Job Title: Reporter (correspondent), Dow Jones Newswires, Taipei, Taiwan
USC Course of study: M.A., Print Journalism M.A.
Describe your current occupation:Full-time reporter at Dow Jones Newswires’ Taipei bureau, reporting and writing on financial news, and sometimes major political news, that take place in Taiwan.
How did you get there?I worked at Dow Jones’ New York headquarter for three years, contacted human resources when I saw the opening in Taipei and applied for it.
How did you get your first job?My first full-time news job after USC was for Thomson Financial in New York City, writing for one of their weekly financial newsletters. It’s one of about half a dozen news jobs to which I applied after graduating from school, but the only financial news company and non-daily newspaper. I got offer from a daily newspaper in Oregon but decided to go for the job in Big Apple, hence my entrance in financial journalism.
How did your experience at Annenberg help?It helped me understand American journalism tradition and shaped my basic news writing. More important, I got great opportunities to meet real news folks in the field, and at school, and gained access to some wonderful newspaper internships.
What advice do you have for current Annenberg School students in your occupation?A journalism job really requires passion for, or at least strong interest in, journalism. Once in a newsroom, that’s what will get you through many frantic, high pressure days and negate nagging thoughts of the size of your paycheck. “You are as good as your last story,” Professor Larry Pryor told us at one of his classes. And it’s so true!
In your opinion, what is the Annenberg Advantage?Definitely easy access to professional talents in some of the country’s best media outlets and abundant opportunities to try different formats of journalism through real internships.