How To Become A Contributing Editor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a contributing editor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Cathy Irwin Ph.D.,

Gayle Rogers

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a contributing editor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $31.47 an hour? That's $65,452 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -5,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a contributing editor?

Cathy Irwin Ph.D.

Professor of English, University of La Verne

Because of the pandemic, entering the workforce has been hard for many. At the same time, many employers have moved online and are meeting with clients and customers through Zoom and other online platforms. As a result, employers now, more than ever, need employees who have excellent communication skills.

English majors from La Verne graduate with excellent writing and critical thinking skills. As a result, they do have opportunities after they graduate. Many of them are hired in jobs because of their writing and editing skills. A large percentage of students decide to go to graduate school. They want to serve their communities, so they become teachers, librarians, lawyers, and officers in non-profits or the city sector.

The medical field is also starting to welcome students from the humanities because they are looking for well-rounded, articulate, and compassionate people. If students with a humanities degree want to go into the health or medical sector, they can apply to one-year post-baccalaureate programs that lead to medical school.

ScoreContributing EditorUS Average

Salary

5.1

Avg. Salary $65,452

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.27%

Asian 7.09%

Black or African American 3.51%

Hispanic or Latino 7.92%

Unknown 4.56%

White 76.65%

Gender

female 53.44%

male 46.56%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a contributing editor

Explore contributing editor education requirements

Most common contributing editor degrees

Bachelor's

77.9 %

Master's

12.8 %

Associate

4.7 %

Start to develop specific contributing editor skills

Skills	Percentages
Web Content	18.62%
Edit Content	14.01%
Contribute Articles	6.50%
Editor-In-Chief	4.57%
Twitter	4.51%

Complete relevant contributing editor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New contributing editors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a contributing editor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real contributing editor resumes.

Research contributing editor duties and responsibilities

Manage social media promotions of Hobotrashcan.com, including facebook, twitter and email outreach.
Update website daily, manage Facebook/Twitter/ Instagram accounts.
Track raw data to design and improve marketing campaigns and SEO.
Compose daily e-newsletter with relevant travel articles and convert to HTML.

Prepare your contributing editor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your contributing editor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a contributing editor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable contributing editor resume templates

Build a professional contributing editor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your contributing editor resume.

Apply for contributing editor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a contributing editor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do contributing editors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Contributing editor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Pros

I learned to read and write at an early age and have avidly pursued it since. Beside school publications and assignments, I've sought out numerous outlets for my love of writing, from features and sports writer for my local weekly news paper, to AP stringer for election coverage, to a Pohlad family internship at one of southeastern Minnesota's most respected dailies.

Cons

Unexpected deadlines, I guess, although it sometimes seems I do my sharpest writing in those pressured situations.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019