Interview with an editor (Answers, Part One)

I figured I'd answer Rosalind's questions in sections, as I have time. Let's see here.

1. Start off by giving me a little information about your educational background: where you went to school, degree obtained, other school activities that may relate to your current position. Well, let's see here. I attended Briarcrest Christian School for K3-12th grades. Then I went to the University of Memphis, where I graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in August 2002. My major was journalism, with a news/editorial focus. I've been involved with a number of activities that relate to my job. In high school, I wrote for the school paper and was copy editor of the yearbook. In college, I worked for The Daily Helmsman for four years in various positions (reporter, copy editor, managing editor and editor in chief). I also interned at The Commercial Appeal as a copy editor.

2. Give me a ballpark figure for expected salary for your position. In other words, your starting salary, without being very specific. Do I really have to answer this? (Ha!) According to the Monster.com Salary Center, a Memphis copy editor will earn a median of $34,490, with the 25th percentile being $29,125. I've been working here for less than two years, so my salary is ... low. But hey, at least that gives you a ballpark figure, right?

3. Your title and what your duties are. ( I think I pretty much have this covered, but just in case…) My title is copy editor. My duties aren't really encompassed in my title. My boss likes to tell people I read every word that goes into the paper, and it's true. Every day, I read the new legal notices, such as foreclosures, court notices and beer/liquor permits. I then proof our Business & People, Law & Courts and Real Estate sections. I handle a number of technical duties, as well, such as looking up warranty and trust deeds for a section we call Real Estate Recap. And I am the editorial department's SQL guru -- I query and collate data for the reporters for Weekly Snapshot (a weekly feature) and special reports (a monthly feature).

4. When you were getting ready to graduate from college, what were your goals and aspirations for a career? I'm going to manipulate this question, because I think it's an interesting story of career ambitions. I started coding the programming language BASIC when I was 9 or 10 years old. My parents even enrolled me in a University of Memphis coding class at that age. By the time I was in 7th grade, I wanted to be a lawyer, which stayed with me through most of high school. I always loved to write, but it didn't feel like a "real job" to me! I actually chose journalism as a college major by default: I knew I could do it until I chose a different major. Except I never chose another major! :-) What's interesting about this story is that I now do the two jobs I wanted to do as a child: I am heavily involved in legals, and I do a fair amount of computer coding. So I've really come full circle. Now, to answer your question: I tried my hand (very briefly) at being a reporter at my college newspaper, and decided that just wasn't my cup of tea. So I moved on to copy editing. I actually served as copy editor only one semester (the shortest of any job I had at the Helmsman), but I knew THAT was the job for me. I moved up into administrative positions at the paper, but continued to edit proofs as needed.

5. Do you plan to go for a higher degree? Yes, in three or four years. Why? Because I can. And because I miss being in school. My husband is currently a doctoral candidate in chemistry, with about three years left before he gets his degree. When he went back to school, I was (just slightly) peeved that I'd be the major breadwinner for four years. So we made a deal that he'd support me after his graduation while I went back to school. We're intensely competitive with each other (in a good way). So if he's going to be Dr. Paul, I'm going to be Dr. Kate. And I'll make more money than him because I always have. :-D

6. How you ended up working for the Daily news and a little about your experiences here. (overall) Right before my last semester in college, Paul proposed to me. I spent that semester planning a wedding, not a career. I had a small inheritance that supported me through the first few months of marriage, but I was so bored! I knew I didn't want to go back to The Commercial Appeal (that's a story for another time!), so I took a job at a bookstore and thought about getting into publishing. I posted my resume on Monster.com, and honestly forgot about it. Eric Barnes, the publisher of The Daily News, found my resume and contacted me about a copy editing position. I was so excited! I scheduled an interview, and when I got here, the interviewer asked me if I'd like to be a reporter. I almost died! I told her flatly that, no, I'd rather stay at the bookstore than become a reporter. Yes, I had good clips from the Helmsman and the Commercial Appeal, but that wasn't my bag. So she hired me as a copy editor. In retrospect, I took a big gamble by telling her I'd rather stay at the bookstore than be a reporter. I'm lucky it paid off.

-- to be continued later --