I have learned that I am rare.
I have met many people who have degrees and were originally pursuing careers in other fields and ended up accepting publishing positions, and then staying and enjoying them.
I originally went to school to pursue a career in the publishing field: I have an undergraduate degree in English and certificates in editing, book publishing, and professional editing. The skills that I learned from these courses qualified me to be hired for my first job in the field as an assistant editor for a magazine. When a local university began offering a master’s degree in publishing, I applied and successfully completed the work to obtain the degree.
Though I did not plan to be a business owner, I grew up loving books and felt drawn to the industry. I thought that I wanted to be a teacher but became tired of the public school system. Then, I decided I wanted to write but struggled to make a living writing creatively. So, I decided to become an editor. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be involved in the publishing of books. The process amazes me; there are so many people involved in the creation of something so beautiful and so wonderful.
Since then, I have completed several indexing courses offered by the USDA Graduate School and the University of California. It felt natural to become an indexer to further my education and expand my services. In addition, I have obtained certificates in book publishing, editing, and professional editing. I am continually finding new courses to take or certificates to complete. Being involved in the publishing business provides the opportunity to further my love for the written word. I am a lover of learning, and I have found my calling.
And now, I became the executive director of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors. It seems that I can never get enough of this industry!