How can I know if becoming an editor is right for me?

Hi Emmalee,

It's okay to feel a little uncertain about this. I would say, start with doing your homework. Read up on the field. What is the pathway to success? What would you need to study? What skills do people have? If you look at these things and decide these things aren't compatible with your personality, then you have your answer.

I can tell you this: to be an editor, you need to be passionate and dedicated. You will commit years of your life doing unpaid work (in the case of many internships) or work that is paid very little before you become an editor. You will work very hard to get there. You will need to study hard in college, build plenty of writing samples, intern, and meet people to land your first job after graduation. If that's something you think you can do, that's a good start.

Definitely start with some unpaid work or an internship if it's at all possible. Try working on a blog for a few weeks to see if you like it. Take a few classes in journalism if your school offers that program. Find out if there are any opportunities at your local newspaper. Visit a few colleges that have good programs and talk to some of the students. In my experience, doing this sort of thing goes one of two ways: you discover that you love this kind of work and get excited to go into the field, or you realize it's not for you at all and you wonder what on earth you were thinking.

Good luck, and feel free to reach out again if you need to.

As with any profession, experience and actually trying out the role will answer that. I would suggest applying for an editorial internship. You can get real experience doing the job, working in the environment, and deciding if that role is for you. You are not committed and can learn and then redirect your focus if editorial is a good fit.

Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .