To become a magazine editor, obtain a relevant degree, gain experience through internships and contributing to local publications, and work your way up from entry-level positions. Strong writing, proofreading, research, and critical thinking skills are necessary. Building a portfolio of published work and observing different departments during internships can be valuable.
If your dream job involves overseeing the many facets of producing a magazine, you might want to become a magazine editor. The road to becoming a magazine editor can be quite a long one, starting for many people in college. To begin your quest to become a magazine editor, you must obtain a post-secondary degree in a relevant field. You should also gain experience by completing internships and contributing to local publications. Finally, you should take an entry-level job at a magazine and work your way up to an editor position.
To begin your quest to become a magazine editor, you must earn an undergraduate or master’s degree in a relevant field. As an editor, you’ll need strong writing, proofreading, research, and critical thinking skills. A degree in journalism, English or creative writing can help you develop these skills. If you know you’d like to work for a highly specialized publication, consider taking classes in that field as well. For example, if you want to edit an architecture magazine, you will probably find it helpful to take several architecture classes.
Before becoming a magazine editor, you must also gain hands-on experience. Consider completing an internship at a local magazine. As an editor, you will need to have an in-depth understanding of the many facets of magazine publishing. Therefore, during your internship, you should try to observe how all the different departments of this publication work, including areas such as art and advertising. Even if your internship is unpaid, you may find the experience and contacts it provides highly valuable.
In addition to completing an internship, you should also spend some time during college building a portfolio of published work. For example, consider contributing articles to your school newspaper. Make sure you save clips of everything you post. Publishing will not only help you hone your writing, editing and research skills, it can also provide potential employers with concrete evidence of your talent and experience.
After completing your studies, you can continue your quest to become a magazine editor by doing basic editing work in a magazine. Often, entry-level applicants are hired as copy editors or editorial assistants, jobs that can involve polishing articles and fact-checking and researching potential story ideas. As you gain experience, you’ll qualify for higher-level editing positions such as associate editor or department editor. Over time, you may eventually rise through the ranks to become a managing editor or even an editor in chief.
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