Rebecca (Creating a Career That Adapts)

Rebecca was partway through a creative writing degree when a copy editing course made her change direction. She’d always been the type to mentally correct other people’s grammar, and she realized that a career built around doing exactly that made perfect sense. She set about learning everything she could about proofreading and editing – and that head start paid off. 

Shortly after finishing her degree, Rebecca landed a contract role with Grammarly and started to pick up freelance clients of her own. Issues with chronic pain made freelancing a far better fit than a conventional office job. When she found Knowadays, she jumped at the chance to get formal training to further develop the career she’d already started to build.

Read on to discover how Rebecca built a flexible freelance proofreading and editing career that lets her work around her health rather than against it.

Hi, Rebecca! Can you tell us where you’re from and a bit about your background?

I’m based in Arkansas in the US. I started training as a proofreader and editor during college. Since graduating, I’ve exclusively worked in that field (besides one unusual contract that involved adding premade code to legal documents).

What made you consider a career as a proofreader or editor?

I pursued a creative writing degree in college, but a couple of years in, I started doubting whether writing was something I wanted to pursue as a career. Then I took a copy editing course and fell in love with the idea of editing for a living. I was already the type of person who spotted and mentally corrected grammatical errors, so it seemed like a perfect fit.

Had you done any proofreading or editing before starting the Knowadays courses?

Yes, I was fortunate enough to secure a contract position with Grammarly shortly after I graduated in December 2015, and I’ve had several freelance clients. I’ve edited a wide variety of documents, including academic papers, advertising copy, web pages, and works of fiction. Besides my copy editing class, I didn’t have any formal training before Knowadays; I was mostly self-taught.

How did you decide Knowadays was right for you?

There were several proofreading and editing courses I looked at online, but once I took Knowadays’ free trial lessons, I knew it was the one for me. Getting a discount on the proofreading and editing bundle was a nice bonus too.

Can you tell us a bit about your learning process?

I was only working part-time when I started the courses, so I had plenty of time to study after my shifts. If I recall correctly, I did about one module a day, though the editing course took a bit longer due to life circumstances. It took me around 4–6 months to complete the training.

Did you enjoy taking the courses? What was your favorite part of the learning experience? 

I already had a strong grasp of grammatical conventions and proofreading and editing skills, but I got to learn about the ethics of editing, the editing industry, and advanced editing techniques.

I enjoyed the course for that and the way it was structured. It gave me the freedom to go at my own pace and was organized in a way that kept me on track.

Was there anything you found surprising or particularly tricky? How did you overcome any challenges?

Learning how to proofread and edit EFL (English as a foreign language) content was tough. Not only did I have to learn how to deduce what the author was trying to say, but I also had to learn when I was going too far with editing them.

Was your course experience what you hoped for? Do you feel your investment was good value?

Absolutely! The price tag on the courses gave me pause at first, but it was a great investment in my career. It didn’t take me long to earn more than I’d spent.

I’m so grateful to the tutors for answering my questions and helping me figure out where I could do better in my practice documents. The quizzes and practice tests helped put it all together, so I felt more prepared for the final assignment and my future career.

How was your experience with the Proofed work trial?

I started working right after I got my certification in March 2025. The hardest part of the trial was getting enough documents to complete it. Sometimes, it’d take a while for jobs to enter the queue, so it ended up taking me a bit over three months to finish. I realize that’s not very encouraging for anyone looking to join Proofed, but since then, I’ve had several opportunities with Proofed’s business clients, which provide steadier work.

What was your experience of Proofed after completing your trial period?

I learned a lot about the proofreading process and where I could do better, and that gave me more confidence in my skills. I’m part of several business client teams now, which has expanded the types of documents I work on and taught me how to juggle multiple style guides.

I work on Proofed documents five days a week (sometimes more if I want a little extra pay or have a tricky document I need time to work on). I don’t have an exact count since the work isn’t always consistent, but when we have a steady stream of documents coming in, I’d say I work on about 15 a week, depending on their length and complexity.

During or after your Proofed trial, did you look for proofreading work elsewhere as well? 

I’ve managed to pick up some more freelance work since I completed the Knowadays editing course. I’ve also been looking for part-time work to fill in the gaps in my Proofed work, though I haven’t had any luck in that department so far.

