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Topic: First Time Job Searching - OVERWHELMED
| Author | Message |
| writer17 | Posted – 9/9/2008 7:39:18 PM | show profile I graduate this December with a degree in Communications. I am 26 - it took me more than 4 years, 2 schools, 2 majors, some time off to finally finish my bachelors degree. Several possible career paths have my interest as I near graduation, but I feel lost and overwhelmed. I feel like every job ad I read says I need experience in that particular field - which I don't have. A lot of jobs are also far away - New York, California, etc and I'm scared about moving away for a job that I'm not sure I'm qualified for, will be good at, or will even enjoy. I visited the career center at my school but it was pointless. I also am not even sure of what job titles to look for/apply for. Any advice? I am interested in the following .... I think I would like to work for magazines as some kind of editor/writer. I have journalism/writing experience and enjoy feature writing. I'm interested in book publishing .... I'd love to start out reading/editing manuscripts. I enjoy reading and I am really good at finding errors. I'm also interesting in book design, but I'm more of a beginner in the graphic design areas. I think I might also be interested in copy-editing as a first career. That could be in books or magazines I suppose, or even in another field (although I'd like to avoid things that do not interest me like science, sports, politics, and business). Any help or suggestions that could be offered would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! |
| ICB | Posted – 9/9/2008 8:10:13 PM | show profile blind leading the blind Try and get an internship somewhere local before your graduate, even if it's not in your exact field of interest, to try out some of these things. There are lots of little presses everywhere, especially by colleges and universities. My instinct is to be wary of magazines--though I'm a book person, so it's easy--because they all seem to be floundering. I've seen plenty of postings for entry level book publishing jobs, though they ask for office/internship experience, and a posting is a long way from a job or even an interview, as I know far too well. Some of them involve copy-editing, but most are just glorified secretaries who have to read manuscripts when they get off work. The job title is editorial assistant--of course there are marketing assistants and sales assistants and productions assistants too, but the EAs are the ones reading manuscripts and eventually becoming editors. For magazines I think they are also encouraged to come up with story ideas. It will be a problem if you have no publishing experience, though they all encourage those without it to apply, but having administrative experience and some compelling story for why you want in/what you've been doing will help. I think most book copy-editing is done by freelancers, though I'm not sure how you get your foot in that door--at least make sure you know Chicago Manual of Style standards. |
| editordebit | Posted – 9/9/2008 9:20:38 PM | show profile You've got a good start just by coming to a place like this and seeing how folks talk to one another. There are many others -- you might try subscribing to Copyediting-L or Index-L or other professional listservs for a while, and just lurk and learn. Read books about the field (Amy Einsohn's book, I forget the exact title at the moment, is a great introduction to copyediting), try to get internships (I did one with a local publisher that runs a small newspaper, for which I got to write articles and proofread), and consider taking specific courses. I know, more school probably doesn't seem appealing right now -- I liked the certificate classes I took a lot, but I'd been out of school a long time and missed it. Try temporary agencies for immediate work: any office experience can come in handy, and it's good to have something on your resume and a few people to vouch for the fact that you're not a flake and you show up. (You'd be AMAZED how much of your competition just fades out of the picture because folks are unreliable.) Most people (especially freelancers like me) come into the field with a weird ragbag of experience and education. That's normal. It's one of the things I really like about this profession, actually. |
| Agirlwalksintoabookstore... | Posted – 9/9/2008 9:58:10 PM | show profile Another blind leading the blind scenario, but I'll try to help as much as I can. What I'd suggest you do is do a lot of research on publishing before you begin, and then narrow your job search. Talk to as many people as you can in the field before you apply to a single job. And there's a difference, between editing, writing, copy editing, and proofreading. There's also a huge difference between magazine, web, and book publishing. There are courses that are offered that can help you figure out the industry, but its probably better if you get a few internships. That's how you get experience. If I were you, I'd look into internships at literary agencies (very easy to obtain, even if you're a graduate). Also look into careers in proofreading or copyediting. Also, build your network of contacts because sometimes those contacts can lead to to jobs openings that aren't widely known about. It's very, very tough, because things are so, so competitive, and the industry is looking to chew young people up and spit them out. I know, not a very poitive outlook on the industry, but that' been my experience and the experience of friends. Anyways, the bet of luck to you. ------ http://agirlwalksintoabookstore.blogspot.com |
| Astera | Posted – 9/9/2008 10:36:24 PM | show profile If you're interested in copy editing and you think you have an aptitude for it, I'd go that route. I had some extensive training in copy editing through my j-school program, but no on-the-job experience. Nevertheless, I landed a copy editing job at a magazine because I did well on the copy editing test. In the end, your ability to correct copy, as demonstrated on the test, sometimes matters more than your prior experience. An added bonus...I have found that there aren't a lot of people out there who enjoy copy editing, so competition for jobs is a little less intense. Magazines and book publishers are good places to look for jobs. Be aware that newspaper copy editing is an entirely different animal and requires pagination and layout skills. You can also contact marketing agencies or advertising agencies to see if they need copy editors or proofreaders. I've done freelance work for such agencies, and it's a good way to see if you like the work. The more "styles" you know, the more in demand you'll be. AP and Chicago styles are the basics. Good luck! |
| writer17 | Posted – 9/10/2008 10:10:12 PM | show profile thanks for your help! more advice welcome! whattodo - you say there are "little presses everywhere" where? how do I find them? and how do I know if they are worth working for? I do think "editorial assistant" is a career path I would like to pursue. I do not know Chicago style so that is something I will look into. editordebit - I'm glad I found mediabistro - reading responses to my questions and lurking around other areas has been helpful so far. Would taking courses on this site (say, in copy-editing) be something helpful for my resume? And do I really have to get an office job? I'm shocked by this advice. I will have great references from professors and such, will that matter? Astera - thanks for the advice on copyediting - that's rapidly reaching the top of my list. |
