Name: Caroline Moss
Age: 28
Job Title: Deputy Culture Editor of Tech Insider
College Name/Major: University of Massachusetts Amherst, Journalism
Website: TechInsider.io
Twitter Handle: @socarolinesays
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Caroline Moss: There’s definitely no such thing as a typical day, which is my favorite part about my job. Currently, I oversee a group of talented and ambitious reporters who write about digital culture (think Snapchat hacks, how people really use Tinder, people who make money on Instagram, viral internet sensations) and entertainment (our main focuses there are Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Walking Dead, and anything and everything superheroes). I make sure everyone is on top of what’s going on at any given moment, while zooming out on those stories and finding the bigger picture.
What is the best part of your job?
CM: Getting to be on the internet all day! Everything I read, watch or listen to ends up being “for work.”
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
CM: I started at Business Insider (the parent company of Tech Insider) in the summer of 2013 as a reporter who wrote about what was going on on the Internet. I had zero experience but I wanted the job so badly. I was always sort of lukewarm about school work and I didn’t like any of the full-time jobs I had worked post-college, but when I got the edit test for BI, I was like, this is something I think I would be excited to wake up and do every day. I basically told Joe Weisenthal (the former executive editor of the site) I was determined to get hired and he could fire me if I failed. The day I found out I got the job was the best and scariest day of my life.
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
CM: Without being too specific about one particular mistake (!), I’ve learned how to communicate with the people I work with, whether it’s those I report to or those who report to me.
What has been the most surreal moment of your career thus far?
CM: I had the opportunity to report a story for The New York Times about what bar life is like in NYC on the night before Thanksgiving. I was told to go barhopping all over the Upper East Side, talk to drunk strangers about their plans to get laid that evening, and file the story by 8 a.m. the next morning. I made all of these excuses in my head about why I shouldn’t do it, why I couldn’t do it, and why I’d fail. Eventually I got over myself. It was surreal to see my byline in print that weekend.
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
CM: Someone once told me everyone is allowed two bad days a month. She meant that bad days are normal and you should expect to have them. But if you exceed your quota, you may need to make some adjustments to your life.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
CM: Train yourself to be a morning person. You can get a lot done while everyone else is still asleep.