Copy editor to columnist
A copy editor already meets 39% of what the columnist role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.1/ 100
1 How much of what a columnist is expected to do is already part of a copy editor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the columnist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A columnist role treats 9 of its required skills as things a copy editor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- digital journalism
- editorial standards
- follow ethical code of conduct of journalists
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A columnist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a copy editor background worth leading with.
- already held rewrite articles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow newspaper house style assisting and caring
- already held digital journalism social sciences, journalism and information
- already held write headlines communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists assisting and caring
- already held editorial standards social sciences, journalism and information
All 15 carried skills, including the 9 the columnist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn build contacts to maintain news flow required
- still to learn evaluate writings in response to feedback required
- still to learn participate in editorial meetings required
- still to learn use specific writing techniques required
- still to learn develop professional network required
- still to learn present arguments persuasively required
- optional, not held adapt to type of media optional
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held ensure consistency of published articles optional
- optional, not held interview people optional
- optional, not held promote one's writings optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held provide written content optional
- still to learn follow the news required
- still to learn stay up to date with social media required
- still to learn study topics required
- optional, not held check correctness of information optional
- optional, not held manage writing administration optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- still to learn rhetoric required
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held interview techniques optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- still to learn write to a deadline required
- optional, not held manage personal finances optional
- optional, not held press law optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a columnist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 build contacts to maintain news flow practise this
- 02 evaluate writings in response to feedback practise this
- 03 follow the news practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held digital journalism knowledge
- already held editorial standards knowledge
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held writing techniques knowledge
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held follow newspaper house style skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held rewrite articles skill
- already held write headlines skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held adapt to type of media optional
- optional, not held check correctness of information optional
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held ensure consistency of published articles optional
- optional, not held interview people optional
- optional, not held manage personal finances optional
- optional, not held manage writing administration optional
- optional, not held promote one's writings optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held interview techniques optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held press law optional
- optional, not held provide written content optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
13 held skills the columnist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- not needed by the target role consult with editor skill
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role read manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role review unpublished articles skill
- not needed by the target role rewrite manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role suggest revision of manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role track changes in text editing skill
- not needed by the target role typography knowledge
- not needed by the target role use dictionaries skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn rhetoric required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held interview techniques optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held press law optional
- optional, not held stock market optional
Common questions about this move
Can a copy editor become a columnist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A copy editor already covers 39% of what a columnist is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 9 of which the columnist role treats as required.
What skills does a copy editor need to become a columnist?
11 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is build contacts to maintain news flow.
How hard is the move from copy editor to columnist?
Its learning distance is 66.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.