I can haz TAFE plz?There are many times that I have been reading, perhaps a book, a menu or an advertisement, and I've thought, "That's not how that's spelled," or, "Well, that could be taken a few ways." I'm not perfect, and I know it, but I tend to find spelling mistakes when I read. When I see things typed up on the computer I often want to change them, to make them flow better or be easier to read or more logically formatted. Why? There's something inside me that drives me to do so.
Over the past two years I've thought about what career I'd like to pursue. All through my early years of high-school I thought I'd become a psychologist. (I hear it can stem from the desire to heal oneself.) By about Year 11 I realised I no longer wanted to do that (and I'd certainly stopped being So Messed Up).
My thoughts on a career varied. "Oh," I thought, "a Photographer, that would be awesome!" But it seemed like a tough industry, I wondered if I could really make it, wow it's pretty expensive, do I really have the talent, no, no maybe not. Well then, being a Graphic Designer sounded great! For a while. After losing interest in that, too, I wondered if I could make a living from proofreading. No way, that must be a pipe dream. Then along came Naturopathy (again, stemming from the desire to heal myself mixed with helping other people). But then I lost interest; so many years to become one, I don't think it'll fit with my other life plans, and so on. Safety Officer? Auditor? Systems Analyst? The thoughts came and went. I wondered, could I get paid to proofread? Bah, probably not. Who would hire someone just to sit around and read books all day?
I looked into it, though, more thoroughly than ever before. Why not? I enjoyed reading. I easily picked up mistakes in what I read. I liked to change things so that they're easier to read or so that they make more sense. Surely I could put all of these together?
While searching the internet I saw associations of proofreaders, the world over. "Wow, is this too good to be true?" From there I followed the road down towards different types of editors. Copy editor, book editor; yeah, that sounded good. Next stop, what sort of qualifications do I need? Uni wouldn't provide them for me - Bachelor of Creative Writing, are you serious? Only one unit had to do with proofreading, and I couldn't 'creative write' to save myself! Well, TAFE was the next place to look. Search: proofreading. Search: editing. Success! Diploma of Editing (Publishing), an 18 month course. I liked the sound of that. And after looking at what the course entailed, I really liked the sound of it.
My application was submitted in September 07, and I was told to wait until January 08 to hear of my acceptance/rejection. Looking back, the time seems to have flown. But when I looked forward on that September day, January was forever away. The wait was made all the more nervous by knowing that I was most likely going to get in. Everyone who applied in 06 got into 07. My OP from high-school was good. I've been working since I finished school, and my work areas have been relevant to the Diploma. But "most likely" isn't "definitely". "Most likely" wouldn't cushion the fall if I organised my year around getting in to the course and then ended up being rejected.
Thankfully I won't need a cushion, because I feel like jumping for joy over the news that I've been accepted!
My first day of class is February 11.
Boo. Freaking. Yeah.
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Happy
Devious Comments
I have a friend who works as a technical writer and makes a good living doing what she loves.
M-
And, thanks.
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I also wanted to be a psychologist too. And I was a little messed up years 8-10. But then I got over myself and turned everything around and now here I am.
I love the way you wrote your journal
Good luck and I wish you all the best in your proofreading adventures!
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I didn't realise you had troubles in the early years of high-school. As for myself, I wouldn't change a thing about the past. Everything I've been through has helped make me who I am, and I'm totally happy with myself these days
I'm glad you enjoyed the writing style
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Yes, I can hear the cogs turning O_o
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