people know it’s location.
• Must have a social platform so people can ‘check-in,’ ‘like,’ and ‘share’ about the business.
• Must keep records for taxes and accounting needs.
• Must hire individuals to assist the business: cashiers, accountants, managers.
• Must have an organized office to keep things on track.

Writer: a creative person who writes to sell to the public.

• Must write every day (or nearly) to get words down to sell.
• Must have an online platform where others can find your stories.
• Must be present on social media to push your platform (aka yourself).
• Must keep records for taxes and accounting needs (even if you have lost money, that’s a write off).
• Must hire individuals to assist the business: agent, editor, beta readers.
• Must have a workspace to create words in.

Are you convinced yet? At every turn a writing career is looking more and more like a business. Congratulations, you are an entrepreneur of yourself and your words.

A final note, you push yourself to learn what you are passionate about every chance you get. That’s why you are reading this post and many others like it. But what about the things you are not passionate about? Who is going to push you to learn those things? That’s why getting a business degree may be the best degree for a writer or any creative person. Because it forces you to get the skills you need to make money with what you are passionate about.