For copy editors

How much do you like your jobs? Have you thought about doing anything else?

I'm still pretty new to the business, and I've been doing sports copy editing since I graduated from school (about two years ago). But I'm not sure if this is really what I want to do for the rest of my life. Figured I'd ask here and see if any other editors have encountered such a dilemma.

Thanks.

 

Every last one of them.

 

I'm sure all of those who have been a copy editor for any length of time understand your feelings, but the key is to look at it this way ...

1. It's usually a quicker path to landing a job at a bigger paper.
2. It's a chance to help shape the look of the paper each day.
3. It's a definite step toward being a sports editor IMO.
4. Being a copy editor can help your writing.
5. Working with a reporter on their story can HOPEFULLY make that person a better writer and that makes your job easier.

 

If you don't like it already, you'd better start thinking of something else. Even within the newsroom. You could work for the Web site or design pages. Or try to convince the boss to let you write stories (a tough sell).

Or go back to college and get a law degree.

 

You forgot: 6. You don't take the job home with you every day.

 

Man, I always did....

Well, I took it to the bar, first.

 

I had to stop reading the paper when I got home after a shift -- it could wait till morning, it was too late to change it anyway, and it prevented me from getting to sleep. You DO take it home with you if you care about the work, but you don't have to be a masochist if you don't want to be. Usually if it was terribly fucked up, we'd have fixed it for second edition, anyway -- I'm talking about little glitches that are going to make you miserable but probably the readers and even the top editors won't notice.

 

I definitely take it home with me. Too much, most of the time.

 

After 10 years as a reporter I've been a copy editor for the last 6 years. I never take it home with me. I put all the glitches and other bull that happens that night behind me when I leave the office, knowing that the next night is an entirely new night.

 

Great point (you beat me to it).
As someone who has done both at different times in my career, the one really good thing about working the desk is when you're off, you're off. Another of the few good things about desk is if you work with cool people, you can get a regular gang of folks to stop out for a drink afterward and BS.

Now, the negatives? Nights, weekends and weekend nights. Sucks the life right out of you. And you end up losing contact with your old friends because they all work days Mon-Fri. When you get a night off to hang with them, they're ready to go home at 9:30. So after a while the only friends you see are friends from the office.

 

OT, that is so, so true. Spot on.

 

Agreed with OT. He hit the nail on the head. It's also rough making plans with the Mrs. when your nights off change from week-to-week and sometimes the boss only posts the schedule for a week in advance. For instance, right now I only know my schedule through Oct. 6 (my paper uses a Saturday-Friday work week).