# If being able to spell properly is such an unusual talent, **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 15, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126 "2005-02-15T02:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/21 "2005-02-15T18:10:11Z")
Just curious . . . do copy editors do that little _point to God_ thing like athletes do when they make a touchdown or score a goal? Cuz that would be cool. It’s “separate”, you twit. _points to God_ ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/22 "2005-02-15T18:34:54Z")
> [@BayleDomon](#): > > It doesn’t necessarily take a lot, usually just a demonstration that you have attention to detail. Usually a Bachelor’s in language-related subjects is required from employers; my employer was looking for someone with an English or Journalism degree, but my Linguistics degree also suited. Your ideas intrigue me, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Do you think a minor in English or Journalism, coupled with maybe a few summers of volunteer or intern work, would do the job? (Asked the college freshman who makes some pizza money proofreading papers.) ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/23 "2005-02-15T18:41:28Z")
I have a degree in French. Hmmm… maybe I should take some journalism classes. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/24 "2005-02-15T18:43:10Z")
> [@AwSnappity](#): > > I have a degree in French. Hmmm… maybe I should take some journalism classes. D’oh! I meant to say I’m _getting_ a degree in French. Jumping the gun a little, I am. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/25 "2005-02-15T18:54:27Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > Your ideas intrigue me, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. > > Do you think a minor in English or Journalism, coupled with maybe a few summers of volunteer or intern work, would do the job? (Asked the college freshman who makes some pizza money proofreading papers.) I couldn’t say for sure. Mind, I’ve only been at this job since graduating last summer, so I’m not ready to speak from the lofty position of veteran yet. 😉 But from what I recall during my job hunt, there were several jobs that didn’t absolutely require a Bachelor’s, but those were more often than not simply temp gigs. Still, if you can turn your proofreading on the side into something that sounds like you gained real experience from it, and you emphasize your minor, you might be able to find a job where you’re liked well enough to overcome the requirements obstacle. I think half the reason I got hired was the fact that I click very well with my coworkers. We’re all a bunch of snarky elitists here – best environment for a proofreader to work in. 😃 [On preview] If you’re getting a degree in a foreign language, instead of copy editing I’d strongly advise considering translation instead. You get to indulge in the same sorts of nitpickery, it’s a lot more fun (IMO) than simply proofreading, and like **matt\_mcl** said, the chances of getting paid better are good. Hell of a Pit thread this turned out to be, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/26 "2005-02-15T19:19:44Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > . On these boards, with a cross-section of members of above-average intelligence… Cite? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/27 "2005-02-15T19:35:44Z")
> [@Juniper200](#): > > Become a copy editor! Spell, punctuate and otherwise nitpick for fun and profit! I like this recruitment strategy! I would love to nitpick for fun and profit. I’m just doing it as a hobby now. Oh, how my fingers ache to point out everyone’s spelling and grammar errors here, but I rein myself in, reminding myself that no one loves a pain in the ass. So, copy editor, eh? I may have to look into this. I don’t have a degree in anything - just putting “Really good speller” on my résumé probably won’t cut it, will it? We still need that animated “raspberry” smiley, **Jackmannii**. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/28 "2005-02-15T20:34:02Z")
I know I babbled a few times about how I got started; a search on my username and “copyeditor” should turn up some useful info to add what others have said. (I’m too busy editing today to look it up or type it all out again myself!) ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/29 "2005-02-16T04:19:39Z")
From [The Onion](http://www.theonion.com/index.php?issue=4104): “[Someday, I Will Copyedit The Great American Novel](http://www.theonion.com/opinion/index.php?issue=4104&o=2)” > [@](#): > > Most of my coworkers here at Washington Mutual have no idea who I really am. They see me correcting spelling errors in press releases and removing excess punctuation from quarterly reports, and they think that’s all there is to me. But behind these horn-rimmed glasses, there’s a woman dreaming big dreams. I won’t be stuck standardizing verb tenses in business documents my whole life. One day, I will copyedit the Great American Novel. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/30 "2005-02-16T12:20:08Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > why can’t I make money at it? Because no-one cares? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/31 "2005-02-16T13:37:24Z")
