What is it like being a video editor?

Yes, editor is a job. An editor in the film or television industry is the person who operates the editing software used to put together video, audio, titles etc. for a given program. In some cases the editor makes the editing decisions, in other cases a director can make the editing decisions. There are two parts to editing, the mechanical side, operating the software, and knowing which clips to use, what transitions to use, and so on. There are schools that teach both, the software and the do's and do's of editing. Either way most of your time as an editor will be spent in front of a computer. If this is what you enjoy that's great. I prefer producing it gives me opportunities to work with all the production people. James Hout Producer/Director/Writer and yes, many years as an editor. Thanks for your question.

It is a job. A very important job.
Almost any video you see anywhere, from television shows to television commercials, Hollywood films to training videos when you are hired for a job, all are produced by trained professional editors.
I've been editing for a long, long time. It takes a lot of patience and there is a lot of repetition. But it seems like you already have the bug and so you don't mind tedious things, because time flies when you're editing.
The hardest part is often having people not know exactly what is required for a good finished product. Things like good writing and production values that can make or break a video, before it even gets to the edit room.
Like most things, there is a craft to video editing, and when you master the craft you can take it to the next level, which is art.
Editing makes you a great storyteller and so you can use those skills in many other aspects of life.
I would definitely recommend moving up to Premiere Pro if you can.
It's not the same interface as iMovie but the principles are the same, and it's what many professionals use these days. You'll get the hang of it.
Learn Photoshop and After Effects and some music composition too and then you'll have the basics for being an editor who can charge money for your work.
It's like being a bass player. Every movie maker or producer needs a skilled editor.
Good luck!

Hello...

There are some great answers here, but one of the ones that hit it on the head is "it's a job". But often it can be an incredible job! There is something new every day and it's great to help shape things. I don't do as much editing as I used to do, but I always enjoyed it. It's amazing to know that sometimes with just a little trim or cut you can change a video. You can provide the pace for the video.

A Good editor can take any footage and bring it to life. I have some editors that I work with that have saved by bacon over and over again by making the right choices.

Learn your craft. learn the programs that are out there (I'm a fan of Final Cut myself). Practice. And then Practice some more.

And know that while it's a job, it's often a job with no spotlight. It can be very thankless (unless you have someone like me as a producer who thanks the editor over and over again). But in the end, when you are looking at the finished product, it is more rewarding than any of the other jobs I've done in this business (and I've done a little of everything).

Best of luck and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any question.

Hi Jesus!

Here are some sites relating to video editing that you might find interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpE_JBY-pDU

http://study.com/articles/Become_a_Professional_Video_Editor_Education_and_Career_Roadmap.html

http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/become-a-better-video-editor/

Here is the site that lists professional organizations to which video editors might belong. You could contact a chapter and arrange to go to a meeting to mix and mingle and learn from the pros.

http://www.videouniversity.com/directories/local-video-associations/

Send thank you notes to those who help you and keep me posted. I would like to follow your progress!!

Hi,
I always like to answer questions first if I can...I am not a video editor but I did find some youtube videos online that show a day in the life of a video editor...type video editing day in the life into a google search online and there are 2 interesting videos for you to watch "A Day In The Life: Video Editor" and "day in the life of an editor"
good luck!