Career: Desktop Publishers
With the introduction of the personal computer, came desktop publishing. People were suddenly able to create newsletters, calendars, magazines, brochures, and even books from their desk tops.
Thanks to fast and relatively easy-to-use computer programs, desktop publishers can arrange pages, edit photographs and illustrations, and pour in text. They might use their skills to prepare documents to send to a printer or to a webmaster. Whether using a new layout tool or studying HTML, desktop publishers are constantly learning.
Desktop publishers use computer word processing and layout programs to edit, design, and produce materials such as books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and packaging.
Did You Know?
- Desktop publishing jobs can be found almost everywhere in the United States.
Are You Ready To...?
- Design the cover of a book
- Convert a photograph to a digital image
- Cut words from an interview to make it fit on the page
- Lay out pages for a newsletter, making sure to include ads
- Increase or decrease the font size of a headline
It Helps to Be...
Attentive to detail. It takes care to make sure text flows properly across a page and that photos are positioned correctly.
Make High School Count
- Sharpen your writing, editing, and grammar skills in English.
- Take art and photography classes to develop a good eye.
- Get a head start on your career working on the school newspaper or literary journal.
- Start your own zine or blog (web log).
Did You Know?
- Desktop publishers need to take breaks to stay healthy. Staring at a computer screen and typing on a keyboard for hours strains the eye and arm muscles.
Outlook
Government economists expect the number of jobs for desktop publishers to to remain about the same through 2016.
One reason for this lack of new jobs is that office workers of every kind have picked up basic desktop publishing skills. So their employers might not need to hire desktop publishers. Also, many things that used to be printed on paper are now just published on the Web.
Still, job prospects should remain good as workers are promoted or change careers. Workers with computer skills and those with degrees or certificates in desktop publishing, graphic design, or Web design will have the best opportunities.
Compensation
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of desktop publishing specialists was $38,740 in 2008.
