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Editors
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.
Other titles employers use
Acquisitions Editor · Business Editor · Editor · Features Editor · Legal Editor · News Editor · Newspaper Copy Editor · Science Editor
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
- Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
- Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication.
- Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
- Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
- Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to creative, organizing and persuading work.
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Time Management
Subjects to know
- English Language
- Communications and Media
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- Education and Training
Useful strengths
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Fluency of Ideas
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.1 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 1.9 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.9 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a bachelor's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A four-year degree 81%
- A master's degree 18%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Word processing software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Web platform development software
- Document management software
- Video creation and editing software
- Desktop publishing software
- Presentation software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 20,710
- Job openings each year
- 0
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- −6.5%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 20,710 | 0 | −6.5% |
| California | 18,900 | 1,880 | −3.1% |
| Texas | 5,570 | 560 | — |
| New Jersey | 4,190 | 420 | −3.0% |
| Illinois | 4,110 | 400 | −5.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 4,000 | 400 | −3.1% |
| Florida | 3,900 | 390 | −1.8% |
| Colorado | 3,430 | 350 | — |
| Virginia | 3,430 | 340 | −5.0% |
| District of Columbia | 3,340 | 330 | −4.0% |
| Washington | 2,930 | 320 | 7.3% |
| North Carolina | 2,850 | 290 | 1.1% |
| Ohio | 2,270 | 210 | −11.0% |
| Connecticut | 2,160 | 210 | −4.0% |
| Maryland | 2,130 | 210 | — |
| Minnesota | 1,980 | 190 | −4.8% |
| Georgia | 1,790 | 170 | −13.5% |
| Michigan | 1,590 | 150 | −8.1% |
| Wisconsin | 1,580 | 150 | −8.1% |
| Tennessee | 1,530 | 150 | −3.8% |
| Missouri | 1,450 | 140 | −3.3% |
| Indiana | 1,300 | 130 | −5.1% |
| Arizona | 1,240 | 120 | −2.4% |
| Massachusetts | 1,200 | 120 | −3.2% |
| South Carolina | 960 | 100 | 12.9% |
| Oregon | 940 | 90 | −7.8% |
| Alabama | 760 | 70 | −12.6% |
| Utah | 720 | 80 | 14.3% |
| Iowa | 710 | 70 | −11.3% |
| Mississippi | 710 | 80 | 16.4% |
| Idaho | 680 | 70 | 1.5% |
| Oklahoma | 610 | 60 | −9.0% |
| Kansas | 570 | 50 | −14.9% |
| Kentucky | 510 | 50 | −13.6% |
| Maine | 510 | 50 | −10.5% |
| West Virginia | 490 | 50 | 4.3% |
| New Hampshire | 480 | 50 | −2.0% |
| Vermont | 470 | 50 | — |
| Arkansas | 440 | 40 | −6.4% |
| Nevada | 410 | 40 | 10.8% |
| Puerto Rico | 390 | 40 | 5.4% |
| Louisiana | 360 | 40 | −5.3% |
| Nebraska | 280 | 30 | −9.7% |
| Montana | 260 | 30 | −10.3% |
| Rhode Island | 250 | 30 | 4.2% |
| New Mexico | 220 | 20 | 4.8% |
| North Dakota | 180 | 20 | −10.0% |
| Delaware | 150 | 10 | −6.3% |
| South Dakota | 90 | 10 | — |
| Wyoming | 90 | 10 | −10.0% |
| Alaska | 50 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 1,188
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Michigan State University
- Degrees each year
- 932
- Admit rate
- 84%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
The University of Texas at Austin
- Degrees each year
- 841
- Admit rate
- 29%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
California State University-Fullerton
- Degrees each year
- 647
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
University of Missouri-Columbia
- Degrees each year
- 623
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
University of California-Santa Barbara
- Degrees each year
- 620
- Admit rate
- 28%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
- Degrees each year
- 520
- Admit rate
- 64%
- Annual cost after aid
- —
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
- Degrees each year
- 634
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Compare every college offering rhetoric and composition/writing studies