As a student, Christopher Tschida studied to achieve a Bachelor's Degree in English and minored in Secondary Education and Management from Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn. Undecided about his career goals, he decided the educational path would be interesting and would eventually lead to a career he liked; if all failed, he could fall back on teaching.

Straight out of college, he decided to explore his interest in writing, and signed on in a role that tapped into his writing abilities and his passion for gold: as an editor and writer for a start-up golfing magazine. A degree in English prepared him for the mechanics of writing and editing, while his love of the subject created an environment to succeed. He spent ten years with the publication, meeting deadlines, winning design layouts, earning more subscribers.

Mr. Tschida recently shifted publishing career paths to become the editor of two publications of the Industrial Fabrics Association International. His new role was won based on not only his writing and editing ability, but also his knowledge of the technical aspects of publishing, including the design process and software. In retrospect, he notes, "In terms of specifically getting in to the magazine field, I think that focusing more on journalism (in school) is probably a good idea."

I have been on the editorial side of magazine publishing for 10 years. I have worked both as a writer and editor and currently am the editor for two trade publications of the Industrial Fabrics Association International.

I enjoy the creative aspect; creating ideas for stories that will be of interest to magazine readers, and creating interesting stories off a blank sheet of paper (or computer screen) from a single idea. Also, as an editor, it is very satisfying when the final, printed version of a magazine arrives, knowing that my work created the product which is now sitting in front of me.

I dislike dealing with unorganized writers. It turns into a babysitting-type of situation, having to check in on them to make sure they're doing the job for which I'm paying them. I count on writers for the success of the magazine. One missed deadline can cause huge problems in the production process. With that said, I also dislike fighting deadlines. In other words, the details of running any business and managing a staff are the issues which I like least about my career.

Right out of college, I started working for a new publication. Over the ten years that I was with that magazine, I had a hand in shaping all aspects of editorial and, to some extent, design. I believe magazines are - or should be - constantly evolving entities. If magazines don't continually change, they get boring and stale for their readers. I'm always looking at ways to improve the publications that I produce, be it with editorial content or design aspects.

One setback was the management structure of my first job. The editor was off site, leaving me as the sole editorial staff at the company's headquarters. Although being independent had its pros, I had little contact with my editor and received little feedback on the work that I was doing. I believe I missed out on some learning opportunities that would have helped to better prepare me as I advanced in my career. Another setback was being laid off from the above position. I realized that there were few editorial jobs, and even fewer in the industry I'm familiar with and enjoy but it was a rough time. However, it worked out; I did eventually find a job with many opportunities.

The first job I had was with a golf magazine. I enjoy all aspects of the game and the industry. One of my beats was equipment. Any assignment I had dealing with equipment was fun and satisfying. I think it's difficult to find a job in an industry that you are passionate about. Magazine editing is nice in that way because it doesn't require you to excel at your hobby but lets you look at it more in-depth if you are able to get involved in a publication which deals with the topic.

I also enjoy magazine redesigns. It's a very creative process and provides a blank slate to improve the look of a publication. In terms of the technical aspect of what I do at my job, that is always a favorite activity of mine.

I was tasked with improving the look and content of two trade publications. That is both a short-term and long-term goal. Looking broader and more long-term, I'd like to get back in the golf industry with a large publication; or be hired by a startup and grow it. In other words, I like where I was at when I first started in the industry of magazine editing and publication and I want to continue on with that but with the skills and knowledge that I now have.

I went to a small private school, and obtained a B.A. degree in English with minors in management and secondary education. At the time, I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do for a career, but I knew that I enjoyed the study of English and had faith that I would eventually find a job that worked for me. I chose my minors thinking that I could always be a high school teacher. I thought English would be a good way to communicate learning opportunities with students. However, the more involved I got in the education field, the less I was sure that it was right for me. I worked in retail during college and met a lot of college graduates who were teachers looking for jobs.

I didn't want to be in that position of really struggling with a teaching career. It was then, during college and as I was first graduated, that I decided I should more seriously consider other careers. An English degree leads naturally in to working in the field of written communication. Although I didn't specifically obtain a journalism degree, the two were closely linked and I began to look at positions related to that. This led to finding the first job at a magazine. With my experience, my current position as an editor gives me the opportunity to do some teaching, so the different aspects of my education came together in the magazine field. I enjoy that aspect, and I think doing so benefits the people I work with, which in turn, benefits my magazines.

The English degree provided me with “technical” aspects of writing and editing, and exposed me to many, many types of writing. My management background has helped me deal with the management and business side of publishing a magazine, and dealing with the organizational aspects is important to the job. I also use teaching skills almost everyday. And that background has helped me to communicate more effectively with a variety of different people which would have been useful in any field but which is critical in a field built upon clearly communicating ideas. Basically, although I didn't take a direct path in my education, I can see now how an English degree combined with management and teaching skills allowed me to develop a skills set which works naturally for the editing world.

Campus size, number of students, teacher/student ratios, reputation in specific disciplines; all of the things that students consider generally about college apply to the degrees which lead to the magazine and publishing field. A big thing for me was consideration of class size. I enjoyed, and got a lot more out of, the small class sizes at a small private school. When I got into more specific classes, I had classes of less than ten students so I was really able to benefit from one-to-one interaction with professors and getting to know a handful of students with the same interests as mine.

In terms of specifically getting in to the magazine field, I think that focusing more on journalism is probably a good idea. My degree allowed me some flexibility in finding a position but there was the chance that I'd get outranked in jobs by those with journalism degrees and experience specific to publishing. My experience did teach me, though, that combining secondary degrees with my major focus could really give me a diverse skills set and open up doors, so I would say that looking at degree minors in addition to your main program is a good idea.

I know it helped me to have a very neat, organized and professional application, including all of the questions and additional work that the application asks about.

I don't think so. But I do know that graduating from a journalism school may give someone an edge over graduating with a general degree like the one that I held.

I manage all aspects of magazine production, including assigning stories to writers, creating content, editing, organizing production schedules, designing layouts, dealing with budgets.

When it comes down to it, meeting deadlines is the most challenging, followed by creating new, fresh, interesting story ideas. All of the aspects listed above are managed in order to get a quality publication to its readers on time.

The two trade publications I manage deal with industries in which I have little to no experience, so trying to come up with fresh, interesting and creative stories is stressful. Meeting deadlines and providing content that is beneficial to my readers causes some anxiety. So basically, the things which challenge me are those which cause anxiety, which I suppose would be true of most jobs.

When I worked for the golf magazine, most people thought I played a lot of golf, which wasn't the case. Editors are not necessarily experts in the field or industry in which they work, but it really helps. Also, I don't write much myself, which surprises a lot of people, since I work at a magazine. My role is more of a manager, and I like that, but it's not something which the average person necessarily understands unless I go into greater description about my work.

With trade publications, I'm offering a product that helps my readers with their businesses. It's important to keep that focus when planning content. It's easy to forget that, but if you keep that aspect in mind it makes it easier to do the job and also focuses the publication for the benefit of the readers.

I would hope that my work on the consumer magazine helped the readers enjoy the game of golf and gave them joy just by reading and engaging in something they love. On the other hand, it's not brain surgery, so for me it's important to keep it in perspective and try to not get too worked up about my job. I think it's important and I'm glad that I do something I enjoy, but I don't think it's the be-all-and-end-all career for society.

Technology. If you have an editing and journalism background as well as experience in design, and especially if you can design on the web, you have an edge up in this field.

I think it helps to enjoy and be knowledgeable about the industry in which you choose to work, especially in being the editor of a magazine. If I had to produce a magazine about ballet, I'd bet it wouldn't be a very good magazine about ballet unless I really committed myself to an in-depth exploration of the topic. I don't think it's absolutely necessary; I mean, if you have a great staff and you are committed to the work, you might not need to be passionate. But it certainly helps.

I think there are a number of jobs available in the field; it depends on what you want to do and where you want to work. I started as an “editorial assistant.” Someone with a great writing portfolio who gets recognized by a good editor can begin as a writer or do freelance work. There's copy editing work. Basically, if you just want to break into the magazine field in general and you don't have a lot of credentials, you can get in and do some exploring and find your footing.

Taking an “entry level” position is a good way to get your foot in the door, and can be a steppingstone for better positions. Internships are helpful in this area as well. Networking is a good method of getting in to places where you might not have otherwise gotten in. Someone with experience or a background in journalism/writing and a specific discipline may be able to start at a higher level than someone with only journalism or writing experience.

It's helpful to be outgoing, to not be afraid of calling people and asking them for information. At times, I have to have a salesperson's mentality to keep calling and asking for information, even after they've promised to send it to me. I was shy when I started and didn't want to “bug” people, but it's a necessity, and if you don't do it and don't get what you need, the magazine will suffer.