Holly Said:

What type of careers can a person have in journalism?

We Answered:

I am a former copy editor. I worked for newspapers for about six years before I went back to law school. If you keep up with the science background, your best bet might be to edit copy for a textbook company.

I won't recount my entire newspaper career for you, but I can offer a few observations about what you should do if you want to sling copy.

First, decide what you want to edit. Textbooks? News copy? Law-review articles? Scholarly works? Fiction? Then concentrate all your energy on that industry. Look up leading publishers or media outlets, land internships with them, and begin to develop a name for yourself. If you are unfocused, that will hurt you when you move your career into its middle stages.

Adjunct to this, learn your stylebook. Whether your chosen field requires that you master APA style, AP style, or the Harvard Blue Book, you need to be well-versed in your chosen field's peculiar minutiae. Does your field favor the serial comma? What citation style should you use? Knowing the stylebook will give you an advantage when you apply for jobs.

Second, absorb information. Copy editing encompasses not merely grammar and style but also review factual information. If you plan to edit sports copy, you will want to know who won Super Bowl XVI. If you don't have this information at your fingertips, you will want to know where to find it. Even if you specialize, keep your mind open to new trivia. You never know when an obscure useless fact will suddenly be useful.

Third, develop ancillary skills. In the news business, copy editors are routinely called on for other tasks, including page design, headline-writing, Web coding, and nearly anything else that doesn't involve writing or yelling at reporters. In today's environment, those ancillary skills should include a basic grounding in how to use major Web development tools.

Fourth, start writing, and writing seriously. True editing is more than looking for typos. It's also about examining writing style and ensuring the overall quality of a published piece. You can edit copy without being a full-fledged writer, of course. But you'll be a mere mechanic tinkering at the edges of published works. True, substantive editing demands skills that you can develop only if you are also a writer.

Adjunct to this, write for your college newspaper or be a stringer for your local newspaper. When you're looking for a media job, clips are the coin of the realm. You don't want to be broke.

Fifth, broaden your horizons beyond copy editing. Once you start down the copy editing path, it can be extremely difficult to break into a different aspect of media. Copy editors tend to become senior copy editors, then supervisors of other copy editors. If your resume reflects only copy editing experience, it will be difficult for you to become a writer or an actual "managing editor." If you can, pursue a freelance writing career on the side.

Sixth, remember that you are ALWAYS ON. Everything you write, whether on the Internet, in your diary, or on a resume or cover letter, reflects on your ability as a copy editor. Read everything you write two to three times to expunge spelling errors, or even more obscure grammar errors. I am not joking here. I once saw a managing editor toss a cover letter because it contained a dangling participle.

Seventh, be extremely wary of workplaces that focus on grammatical minutiae. While quality copy is always a priority, copy desks that focus on the relatively benign split infinitves can be grossly deficient in other areas. See the old saw about forests and trees.

Finally, I do not recommend that you pursue a copy-editing career in the current economy. Multiple media, from newspapers to TV stations to book publishers and beyond, are cutting staff left and right. The New York Times is hemmorhaging cash, Media General's financial reports are an exercise in depression, and the Tribune Group is at or near bankruptcy. Even the relatively successful Washington Post is buying out senior staffers. In times like this, copy editors can be on the chopping block quite quickly.

In fact, (and I can't emphasize this enough!) develop your writing skills alongside (or even instead of!) your editing abilities. There are any number of jobs, among them "multimedia producer" and "content creator," available for recent graduates. But these jobs all have one thing in common: They require you to be able to write.

Bertha Said:

What is the difference between an LPN and an LVN?

We Answered:

I believe they are about the same thing, just called different things in different states. I would go straight to RN school if you can. It will take longer but you will get better pay in the end and have more opportunities for advancement.

Ivan Said:

Nursing Career Questions. Please Help!?

We Answered:

5 types:

a. R.N. Phd - 7 yr+ earn most
b. R.N. MA 6yr+
c. R.N. BSN 4 yr
d. R.N. AS - 2-3yr
e. LVN. A.S. (or no AS degree at all) 1-2yr

Virginia Said:

Personality types matching careers, need helpful advice!!?

We Answered:

I do not exactly understand why you would rely solely on those metrics to decide your future. I would do my own self-assessment and ask myself what classes I enjoyed in college, volunteer activities that motivated me, and how I can hone my hobbies or skill-sets for my career.

This tells me that you do not know yourself well, which could backfire in future interviews. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is the first step towards success. You should take those personality tests in your free time for fun. I hope you take my advice seriously and do a self-assessment exercise in the near future. Good luck.

Alan Said:

What is the difference between a nurse, a physician’s assistant and a doctor?

We Answered:

If you hate science, none of these jobs are in your future. A nurse has 2-6 years of college, a PA has 6, and a doctor has 8 plus 3 or more of residency, and they all have to study and understand science and math.