How To Become A Non-Linear Editor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a non-linear editor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted Expert

Allison Harl Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a non-linear editor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.72 an hour? That's $49,347 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 9,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Non-Linear Editor?

Allison Harl Ph.D.

Associate Professor of English English Program Coordinator, Ferrum College

Develop as many multimedia skills as possible. Writing in the 21st century is about visual rhetoric as well as just words on a page.

ScoreNon-Linear EditorUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,347

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.5

Growth Rate 12%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 7.03%

Black or African American 6.56%

Hispanic or Latino 17.74%

Unknown 5.23%

White 63.20%

Gender

female 27.71%

male 72.29%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress Level

5.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a non-linear editor

Explore non-linear editor education requirements

Most common non-linear editor degrees

Bachelor's

71.8 %

Associate

13.5 %

Master's

7.6 %

Start to develop specific non-linear editor skills

Skills	Percentages
Adobe Premiere	14.32%
Fiction	12.86%
Non-Fiction	11.14%
ABC	10.89%
TV Commercials	10.07%

Complete relevant non-linear editor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New non-linear editors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a non-linear editor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real non-linear editor resumes.

Research non-linear editor duties and responsibilities

Manage international man-made fiber market research/publishing company and supervise editorial content and sales of industry statistical journal.
Read and edit fiction & non-fiction submissions and make recommendations on what pieces to publish in a bi-yearly literary journal
Review and vote for poetry, short fiction, non-fiction and art to be publish.
Authore DVD's for in-house and client use.

Prepare your non-linear editor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your non-linear editor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a non-linear editor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Non-Linear Editor Resume templates

Build a professional Non-Linear Editor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Non-Linear Editor resume.

Apply for non-linear editor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a non-linear editor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do non-linear editors rate their job?