One reason many people spell poorly is the use (overuse) of spell-check. They come to rely on it, although it truely isn’t reliable. It will ignore homophones, for obvious reasons, but the writer still appears foolish. [ex] If one means to write sense, but instead types cents, spell-check doesn’t correct it.[/ex] I was a poor speller when I was young. In college I learned to keep a good dictionary close at hand. I still use it, rather than spell-check. I think it makes me more alert to questionable words. Just my take… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/32 "2005-02-16T15:02:23Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > Because no-one cares? No one cares about spelling? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/33 "2005-02-16T15:23:56Z")
It’s been firmly established here on the Dope that some people DO really care about spelling. I do quite a bit of online dating, and bad spelling on someone’s profile immediately discounts them for me. I always notice bad spelling, at work, on signs, etc. A couple weeks ago I wrote in a post “horde” instead of “hoard” and I’m still cringing about it. _I_ care about spelling! ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/34 "2005-02-17T03:16:36Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > why can’t I make money at it? > > I see the same words misspelled time after time after time. On these boards, with a cross-section of members of above-average intelligence, am I really so unusual that I can spell most words correctly? If so, why can’t I make some kind of living with my superpowers? Can I become, **like** , a freelance speller? A spelling consultant? And what kind of world do we live in where my one true talent is something I can’t make a living with? > > And the first person to tell me that spelling isn’t important gets a kick in the arse. > > {makes offering at the altar of **Gaudere**.} Why would want to become only LIKE a freelance speller? Why not become a real freelance speller? And, like, then you can, like, flunk all the, like, subliterates, who put, like, “like” in front of, like, words. I’m like cringing every time I hear what I just said. Like, aaarrrrrghhhh. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/35 "2005-02-17T05:48:25Z")
How about you put the word “something” in the offending sentence, smartass? “Can I become something like a freelance speller?” In that particular sentence, the use of “like” was not superfluous. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/36 "2005-02-17T06:08:38Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > And what kind of world do we live in where my one true talent is something I can’t make a living with? Weird, I’m the same way. Spelling has always been natural to me, but not much else has. Kind of like Charlie Brown, I guess. (On an unrelated note- I had a dream a few nights ago that you were actually Lou Reed. I think I read too much of the SDMB and my Lou Reed book) ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/37 "2005-02-17T07:53:01Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > Do you think a minor in English or Journalism, coupled with maybe a few summers of volunteer or intern work, would do the job? (Asked the college freshman who makes some pizza money proofreading papers.) The minor would probably be a good start, but in addition to proofreading papers you might want to offer your services to your college newspaper, and if your college has a writing center they may be looking for peer tutors. I’ve had a number of copyediting and proofreading jobs over the years. For most of them my English major got me in the door; this became easier once I got some teaching experience (started out by tutoring in the writing center). Almost every place I worked hired me only after giving me a copyediting test (including proofreading). Eventually I got into technical copyediting as a freelance, and the money wasn’t bad. In my current job I’m the local authority on grammar, spelling, and word processing–not exactly cutting-edge science (which is what my coworkers do), but a nice little niche. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/38 "2005-02-17T10:34:05Z")
Great minds? > **[Proofreading papers for fun and profit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=302552)** > > I’m a freshman college student who 1. spells very well, 2. understands the rules of grammar, and 3. has a bit of free time now that they’re scaling back Arrested Development (sob). The plan: Proofread other students’ papers for fun, practice, and... ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/39 "2005-02-17T17:13:02Z")
> [@Talon Karrde](#): > > \(On an unrelated note- I had a dream a few nights ago that you were actually Lou Reed. I think I read too much of the SDMB and my Lou Reed book) AHHH!!! MY COVER’S BLOWN!!! **Ignatz** , my use of the colloquial “like” in my OP was an attempt at demonstrating its light tone, and contrasting the correct (I hope) grammar of the rest of it. It may have been too subtle, I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126/40 "2005-02-17T20:00:24Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#): > > Great minds? Nah, just one great mind. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-being-able-to-spell-properly-is-such-an-unusual-talent/290126.md?page=3)