Editors
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Hours go into reading manuscripts, proofs, and drafts for errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax, then checking facts, dates, and statistics against reference sources. Authors hear what should change in content, style, or organization; passages are rewritten for readability, or that task is given to someone else. Story and content ideas are chosen with the audience in mind, and the work can include writing articles, editorials, or newsletters. Publication production, including artwork, layout, typesetting, and printing, is watched against deadlines and a budget, sometimes while supervising reporters and other editors. Close reading, line-by-line correction, and holding a publication to a schedule matter more here than originating every word.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$77'920
Median Wage Market Position
$77'920
What you might do
- Read copy and correct spelling and grammar
- Check facts, dates, and figures against sources
- Edit manuscripts and discuss changes with authors
- Rewrite copy so it reads more clearly
- Develop story ideas for the intended audience
- Oversee layout, printing, deadlines, and budget
Skills that matter
- Spotting errors in spelling and syntax
- Verifying facts in standard reference sources
- Rewriting manuscripts for clearer reading
- Conferring with authors about content changes
- Developing story ideas for the intended audience
- Overseeing layout, print, deadlines, and budget
AI & the future of this role
Draft polishing, fact-checking, and routine copy edits are tasks language models may absorb quickly. Editorial judgment, voice, and accountability for sensitive or high-stakes material still tend to matter, though demand for pure desk editing could soften.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details