The career option I chose using the Career ServicesFocus 2 Career was Editorial

Writer for Newspapers and Magazines. I chose this career because while journalism interests me,

I do not want to limit myself specifically to journalism. Having a degree in Communications can

broaden my horizon in career opportunities. Being an editorial writer for a newspaper or

magazine will give me the leisure to write about controversial, relevant, and happening topics.

According to Focus 2 Career, editorial writers investigate and research current topics about

which there is a public debate or confusion such as in politics, taxes, new laws, war, abortion,

etc. They write and publish their options in newspapers and magazines to mold public opinion.

The entry-level salary for an Editorial Writer is around $38-39,000.00 per year and can

extend all the way to $75,000.00 per year. If you are an exceptional writer and become

successful, you can earn up to $105,000.00 per year (College of Southern Maryland). I would

like to live in a city, most likely Alexandria, VA or New York City, NY, somewhere that has

magazines and newspapers that people actually read. According to the Living Wage Calculator at

MIT, the required income for one adult living in Alexandria, VA is at least $32,659.00 before

taxes (Technology 2017). Believe it or not, the annual income required to live in New York City

is actually lower than Alexandria. To live as one adult in New York City you must earn a

minimum of $30,058.00 per year before taxes (Technology 2017). The estimate for NYC,

however, is based off of Newark, New Jersey expenses and may be inaccurate for heavier

populated places such as Brooklyn or Manhattan (the Living Wage Calculator did not offer

estimates for these places). These estimations include food, healthcare, transportation, housing,

annual taxes, and other miscellaneous expenses.

The work hours for an editorial writer is typically an 8-hour work day, depending upon

whether you work for a company or as a freelance writer. If you are a freelance writer then you
are given a deadline and your hours are managed by yourself. Travel can be involved, again

depending upon what kind of topics you are writing about. According to Focus 2 Career it is

required to attend conferences and events regarding issues and topics that are currently of

concern to readers. A bachelors degree is required, specifically in communications, journalism,

or English and with a broad liberal arts background. There isnt any additional education

required, but of course with higher education comes better opportunities in any career field.

A typical day for an editorial writer, according to Focus 2 Career, is to gather and

interpret facts on specific issues, write personal views and opinions for publication on issues

such as taxes, new laws, etc., conducting interviews with key persons, understanding and

representing both sides of an argument for or against actions, using quotes in editorials, lots of

research, and designing small scale opinion surveys for persons who are relevant to the issues

being researched. As of May 18, 2017 I will have my associates degree in communications. This

is the only reputable experience that I have regarding this profession. I have interviewed people

for classes before, including this class, and I have my own YouTube channel which represents

my skills in communicating with people, keeping up to date on todays topics, and my editing

skills for multimedia. I plan on continuing my education at the University of Maryland, majoring

in communications in order to gain the necessary education required for this career. I plan to

travel abroad to extend my knowledge on other cultures besides my own, and I plan to intern at a

company that is relevant to my career path, hopefully an internship with a newspaper, magazine,

or news station. This career fits perfectly into my mission statement because ultimately I want to

be a writer, and while my dream is to become an author, it is important to have a career plan in

order to gain necessary exposure and experience in order to reach those dreams.
 Works Cited
College of Southern Maryland. n.d. Editorial Writer, Newspapers, and Magazines.
Accessed May 2017.
http://www.focus2career.com/LoggedIn/OccupationOverview.cfm?
OccupationId=10207&ReturnTo=MajorSelectionOccupations.cfm&MajorId=16
7&mtype=major&All=1&Unique={ts%20%272017-05-
05%2009:45:41%27}#.
Technology, Massachusetts Institute of. 2017. Living Wage Calculator. Dr. Amy K.
Glasmeier. Accessed May 2017. http://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/51510.