Desktop publisher to copy editor
A desktop publisher already meets 52% of what the copy editor role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.7/ 100
1 How much of what a copy editor is expected to do is already part of a desktop publisher’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 copy editor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A copy editor role treats 8 of its required skills as things a desktop publisher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- consult with editor
- copyright legislation
- follow a brief
- follow work schedule
- grammar
What stands in the way is 5 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 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A copy editor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a desktop publisher background worth leading with.
- already held typography arts and humanities
- already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow a brief communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held desktop publishing information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques working with computers
- already held spelling arts and humanities
All 12 carried skills, including the 8 the copy editor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 6 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 suggest revision of manuscripts required
- still to learn track changes in text editing required
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held rewrite manuscripts optional
- optional, not held write headlines optional
- still to learn use dictionaries required
- optional, not held read manuscripts optional
- optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
- optional, not held consult information sources optional
- still to learn writing techniques required
- optional, not held literature optional
- still to learn digital journalism required
- optional, not held editorial standards optional
- optional, not held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists optional
- optional, not held follow newspaper house style optional
- optional, not held office software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a copy editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 digital journalism study this
- 02 suggest revision of manuscripts practise this
- 03 track changes in text editing 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 12 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held consult with editor skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held typography knowledge
- already held adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists optional
- optional, not held follow newspaper house style optional
- optional, not held read manuscripts optional
- optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held rewrite manuscripts optional
- optional, not held write headlines optional
- optional, not held consult information sources optional
- optional, not held editorial standards optional
- optional, not held literature optional
- optional, not held office software optional
32 held skills the copy editor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt to type of media skill
- not needed by the target role adobe creative suite knowledge
- not needed by the target role align content with form skill
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
- not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
- not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
- not needed by the target role digital media knowledge
- not needed by the target role digitise documents skill
- not needed by the target role edit negatives skill
- not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
- not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform backups skill
- not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
- not needed by the target role post-processing of photographs knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepress processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role printing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role problem-solving with digital tools skill
- not needed by the target role reprography knowledge
- not needed by the target role scan photos skill
- not needed by the target role search databases skill
- not needed by the target role translate requirements into visual design skill
- not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
- not needed by the target role work closely with news teams skill
5 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 digital journalism required
- still to learn writing techniques required
- optional, not held editorial standards optional
- optional, not held literature optional
- optional, not held office software optional
Common questions about this move
Can a desktop publisher become a copy editor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A desktop publisher already covers 52% of what a copy editor is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 8 of which the copy editor role treats as required.
What skills does a desktop publisher need to become a copy editor?
5 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is digital journalism.
How hard is the move from desktop publisher to copy editor?
Its learning distance is 47.7 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.