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Degree and Year: BJ '99 (News-Editorial), BSBA '99 (Finance) Company: Forbes.com Company Web Site: http://www.forbes.com/ Title: Senior Technology Reporter City and State: San Francisco, Calif.
I was named a member of 2004's "30 under 30," an annual award given to 30 of the country's top financial journalists under the age of 30. Also, my travel writing has appeared in the San Francisco (Calif.) Chronicle. What do you do? I write about technology from a business point-of-view for Forbes.com, with a focus on providing unique analysis and insights. My sources include hedge fund and mutual fund managers, industry analysts, stock analysts and top executives. My previous jobs have included writing about the semiconductor and PC industries for TheStreet.com and CBS MarketWatch and covering retail corporations for the San Francisco Business Times. Best professional lesson learned at the J-School? There are several themes I found prevalent during my time at Mizzou that have been reinforced since I have joined the working world. First, do not miss deadlines. Learn to write under pressure, and you will go far. Second, there are no excuses for errors, regardless of how little time you have to write your stories. Third, the competition that is inherent at MU's J-School is an accurate reflection of the competition in the real world. While that means you have to find effective ways of dealing with this competition, it does not mean you must be consumed by it. What would be your best advice to current students? Learn from the tremendous resources all around you. The professors, professional students and staff there have researched, talked to people, and written things far beyond what you can imagine. Take this seriously because in a few years you'll be getting paid to research, talk to people and write these same kinds of things. Secondly, respect your sources. Many of your sources are doing you a favor by talking with you. Finally, accurately evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Can you interview people? Can you think on your feet? Can you write clearly? Can you write on deadline? Can you work with numbers? Can you spot trends? Can you find the news? Fix the weaknesses before you get paid to use all the skills a reporter is supposed to have. What are your next career steps? I'll keep trying to improve my reporting and writing capabilities, wherever that may lead me. I'm trying to do more non-financial reporting/writing, such as travel pieces. I'm also working on a couple of personal essays. What did you want to be as a kid? I have always wanted to write in some capacity. I was on the newspaper throughout high school. Many of the things I learned then I still use every day. 
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| Revised: 19 April 2007. Copyright © 2009 The Curators of the University of Missouri | Contact the J-School | |
