Job Q&A
By Thad Peterson
[more job Q&As]

Jospefin O’Brien graduated from University of Washington in 1995 and went to work in television and theater. Now she works for Technologic Partners as a reporter for their various online and offline publications.

Josephin O’Brien: Actually in a very old fashioned way -- through a newspaper ad! I sent my resume, never thinking I would hear back from them, but I did. The interview process was typical, I think. I met with the managing editor and then with the head of the company. I convinced them that I could do the job because my previous jobs had been in news and had always been deadline-oriented. I had to provide writing samples but they said they were looking for smart people and felt that I was qualified. I think a lot of companies are still willing to take a chance on someone who hasn't worked online before. That may change in the future, but at this point, most people are willing to train you.

Mc: Do you fall into the "just stumbled into this career" category or "this has always been my destiny" category?

JO: I definitely think I am in the somewhere in between both categories, although up until a few months ago, I would have died before I took an online job.

JO: I grew up in Seattle and felt like my little, quaint hometown was being taken over by corporate America with the boom of the computer and Internet industries, so I was a bit anti-technology.

JO: I ended up here because I decided that the computer revolution was passing me by and I wanted to be a part of it rather than be on the outside looking in. I liked the pace of live TV and wanted to continue writing. This job seemed to be the best of both worlds -- something new and different but with flexibility.

My company researches and reports on private online companies. Every day I talk to people at startups about their businesses and the changes that are going on there. VentureWire is a daily email newsletter that goes out to about 60,000 subscribers. It's free and from what I hear, very well received. Many people I talk to say it's the first thing they read in the morning. Also, we also put out VentureFinance, a publication that allows us to give more detailed information on the trends, developments, and strategies in venture investing. For example, right now I am doing an article on the changes in Seattle's Internet and venture capital scene.

JO: I've learned that in news, acting as if you know is usually almost as good as actually knowing. For the most part, people are very helpful in giving you background information. You just have to learn fast and learn the first time, though.

JO: the people I meet at startups constantly surprise me. Some of them are eccentric workaholics that never seem to sleep or eat, and some of them are nice, normal people like you and me. For my story on Seattle, I've spoken with a number of venture capitalists that are in charge of millions of dollars, and I was shocked at how open and patient they all were. You are bound to find both extremes in any industry.

JO: Don’t be rigid. This job changes almost daily and someone who is very narrow-minded and needs a lengthy fixed job description will probably freak out at all the change. Skills can be learned but intelligence is something you either have or you don't. The entrepreneurs I've interviewed are all pretty happy because they are doing what they have always dreamed of, even if they haven't achieved wondrous material wealth. That's pretty satisfying.

JO: For basic news and interesting articles, I like Salon.com, Word.com, TheOnion.com (it has some of the best satire on the Web), Yahoo.com (for straight news) and Eonline.com (for entertainment news). Assignmenteditor.com has a list of all the major daily newspapers, so I usually check there first. And of course, tvspy.com, for my industry gossip!