Financial Journalism

[bluethehero]

I will be graduating a Bachelor's Degree in Financial Management by March 2007. I originally have two career options, either to become a Financial Journalist [someone like Ricky Carandang] or Chartered Financial Analyst [CFA].

Right now, the dominant ideal career that I have in mind is to be a good integrator of Finance and Journalism. This is what my heart is really telling me.

The only problem, however, is on how to get in to avenues that provide that kind of opportunity. Let's say, ABS-CBN News, they require a journalism graduate rather than a Finance graduate.

I wish to try my luck abroad, so I am soliciting for your advice and tips on how to find an opportunity for this endeavor abroad, like how a pinoy who has an undegraduate degree can actually get in Bloomberg, Channel News Asia, CNN, even by starting at the lowest position.

[feisty_virago]

Why not try applying for a writing position in some of the prestigious local business newspapers first, like BusinessWorld or BusinessMirror? Gain some experience there, get an MBA or an MA in Journalism, then move on to the regional ones, like Wall Street Journal-Asia. Nasa HK ata editorial office ng WSJ-Asia.

Try applying for ANC pa rin. You could apply as a news researcher there. You know, I'm a management graduate as well but I love writing too. In my case, I found out that its way easier to know finance first then integrate it in journalism than being a journalism graduate learning about financial jargons. Most journalists who do not have any background/training in finance usually just end parroting what the CEO, CFO, Auditors said in their interviews (via tape recorder) when it is time for these journalists to write the news. (In television naman, sometimes, a CEO,CFO etc. who are appearing in an interview are given the questions/scripts way ahead the taping day so these guys will not be taken aback by the questons to be asked by the host, especially if that host knows his/her banking & finance well too).

I believe that if you know your finance well, having a good and respected journalist-boss to train/ develop your journalism side is the best thing you can do for you to advance in the field of Financial Journalism. S/He will make a good reference in the future. :)

Good luck.*okay*

[rabbaddal]

There’s no straight-cut path to get to your career objective. You’ll have to create your own opportunities and use these as stepping stones. Off the top of my mind, getting an equity research job in an investment house would be a good first step. You’ll learn to do fundamental financial analysis on companies, track the stock market and macroeconomic environment and write reports on your findings. You’ll also be interviewing executives of the companies you’re analyzing and be dealing with the press as a resource person. Overall, there are lots of skills in this field that are transferable to financial journalism. Below is a short description of equity research and a testimonial taken from the Morgan Stanley website.

After some time, you could network yourself into a job in a broadcasting company or pursue grad studies in business journalism.

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A Closer Look at Equity Research

Company and Industry Research

Our research teams use a variety of tools and resources to assess the investment outlook for the industries and companies they cover, including industry contacts, supplier and buyer surveys and public documents. The teams produce reports on individual companies as well as industry overviews that explore short- and long-term business trends and developments. Their opinions are disseminated through daily meetings, "white phone" calls on emerging developments and electronically distributed reports to update our sales force and external clients around the world. A significant amount of time is dedicated to research on future developments that will shape companies and industries and determine relative value.

Jonathan
Associate, Equity Research

"I'm a Research Associate covering the auto and auto parts industry for the Equity Research department. My role is broad and involves analyzing industry trends, forecasting company earnings, valuing companies, attending industry conferences, writing research reports, and speaking daily with company executives, buyside clients and the Morgan Stanley equity sales teams. I was looking for a role that was interactive, that combined intellectual curiosity with pragmatic decision-making, and where the job was different every day. Research fit all of these criteria. Best of all is that I have the opportunity to do this work and learn under the direction and guidance of a highly respected, accomplished Senior Analyst who is tops in his field.

I found early on that Associates can make a difference. After four weeks at Morgan Stanley, I was working on a research report on the credit subsidiaries of the automotive companies in conjunction with our accounting/valuation expert and the specialty finance research team. The result of the report was a pro-active call suggesting that a major automakers' captive finance company was a trouble spot. This proved to be true, and it impacted the share price movement of the company. Apart from driving some cool cars every now and again (which is always fun) I really like digging into data and spotting something that the market as a whole may have missed, and then seeing this conveyed to clients."

[ajoeroooo]

may short-term course ata sa AIM, if you want to integrate journalism sa course mo, si Ces Drilon ang alam ko kumuha nun eh...=) then pwede ka na sa media.. ;)

[bluethehero]

rabbadal i do know that there is no short cut in landing to a very successful career. but i guess that will do the trick. ill take that into consideration.

feisty_virago actually, i do have that in mind. in fact, last summer, i thought of undergoing OJT at Business World. however, they said that priority is given to journalism graduates.

ajoeroooo do you know what the short-course is called?

[rabbaddal]

rabbadal i do know that there is no short cut in landing to a very successful career. but i guess that will do the trick. ill take that into consideration.


Good luck. The nice thing about equity research too is that you develop skills related to the career you're targeting while getting paid well to do it. Check out who is hiring in that area among the local investment houses in the Philippines.

[bluethehero]

Good luck. The nice thing about equity research too is that you develop skills related to the career you're targeting while getting paid well to do it. Check out who is hiring in that area among the local investment houses in the Philippines.

nung ojt days, i tried my luck in a number of investment houses. lahat sila di accommodating for ojt, especially the mutual fund companies. mga insurance companies lang ang open, *** most of my classmates ended up in banks and private companies.

[rabbaddal]

/\/\

I’m not sure about OJT, but I could think of a couple who might hire for full time positions assuming that the applicant packages himself / herself in the right way. Since you’re graduating this March, you might want to target it as your first job after you graduate. I think (unless I’m wrong) you mentioned in some of the other threads that you did some work in the financial sector as an OJT for Colayco Foundation. If that’s the case, it could give you an advantage for an entry-level position in the field.

[bluethehero]

/\/\

I’m not sure about OJT, but I could think of a couple who might hire for full time positions assuming that the applicant packages himself / herself in the right way. Since you’re graduating this March, you might want to target it as your first job after you graduate. I think (unless I’m wrong) you mentioned in some of the other threads that you did some work in the financial sector as an OJT for Colayco Foundation. If that’s the case, it could give you an advantage for an entry-level position in the field.

yup, i did have my internship there. oh well, i sure think i can use it for my advantage. haha. thanks again :)

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other pexers' inputs in this thread will be very much appreciated.

[morrissey_05]

i work in media but i wasnt a journ grad. in fact, i was contemplating moving to the business section of my company. and the editors there were very encouraging. but in the end, i stuck to news because that is where all the action is.

business reporting is not rocket science, a friend of mine told me. he edits for a business paper. in fact, his major was creative writing.

im sure with patient studying and reading, you will find your niche. whats impt is to get some experience in either journalism and finance. if you can combine both, better.