How did you find the transition to freelance or remote work?

I’ve been freelancing remotely since I graduated college, which has been good for my chronic pain issues that would make taking an in-person job difficult.

Where do you usually work from? What’s your setup like?

My setup is a bit unusual. Because of my chronic pain issues, I have my monitors (yep, two of them!) mounted on a bedside table like the ones they use in hospitals so I can lie down while I work, minimizing my pain. I’ll admit that I have to sit up sometimes so I don’t doze off – especially in the early mornings!

Can you tell us about your usual work routine?

For a while, I worked on a 10-to-5 schedule with lunch at 1:00 PM. I’ve been moving toward eight-hour days, but I’m definitely not a morning person, so it’s been a slow process. Plus, because of my aforementioned chronic pain issues and whatever fun new health concerns decide to pop up, there are some weeks when I have so many appointments that I lose several work hours, so I’ll pick up weekend work sometimes to make up for that.

What do you enjoy most about working as a proofreader and editor?

For one, I get paid for correcting grammatical errors! Working with so many types of documents has expanded my skill set too. I was right to think that I’d love it as a career!

Do you have a favorite type of document or project to work on?

I love working with creative writing, given my degree and my lifelong love of writing and reading fiction.

Is there anything you’ve found surprising or challenging about the job?

I’m surprised by the work I have to do that isn’t just correcting grammar, style, tone, etc. The biggest deviation comes from one client company that requires us to fact-check articles for compliance in addition to proofreading. It’s been a real challenge to find reliable sources, especially when it comes to legal matters. Legalese makes my brain hurt.

What do you enjoy most about working freelance or working remotely?

I have driving anxiety, so not having to commute every day is such a relief. There’s not much traffic between my bed and my workplace.

Is there anything you’ve found surprising or challenging about freelance life?

Definitely learning to stick to a schedule. Grammarly had us working specific shifts, but for the most part, I’ve had to kick myself into gear to avoid sleeping in or just going, “Eh, I don’t feel like it today.” Setting a consistent schedule teaches my brain when to go into work mode and when it can relax.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

I’ve been reading more lately, especially fantasy and science fiction. I also enjoy online role-play, which is essentially a collaborative writing environment where I create stories with other people through our characters. And when I’m not doing those, I’m probably playing way too many video games.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your current freelance working life?

The hardest part of freelancing, especially in this field, is that it can be hard to get work. Editing is a competitive field, and a lot of people aren’t willing to pay proofreaders and editors what they’re worth. It can be frustrating sometimes, but when I get the chance to sit down and tackle a document, it’s so satisfying. The remote work makes it easier for me to manage my health issues too.

How has life changed for you since becoming a freelance proofreader and editor?

Freelancing was my introduction to the working world, and it’s the only kind of work I’ve ever done. It’s been challenging, but being able to do something I’m so passionate about makes everything worth it.

Do you feel you benefited from taking the Knowadays courses? Did they help you achieve your goals?

Definitely. I learned a lot from the courses, and thanks to them, I’m now working with Proofed.

What advice would you give someone who’s thinking about taking a Knowadays course?

You might feel a bit of sticker shock with the courses, but if you can secure a job with your new knowledge, it’s all worth it.

If you ever feel discouraged while working through the courses, remember that you have smart, reliable tutors on your side.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your journey, your work, or your experience with Knowadays?

I just want to thank Knowadays and Proofed for giving me the skills and support I need to advance in my career.

Do you have a website or LinkedIn profile you’d be happy for us to share?

Here is my LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-brown-2aa568205/. 

Becoming A Proofreader and Becoming An Editor 

Today, Rebecca works as a freelance proofreader and editor from a desk setup built entirely around her health – two monitors mounted on a bedside table so she can work lying down. It lets her do the work she loves without letting her pain get in the way.

Want to build a flexible freelance proofreading and editing career of your own? Our Becoming A Proofreader and Becoming An Editor courses let you work at your own pace with no limits or deadlines, so you can study whenever and however suits you. And once you pass both with distinction scores of 80% or above, you’ll gain access to guaranteed work with our partner company, Proofed.

Buy both courses as a bundle to save 15%.