The story of how I got into proofreading and editing

I have always been good with spelling and grammar, despite being neurodivergent and having elements of autism and ADHD in my personality make-up. Plus, I thrive on attention to detail. Little details interest me, such as finding the nicest places to visit during a holiday, or even arranging travel and working out train or bus times.

For many years, I worked in accounts-based roles. I have always been quite good with numbers; in fact, I can work out sums that many people cannot. But it never felt like an ideal career or a calling. I have often wondered what my purpose and calling is. I assumed that, because I was into spirituality, self-help and the like, that my career should fit somewhere within that bracket.

Like every other person (it seems these days), I wanted to be a coach. But, unbeknown to me (at least consciously), I still had way too much unhealed trauma, and a friend of mine said to me that he would never have used my services if I had become a coach. I was slightly deluded, to be honest. I spent a lot of money on a course which turned out to be the wrong choice for me.

In 2024, I had the most brutal mental health episode of my life, which culminated in me having to move back with my parents for a while. I won’t delve any more into that event on this post, but it made me think a lot, about various things, and changed the course of my life in so many ways.

I think I had thought a little bit about proofreading, and had always enjoyed checking documentation for errors. The real turning points were: 1) A friend of mine, who I would never have mentioned proofreading to, giving me a channelled message about proofreading. This was pretty much confirmation that I was meant to go down this route. 2) The College of Media and Publishing offering a discount for their Proofreading and Editing course, and not only that, I was able to pay in three instalments (even after seeing on their website that this was not an option for the discounted course fee). This made things a lot easier, as my financial situation was not great.

I now wish that I had gotten into proofreading as a profession, 10 or 20 years ago. I had the skills set then. But sometimes, we are so blinded by our conditioning and what we think we should be doing, that we make decisions that are not for our benefit.

So I hope you can be part of this new chapter of my life.