Dan Colarusso, 34, is associate editor of TheStreet.com, a Web site that reports on Wall Street. He obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism from Long Island University's Brooklyn campus and worked at Business Tokyo and Securities Weeks. At TheStreet.com (TSC), Colarusso consults on story ideas and writes a weekly column called "Truth Serum" and features. He says it's Wall Street's money, controversy and nefarious characters that appeal to him the most.

Monster.com: How did you find your way to TheStreet.com?

Dan Colarusso: The editor at the time was actively recruiting, and a mutual friend introduced us. It was a small operation, about nine or 10 reporters, when I came for my first interview. I had only peripheral knowledge of the site and knew they were looking for good journalists, but it was so small I had to wonder what this thing was all about.

Mc: What were your initial impressions of TheStreet.com?

DC: It looked like a fun place; there were video games and a mini-golf course. The over-arching impression, though, was the editorial mission: a zealous pursuit of the truth. At the time, so much of the Net was dedicated to rumors, so that calmed my one concern about going to work there.

Mc: How did your work at Business Tokyo and Securities Week prepare you for this job?

DC: In journalism, any experience is good experience. Business Tokyo prepared me for TSC in two ways: first off, it was a start-up with a very strong chairman, so there were risks beyond the normal course of business. Second, there were maybe a dozen of us in New York, all in our 20s, trying to do a style of journalism that hadn't been done before. That's very much like TSC in its early day, trying to be iconoclastic, smart and different. As for Securities Week, working there taught me diligence and the ways of Wall Street.

Mc: What else helped you cultivate the skills you needed?

DC: I always joke that tending bar in college prepared me most for journalism, but the older I get, I realize the ability to talk to strangers and reach some level of empathy is a tremendous asset. Also, some of my friends are stockbrokers and traders, and they help me understand what can't be learned from financial books or The Wall Street Journal. That network has been invaluable.

Mc: How did you transition from print to new media?

DC: There wasn't much of a transition. To most reporters, the Internet is a gift from God. If you crave speed that's better than a daily paper, you can get it from a Web publication. If you need the space to spin a yarn, the Net provides a bottomless news hole. There wasn't really a transition, but it is difficult to resist the temptation to write too long or pull the trigger on a speculative story too quickly because the delivery platform is so fast and flexible.

Mc: Is there a typical day at TheStreet.com?

DC: Get in early, try to figure out what the market's going to do, spend the rest of the day trying to figure out why you were totally wrong, and tell the story to your readers. We have 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. meetings each day, where we map out the enterprise stories and how best to cover what's breaking, just like any news organization. Unlike daily newspapers, we have to concern ourselves more with managing the home page and assessing the market's most important story several times a day what.

Mc: What do you like best about your job?

DC: The pursuit of great stories.

Mc: What do you like least?

DC: The short-term nature of the work; speed has become more important than it used to be. I enjoy doing longer-term stories, and there isn't always the freedom for that.

Mc: What should dotcom job seekers keep in mind?