I enjoy #StetChat. It’s an hour-long discussion for editors on Bluesky. Freelancing can be quite solitary sometimes, so I appreciate the chance to chat with other people in my line of work.

This week’s conversation was about certificates and courses for editors. I had a lot to say because I’ve taken quite a few courses over the years.

We began by talking about certificate courses. These are modular programmes with assessments, so it is possible to fail them. I’ve completed the University of California San Diego’s certificate in copyediting. Someone else in the chat had taken the University of Chicago’s editing certificate.

I think it was generally agreed that tutor-assessed courses like these are very useful for editors. They teach techniques that can be used on almost any text. They also show students what good editing looks like.

We then discussed other courses. Among those that received high praise were Library Juice Academy’s introduction to book indexing and the Poynter ACES certificates in editing. I’ve taken a few short courses with Poynter; I think they’re excellent.

Some editors pointed out that editorial training is expensive and not necessarily affordable for everyone.

On the subject of cost, I made the same point twice because I feel quite strongly about it. In the online editing community, there is a very strong culture of training and learning. I think this can sometimes lead people to feel that they need to take courses almost continuously. (I felt like that myself at one point.)

Taking courses feels productive, and it’s often very nice to be part of a learning community. However, there is no guarantee that any course will improve your employment prospects or result in more work.

In my experience, the best courses have assessments, deadlines, interactive activities, reading assignments, and tutors. They often take place over a staggered period, giving the learning a chance to sink in.

Not all courses are equal.

Editing courses that are simply a series of printouts or webpages can feel like overpriced books. Of course, some are worth their weight in gold, but it’s often not until you’ve paid for them that you find out whether they’re any good.

Personally, I’d advise anyone on a tight budget to investigate cheaper alternatives, such as books or podcasts, before committing money to this type of course.

If you’re considering editing as a career, you might find the following books and podcasts help you decide whether or not to spend hundreds on formal training. There is a lot to learn from all of them:

• Editing fiction at sentence level by Louise Harnby
• The Chicago guide to copyediting fiction by Amy J. Schneider
• The copyeditor’s handbook by Amy Einsohn and Marilyn Schwartz
• The editing podcast with Louise Harnby and Denise Cole
• The freelancer podcast with Andy Hodges