University of Michigan English graduate student Brian Matzke weighs in on all those articles about whether you should go to graduate school in the humanities. Brian says:

Taking a broad view, I’m frustrated with the academy for not doing more to adapt to the technological and economic changes that led to this situation. Had the field adapted, it might’ve better demonstrated its worth and there would be more jobs out there. But more immediately, I’m frustrated with the academy for perpetuating an outdated sort of tenure-track fetishism that places blinders on its students at a time when they most need a full range of vision.

This, I think, should resonate with MFAs who felt the myth of “a tenure-track job in creative writing in every pot” permeating classrooms. What should the academy be doing more of–what could your program or graduate school do–to encourage students in the arts and humanities to look beyond the tenure-track path? Or is the full responsibility on us?

Hello, world of MFAs and those who love/ worry about them. Our first interview, with fiction writer/ science editor Sarah Scoles is coming up next week! Until then, “like” the brand new facebook page. And contact me using the form below if you’re a writer with an MFA and a job outside academia who would like to be interviewed.