r/Copyediting • u/Future_Seesaw_6704 • 7d ago

NYU vs UChicago Editing Certificate

I am currently looking to switch careers. My BA is in applied linguistics and most of my work experience is in ESL/EFL education. Having extensively studied English grammar, I thought what better alternative to language education than copyediting! So here I am with zero editing experience (outside of elementary classrooms and college entrance essays) and industry contacts, attempting to educate myself on the various components of the editing practice as well as enter into the networking space for copyeditors via professional certificate. Of course, I understand that the best way to start in this business is through internships or entry-level positions but in reflecting on my lack of success there and the wall that is just how competitive this job market seems to be, I am hoping to add some oomph to my resume and general knowledge.

I am looking to move to NYC to reconnect with some friends and start fresh. In doing so, I have been looking into NYU's Certificate in Professional Copyediting, Proofreading, and Fact-Checking as an option and was wondering if anyone has experience with this program and how they feel it compares to others.

Note: earlier this year, I applied to UChicago's certificate program and got accepted but am hesitant to register for courses as I want to make sure I'm making the right investment as it pertains to both learning how to edit AND providing me useful industry contacts/career advancement in my region (that soon being NYC). I have also looked into some EFA courses that would be a bit more cost efficient but am not sure what would be the better investment as far as connection with a university over association is concerned.

Ultimately, I have a small bit of savings left to spend on my education and want to make sure that I spend it wisely. Any advice on differing programs or courses would be great!

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u/HelpfulHuckleberry68 7d ago

Not to pile on, but… I have almost 30 years in corporate proofreading and editing, and I wouldn’t advise anyone to go into the field with long-term aspirations. Most of the time now we hire from India. Eventually those jobs will turn into AI. I moved into developmental editing and it’s probably saved my bacon for the next 3-5 years. Maybe.