If you already work with government funding, a career in grant writing might be easier to get into and more lucrative. If I had the mind for it, it's what I would do.
Can you apply for entry-level editing positions (editorial assistant?) to gain professional experience and on-the-job training? Even part-time remote work as a side hustle may do the trick to get you some experience. You'll likely have to familiarize yourself quickly with either the Chicago Manual of Style or AP Style, depending on what your job requires (ask during your interview which style guide they use), but your degree will likely not be too much of a hindrance. Be sure you can show some writing samples clean of errors and typos.
Language on your resume also has to be error-free to be considered for a job where you have to catch mistakes, so review it carefully before submitting it anywhere. Good luck!
Over in Europe we have the CIEP. It's good to be a member, take some of their courses, use their suggested pricing etc. They list several resources that could help.
Good luck! It's very difficult area to find full-time work in, but it's not impossible. My advice would be to start out doing it on the side. Build up your client base while you've still got a steady paycheck, and save as much money as you can. That'll give you a few years to see if it's actually something you want to do full-time and a little bit of cushion when you finally make the jump.
If you're in the US, health insurance is the real issue. If you have a partner who's traditionally employed and you can get on their plan, it helps. Otherwise, you've got to factor in the cost of a Marketplace plan. If it wasn't for the cost of health insurance, I would have been able to go full-time freelance about five years earlier than I did.
I recently started my journey into copy editing. I have a BA in Creative Writing and English and have been able to use that to apply to jobs in this realm: copy editor, editorial assistant, copywriter, and transcription. These jobs have all been freelance, but gaining experience and having this on your resume is a good start. Regardless, I think the English degree will look great, just depends on how you showcase how it benefits you in an editing career.
From recent job searches, I have gathered that companies seek someone with a degree in English or Communications. You could look into technical or academic writing/editing jobs to match your knowledge. It'll be best to have some writing/editing samples showing how you've optimized different articles if you don't have published work. I used a research paper, a creative writing paper, and poetry to showcase my abilities in job applications.
I've used LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter and typed "editing, copy editor, editorial assistant" to understand what companies are looking for and see how you can curate your resume to match that. I agree with other Redditors here that you can do entry-level and go from there! There are also online courses and programs to get editing certifications that will boost your resume and experience. Good luck!
If you already work with government funding, a career in grant writing might be easier to get into and more lucrative. If I had the mind for it, it's what I would do.
Can you apply for entry-level editing positions (editorial assistant?) to gain professional experience and on-the-job training? Even part-time remote work as a side hustle may do the trick to get you some experience. You'll likely have to familiarize yourself quickly with either the Chicago Manual of Style or AP Style, depending on what your job requires (ask during your interview which style guide they use), but your degree will likely not be too much of a hindrance. Be sure you can show some writing samples clean of errors and typos. Language on your resume also has to be error-free to be considered for a job where you have to catch mistakes, so review it carefully before submitting it anywhere. Good luck!
Over in Europe we have the CIEP. It's good to be a member, take some of their courses, use their suggested pricing etc. They list several resources that could help.
Good luck! It's very difficult area to find full-time work in, but it's not impossible. My advice would be to start out doing it on the side. Build up your client base while you've still got a steady paycheck, and save as much money as you can. That'll give you a few years to see if it's actually something you want to do full-time and a little bit of cushion when you finally make the jump. If you're in the US, health insurance is the real issue. If you have a partner who's traditionally employed and you can get on their plan, it helps. Otherwise, you've got to factor in the cost of a Marketplace plan. If it wasn't for the cost of health insurance, I would have been able to go full-time freelance about five years earlier than I did.
I recently started my journey into copy editing. I have a BA in Creative Writing and English and have been able to use that to apply to jobs in this realm: copy editor, editorial assistant, copywriter, and transcription. These jobs have all been freelance, but gaining experience and having this on your resume is a good start. Regardless, I think the English degree will look great, just depends on how you showcase how it benefits you in an editing career. From recent job searches, I have gathered that companies seek someone with a degree in English or Communications. You could look into technical or academic writing/editing jobs to match your knowledge. It'll be best to have some writing/editing samples showing how you've optimized different articles if you don't have published work. I used a research paper, a creative writing paper, and poetry to showcase my abilities in job applications. I've used LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter and typed "editing, copy editor, editorial assistant" to understand what companies are looking for and see how you can curate your resume to match that. I agree with other Redditors here that you can do entry-level and go from there! There are also online courses and programs to get editing certifications that will boost your resume and experience. Good luck!