Editorial Research Assistants

Volunteer to work on your school's newspaper or for its radio or television station. Being involved in researching, writing, proofreading, and other related tasks will help you to understand editing and research and how they relate to the entire field of publishing or other content creation. In college, try to land a research-related or a general publishing internship, cooperative education opportunity, or volunteer position to build your skills and professional network.

Talk with an editorial research assistant about his or her career. Ask your school counselor or English teacher to help arrange an interview. Suggested interview questions include: What made you want to enter this career? What do you like most and least about your job? How did you train for this field? What are some key skills for success? What advice would you give to young people about preparing for the field and being successful on the job? How will advances in technology change the field? Perhaps you could even job-shadow an editorial research assistant to learn even more about the field.

Participate in summer exploration programs in publishing, writing, and related fields that are offered by colleges and universities to build your skills, meet people with shared interests, and learn what college classes are like. Some programs even award college credit.