In considering how Creative Writing as a discipline might better adapt its practices for the 21st century, I have turned, as I often do, to my students. And the trend I've noticed most often – not a new trend, but a persistent and seemingly escalating one – is the question of viability post-graduation. Increasingly my students have visited me in my office, near to achieving their bachelor's degree in English, and their primary expression is fear: fear bred of uncertainty, like anyone soon to undergo a life change; fear of responsibility; but mostly, a fear – unfortunately warranted – of the increasingly challenging 'real world' into which they will soon graduate. They hear it from relatives, from friends in STEM fields, from their English counterparts in Teacher Education: What kind of job do you hope to get with your degree?

The question is both fair and unfair. University degrees such as English are necessarily flexible, and translate to many employment contexts. We do not strive to be a vocational school. When I answer this question, however, I find myself in an odd position between encouragement and hesitancy. Yes, nearly every employer values effective communication and creative expression, skills at which my students typically excel. After all, my majors have the unique distinction of being the only ones to bear the mark 'Creative' in their title. But outside of the realm of the specific genres – generally speaking, fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction – what exactly are we doing in our classes to prepare students for their futures?

Many of my students wish to enter graduate programs in creative writing, and perhaps these students receive the preparation they need to excel in that context. Likewise, others who pursue the aforementioned English Teacher Education degree undergo rigorous preparation and certification in order to enter their classrooms as educators. But what of the rest?