Companies that produce content for publications often need a copy editor to evaluate stories and other content to make sure they're grammatically correct. They check for typographical errors, etc. As a copy editor, you are to proofread text and correct spelling and punctuation errors. You must verify that the facts of the information are correct, such as dates and statistics. In addition, you are to rewrite text to enhance readability and clarity.
No formal training is required to be a copy editor. While it is not necessary to acquire a degree to be qualified for this role, employers prefer to hire candidates with a bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, or English. Generally, copy editors have a very firm grasp of the English language. They are detailed and have sharp eyes. You must be creative and have good judgment. Your median earning per year should be around $58,870.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a copy editor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.06 an hour? That's $54,207 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -3,400 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many copy editors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed creativity, detail oriented and good judgment.
If you're interested in becoming a copy editor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 82.9% of copy editors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 8.8% of copy editors have master's degrees. Even though most copy editors have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a copy editor. When we researched the most common majors for a copy editor, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or master's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on copy editor resumes include associate degree degrees or high school diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a copy editor. In fact, many copy editor jobs require experience in a role such as editor. Meanwhile, many copy editors also have previous career experience in roles such as internship or reporter.