I was a
Dow Jones intern and discovered I loved copy editing. The problem is, I
have a binder full of reporting clips and very few editing ones.
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I recently
broke into journalism after getting a master's degree. Now I've decided
I'd rather be a copy editor than a reporter. I'd love to find a
copy-editing position at a mid-sized paper, but I feel that my one
summer of editing will not be enough.
I was offered another
copy-editing internship at a mid-sized paper, but they asked for a
long-term commitment (two to three years) at the intern pay rate
without benefits or guarantee of hiring afterward. I turned it down
because I didn't want to be a 28-year-old intern without health
insurance a few years from now. But now I am wondering whether I made
the right decision, because my current job has nothing to do with copy
editing. Should I quit my job next year and reapply for the long-term
commitment?
New York 
A little patience will get you what you want.
Your
desire to be an editor is big, as is the Dow Jones credential. The
recommendations of your internship supervisors will count for a lot,
too. Those things, plus a letter-perfect cover letter and resume, will
make up for the understandable lack of clips.
Mid-size can be
quite a range, but I think the industry's chronic shortage of copy
editors means that, if you're good and can prove it on a test and in an
interview, you'll be able to get something good at a full salary --
with benefits.
Keep looking.
