Preparation for Career as an Editor?

One of the keys to being a successful journalist is having a passion and interest for a particular subject; another key is possessing the ability to clearly communicate ideas and information.

Newspaper and magazine editors begin their careers as journalists and writers, so if you are interested in this field, start as a reporter or writer. You can start while in college by joining the staff of your school’s campus newspaper. You could also seek out part-time positions with media outlets, as well as focus your energies on finding one or more journalism internships.

While you do not need to be a journalism major to have a career in the field, it certainly is important to have a background (and strength) in communications and writing. Some journalists are hired because they are not only good writers, but have expertise in a certain subject area.

Print journalism is a tough field to enter, especially ow as newspapers are struggling. Most job-seekers fresh out of college — unless they graduate with a lot of experience — have to start in entry-level positions on the staffs of small newspapers or magazines. Once you’ve built a reputation (and a solid collection of clips), you can move to larger media organizations and/or up the career ladder.

If your college has a journalism school or program, go talk to one or more of the professors and seek their advice and suggestions for achieving your goal. You could also consider going to your college’s career services office and conducting several informational interviews with current journalists and editors. Learn more in the Quintessential Careers Informational Interviewing Tutorial.

You can get further information by using these career and job resources:

• The Occupational Outlook Handbook — this section on writers and editors will give you lots of information and resources.
• A Guide to Writing and Journalism Jobs — where you’ll find links to the best job and career information related to writing, editing, and publishing.