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Do I Have to Attend a University to Do an Editing Course?

There is an alternative path to taking a college editing course

Publishing is an old and learned vocation, and the academic route to editing has been established over the hundreds of years of the profession’s existence. In the past, you had to be within the ivy-clad walls of a university to take an editing class, but the industry has moved on. Thanks to the Internet, you no longer need to give up years of earning potential to take an editing course, and you do not need to go to university to become an editor.

University courses

The traditional route to becoming an editor is to get a degree in an English subject, such as English literature, or a more specific subject, such as American literature or journalism. As the number of English-related university courses expanded, a wider range of specialized courses became available. However, despite the exciting learning opportunities these courses offer, they are not suitable for everyone. Not everyone can give up the opportunity to earn money to take an editing course at a university for four years. The prospect of paying tuition fees and buying textbooks and equipment also bars many from taking a university’s editing course. The costs and loss of income mean that university study is still a luxury available only to some.

Geography

Not everyone lives in a large town with community colleges a short bus ride away. Those living in a big city like New York, London, or Toronto could enroll in a part-time editing course or night school at a nearby school to learn while they earn. However, if your town is too small for these educational opportunities, you are left with two options: giving up work and moving to a faraway university or giving up your dream of becoming an editor.

The Internet

So you don’t have thousands of dollars to enroll in a university, you need to pay the rent and support the family, and you live in the middle of nowhere. What chance do you have of taking an editing course? Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, there is a solution to that dilemma. You can take a university editing course without having to actually go to the university. As long as you have an Internet connection in your home, you can enroll in a part-time distance learning course.

Professional training

Some see universities as too out of touch with the real world. After observing rapid changes in technology in your daily life, you may feel a three-year course could be out of date before you even finish it. Fortunately, publishing houses and editorial services now offer their own courses. This means you can take an editing course from a company that knows the daily issues involved in editing. Companies engaged in editing shape changes in the industry, so an editing course from an editing company will adapt quickly to the changing requirements of the job.

How to Become a Freelance Editor

There are many advantages to life as a freelance editor. You can work from home, have flexible hours, and choose your clients. But the question remains: How do you become a freelance editor? Here are four tips to get your career as a freelance editor started.

Develop your skills

The first thing you need to be a freelance editor is, of course, editing skills.

If you’re just starting a career as an editor, you will need to learn what the job entails and develop the necessary skills. Many local colleges and professional training institutes provide courses that will teach you how to become a freelance editor. There are also many excellent online editing courses. The advantage of an online training course is that you can work at home, at your own pace, and at the times that suit you. It’s almost like working as a freelance editor already.

Even if you already have extensive experience as an editor, it’s still a good idea to take a refresher grammar course. You could also expand the services you will offer as a freelancer by taking additional courses in related fields, such as a proofreading course.

Have a flawless résumé

When you apply for just about any job, you usually have to send in your résumé. As a freelance editor, you will need to send your résumé to almost every potential client. And, just like applying for any other job, you need to make sure your résumé stands out from the rest.

But remember, you’re selling yourself as a freelance editor, as someone who can spot a single misplaced apostrophe in a 200-page document. It won’t matter how much experience you have or how carefully crafted your résumé is; if there is just one tiny typo in there, you’re unlikely to ever get that job.

One simple tip to make sure you have an error-free résumé: ask someone else to edit it.

It is always useful to have that extra pair of eyes look over anything you’ve written, and it’s especially important when you’re applying for jobs as a freelance editor.

If you don’t know any other editors who can check your résumé, or you don’t want to alert any of your coworkers that you’re thinking of working freelance, try an online editing service. Look for a fast, reliable service that offers confidentiality.

Show samples of your work

A great way for a freelance editor to back up a flawless résumé is to have a portfolio of previous work. If potential clients can see that you have tackled similar work before and did a good job on it, they will be even more likely to hire you.

Gather some representative samples of the type of work you typically do or would like to work on as a freelance editor. It usually isn’t necessary to show the entire document. Two or three pages of each type of work you specialize in will be enough.

One way to provide samples is to show the original unedited document and then show your corrected version. You could also include a copy that shows all the changes and comments you made using the “Track Changes” feature in Microsoft Word.

If you’re just starting out as a freelance editor and don’t yet have anything to fill your portfolio, you could offer a discount on your services or do some free editing for friends, local businesses, or community groups.

Promote yourself with a website

Don’t just keep that carefully prepared portfolio waiting until a client asks to see it. Build a website and show off your skills as a freelance editor to the world. You never know, the clients might come to you. You don’t need to have a complicated website with dozens of pages employing the latest in Internet technology. Use a simple design with a page about yourself, your experience, and the services you offer, and display your samples clearly. Do some research to get some search engine optimization tips, making your website more attractive to potential customers. Don’t worry if you’re better at editing than writing. Many content writing services are available online and can provide you with text tailored exactly to your needs.

If you follow these four tips, you’ll quickly learn how to become a freelance editor. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to start looking for clients and building a career as a freelance editor. And remember those online editing services mentioned earlier? They’re also great places to get work on a freelance basis. Why not start there? You might never need to go hunting for clients again.

Sources for Online Editing Jobs

A guide to different places to find online editing jobs

Are you an editor looking for work? Searching for places to find online editing jobs? Well, you’re in luck, because job seekers are no longer restricted to traditional job-seeking methods. These days, one way (if not the main way) to find online editing jobs is to search the wonderful World Wide Web. You can take advantage of numerous resources to find online editing jobs. You can look for job openings posted on company websites, search different employment websites, and connect with others in the editing field via online networking sites. Creating profiles on networking sites and connecting with everyone you know can be very beneficial when you’re trying to find online editing jobs.

Many websites and job boards specialize in writing and editing. For example, you will want to check out the following sites when trying to find online editing jobs. (Keep in mind that some sites require fees/registration/membership.)

  • bookjobs.com: The purpose of this website is twofold. It provides a centralized place for jobseekers to research available positions in publishing, and it provides basic information about the book publishing industry as a whole. You can search for jobs and internships, find out about recruitment events and publishing organizations, find publisher profiles and publishing programs, and learn commonly used terms.
  • publishersweekly.com: This website provides information about the publishing industry and authors, reviews, a self-publishing service, links to blogs, and a job zone that lists jobs (job title, employer, post date, location, and more specific job details).
  • publishersmarketplace.com: This is a dedicated marketplace where publishing professionals can find critical information and unique databases, find each other, and learn how to do business better electronically. You also can browse a listing of job openings.
  • writejobs.com: This website is courtesy of Writers Write, Inc., which provides a network of professional websites covering books, entertainment, gaming, media, publishing, and writing. The site allows you to:
    • view only freelance positions
    • view only journalism, media, and magazine jobs
    • view only medical writing/editing positions
    • view only book publishing industry jobs
    • view only technical writing/editing positions
    • view only jobs where telecommuting is considered
  • ed2010.com: Ed2010 is a community of young magazine editors and others interested in this career who want to learn more about the industry in order to land top editing and writing positions at magazines. On this site, you can find blogs, advice, resources, a message board, and job listings. The latter includes job titles, employers, locations, post dates, descriptions, and sometimes contact names.
  • journalism.berkeley.edu: This is part of the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism’s website. You can find a listing of jobs and internships (titles, locations, post dates, application deadlines, descriptions) in journalism, including editing and proofreading jobs in the United States.
  • copyediting.com: The Copyediting: Language in the Digital Age website is all about the copyediting profession. A job board lists various jobs in editing.
  • mediabistro.com: Mediabistro is the leading provider of jobs, news, education, events, and research for the media industry. Its mission is to help media professionals succeed and grow in their careers by providing opportunities to acquire new positions, knowledge, skills, and connections.
  • journalismjobs.com: JournalismJobs.com is the largest and most-visited resource for journalism jobs. It receives between 2.5 million and 3 million page views a month.
  • ihirepublishing.com: This site, part of the iHire job network, is for finding jobs in the publishing industry. You can register for jobs by title or location or search the list of “featured jobs.” The listings are updated daily, and there are thousands of them. There is also an option to upload your résumé, which might speed up your search for editing jobs online.
  • mastheadonline.com: This site provides news, job listings, and information about the Canadian magazine industry.
  • staffwriters.com: StaffWriters has been providing communications professionals with opportunities for more than 15 years.
  • sunoasis.com: Sunoasis Jobs uses the Internet to provide job postings, leads, and links to connect you with opportunities.

In your quest to find online editing jobs, also make sure to check out job boards such as Monster, Simply Hired, Indeed, and CareerBuilder. Consider joining professional associations, such as the Editors’ Association of Canada, the Society for Editors and Proofreaders, or the Society of Editors. You can network via these sites and make useful contacts. This can also be a good source for finding online editing jobs.

Get ready, get set, and go find online editing jobs!

If you are an editor trying to find an online editing job, use this brief guide to help in your search. Just remember that patience and perseverance will pay off. A challenging and fulfilling editing career awaits you.

 

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