How does one pursue a career in copy editing?

manpreet Best Answer 3 years ago

A copy is a term used for a writing piece in media. It can be in advertising and in the newspaper or magazine as well. The copy/content/article is being made by content writers and is being checked and proofread by the copy editors. In the hierarchy of the organizational set of a media house, a copy writer may be a person at the middle or executive level or a senior level as the editor of the newspaper or a particular segment or pages of the paper. The way one can pursue a career in copy editing is based on the roles and requisites mentioned below: Language skills Flawless grammar Knowledge of Connotations and denotations of words Rich and mature vocabulary Creative as well as professional writing skills Skilled in the use of 'style sheet’ of the publication (style sheet is the set of vocab used in that particular organisation). A course in copy editing, content writing or a post-graduation in language (English) or even in journalism and mass communication can help. The candidate must pursue an internship to sharpen the skills that will lead to getting a job as copy editor.

manpreet 3 years ago

Copy editing isn't nearly as great a career as readers of this site might believe it to be and I'm trying pretty hard not to lead readers to believe it's a great career. Then again, I find it hard to imagine doing anything else. If you think you might feel the same way (and you like the idea of working from 3 till midnight), read on. In this field, a lot of career-advice questions are there from people who aren't able to ask such a question without committing two or three basic errors. So allow me to begin with the most important piece of advice anyone will ever offer: Be good. Damn good. (More on this later.). I suppose my path towards a copy-editing career was about as straightforward as it gets. I spent four years getting a Bachelor's degree in journalism at a college known for its journalism programme. I got a job with the college newspaper as soon as I could, and I got a summer internship (actually, two summer internships) at a major metropolitan daily - which hired me right after graduation. I paid my dues on the reporting side, and then I became an editor. If you're just starting college (or still in college mode, no matter what your age) and you want to be a copy editor when you grow up, make 'internship' your mantra. If the place that hires you as an intern likes you, that place will hire you full-time. If it doesn't fit you quite nicely, you'll have invaluable experience and an invaluable addition to your resume. Nothing you learn in a journalism class will be anywhere near as valuable as an actual experience which brings me to the other part of my experience you should strive to emulate: Join the school paper. At the University of Arizona, my alma mater, the paper is an independent entity supported by advertising revenue. I learned a lot by actually doing that job, and that's a heck of a good way to learn. I got no class credit, but I got a respectable paycheck. Even if you end UPAT a college where the paper is more of a J-department organ, the experience is still the thing. Get it. The question of whether you should major in journalism is more difficult. A lot of very good colleges don't even offer journalism as a major, and most newspapers would't think twice about hiring a non-major if that non-major had significant school-paper and internship experience. The journalism degree is a more straight-ahead path to a journalism job, but those with the initiative to pursue non-classroom journalism opportunities might be more successful.