As a youngster, I loved getting an educational magazine in the mail each month. A gift from my Uncle Bill, I really enjoyed one of the pages in which I needed to find what was missing from a drawing. The dog might have a missing tail, a plant a missing flower, a car missing a tire, and so on. Basically, the reader was being asked to find “mistakes.”

If you enjoy that same sort of thing, perhaps consider becoming an editor. It might end up being an interesting and even lucrative career.

If you have good punctuation skills, love to read stories, and understand grammatical rules, you’re on your way!

You don’t need a license or certification, but, of course, you want to make sure you have the necessary skills or you won’t get good reviews or any “repeat” business.

Even though not required, certifications are one way editors may use to differentiate themselves from their competitors, building the trust of their clients. You may want to take a course by a professional organization that requires you to pass an exam and demonstrate a high level of proficiency. Choose a program offering a comprehensive curriculum in grammar, style, copy and proofreading, and content strategy.

Here are the top Editor Certifications: Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) and Adobe Audition Certifications, Avid Certified Professional (ACP), Apple Certified Pro, and Logic Pro X,  Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Editor Certification, and Grass Valley Edius Editor Certification.

Program costs generally range between $150 and $300.

What are reasonable fees you can charge? I’ll write about that next week.