| keke23 | Posted – 9/11/2008 1:01:41 AM | show profile Hey, I absolutely feel your position. I was there not too long ago. Internships are your best bet, though I know it is difficult to live off of them for a little bit. The reason is not so much the resume, I think, but actually figuring out where your place was. I was positive I wanted to work in public relations at the beginning of college and then completed an internship where I realized how uncreative it was. I then worked at a business publication where I gained a lot of experience but also found that I needed to write about things that actually mattered to me. At that point in my career, real estate just did not. I know so many people who take a job with great money but it just isn't a good fit for various reasons. I would also try contacting people at the various genres you are interested in working in just to gain insight into the career. You might learn something that will steer you away or keep you interested. The best journalism job I ever had was working for a local alternative weekly. I got so much creative freedom, interviewed some of the biggest names in politics and the entertainment industry.. as well as the grandma down the street, and I felt inspired on a regular basis. It sadly didn't pay enough to live off of in the long run. I miss it every day! Good luck! |
| bookmap | Posted – 9/11/2008 2:38:28 AM | show profile Professor recommendations are great and all, but yes, office jobs will actually help. Most entry level jobs involve a great deal of administrative work, and employers want to know that you have some experience to know the basics of filing/faxing/phones/etc. Internships are another excellent suggestion - I'm currently interning at a lit. agency and I get to do a ton. If you really do enjoy editing, taking a course might not be a bad idea. But knowing Chicago Style and AP style will be imperative, depending on if you work with books or magazines. My best advice to you would to continue your research so you can really narrow down what you want to do. If you want to learn more about presses, go check out aaupnet.org that will give you a full list of university presses and job openings. And ask more specific questions here if need be. There are veterans here with a wealth of knowledge to help out the younger crowd all the time. |
| writer17 | Posted – 9/11/2008 11:13:42 AM | show profile bookmap Thank you for the link to the aaup site. I just spent a good deal of time clicking through all the listed presses. Several are close enough to my area that I could commute to them for an internship if that is the route I choose to go. It was good to see that many of them offered internships that would let me do what I think I'm interested in doing. I bookmarked several presses to go back to later (many of the job openings and internship opportunities were not currently available, but I can keep checking back). I have had past internship experience in other fields (journalism and public relations mostly - still related right?). A lot of them involved administrative tasks, are these things worth listing on my resume? I spent a summer interning on the news desk at USA Today for example ... I was largely an assistant to the main editor and did many secretarial type things as well as some editing and writing/reporting/researching of my own. Will that help me in breaking into publishing or copyediting? And re: ap and chicago styles - do I just get the books and study on my own, or are these things I can get 'certified' in or take courses in? I'm familiar with AP from my own newspaper experience but that's it (and it's been awhile). |
| writer17 | Posted – 9/11/2008 11:21:51 AM | show profile keke23 During my undergrad years I completed four different internships (more than I was required to do). I guess I am surprised now to hear that after finally getting my degree I will have to go out and do another internship. I can understand how it is a way to explore whether a career is right for me .... but honestly, I'm going to have student loans to pay off soon and an unpaid internship or tiny 'stipend' might not be a realistic option. I am going to take advantage of talking to people in various career fields to find out what their jobs are actually like before I make any kind of committment. The career center at my school has offered to do this - once I decide more specifically what I am interested in they will throw the net out to all alumni and put me in touch with people actually working in my desired fields. Then I will have people to talk to, ask questions of, and possibly shadow on their jobs if it is something local. I think I would love working for an alternative weekly paper - for the same reasons you did. I'm sorry that didn't work out for you money-wise. |
| editordebit | Posted – 9/11/2008 11:58:32 AM | show profile Oh, I didn't mean to suggest that you *had* to get an office job -- I meant that if you needed something right away, you shouldn't think that temporary office work would be utterly irrelevant or looked down upon by people in publishing. If you've already been there, done that, that's fine too. Depending where you live, there are temporary agencies and general employment agencies that handle editors these days, too. If I hadn't had various reasons for sticking with freelance only, that's the first place I would have tried after taking editing courses. I don't know anything about the mediabistro courses, good or bad, but perhaps someone else can speak to those. I have heard the UC Berkeley extension courses well spoken of. |
| bookmap | Posted – 9/11/2008 12:17:06 PM | show profile Chicago/AP I'm not sure where classes would be available to learn both styles, but you could easily self-teach. I say buy the books and just read through them...there is a ton of info. and it will just be handy to have so you can reference them at any time. Of course put all internship/admin. experience on your resume! That will only help display your skills. It sounds like you have enough experience to get an entry level job, but again, you just need to narrow down your job search. It seems a little too broad at this point. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 9/11/2008 1:05:11 PM | show profile "I'm not sure where classes would be available to learn both styles, but you could easily self-teach. I say buy the books and just read through them...there is a ton of info. and it will just be handy to have so you can reference them at any time." It might even be a good idea to draw up a little chart comparing them with respect to serial commas, state abbreviations, racial designations and so on. I currently work with AP and Chicago by day and Chicago, AMA (American Medical Association), and APA (American Psychological Association) by night and there are times when I want to pull my hair out. |
