Investor Relations - Technical Communications

-Joshua M. Jones

What to do after graduation...hmmm. Well, I'm in debt to a University and a Fraternity, a couple of parents, and and a couple of banks. So I should probably get a little income going on soon. I have been in school for 5 years now, so do I have the energy in me for law school...eh. Do I want a master's degree...can't conceive it. So let's graduate, with a plan.

I first learned about Investor Relations about two years ago when I interned for a company caller IR Partners Inc. They published a website called Firestocks.com...now defunct. It was an independent company that did IR work for about 12 other companies. So now your asking what IR work is? I defer to wikipedia for an understandable summary.

Basically, IRO's (Investor Relations Officers) serve two purposes depending on the need of the organization. They can play a disclosure-publication based role, where they craft the annual report, keep the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commision) informed of the fiscal status of the organization, and communicate the feelings of the investment community with management (ie. salty stockholders.)

The other role that IR can play is much more strategic and interesting to me. This is talented skills-based role, associated with raising capitol (money) and making strategic moves to help put an organization in a better financial position. Simply put, when a smaller company wants to raise capitol for a new division, plant, subsidiary, or opportunity in general, but they don't want to sell more shares of their stock, the IRO comes in and puts upper-management and the investment banking community in a room together, to put lots of financial options on the table. The IRO makes it happen, arranges the business trips, the meetings, and talks directly with the CEO.

So you say, Josh that's a pretty bold goal, I mean that's going take some time and effort, right?

Yes, but I have a plan that I'll share with you all now. I'm going to be working for a company that has a market-cap of at least $250 million, (relative worth of company.) I want to work for a large company, but not massive by today's standards. I will be working under the IRO doing all the grunt work no matter if that involves setting tables for meetings, getting coffee, and scheduling golf outtings. I will be doing this for at least three years, while I'm getting my C.F.A. (Chartered Financial Analyst.)

This is a three-year self-taught course that involves three levels of exams and let's just say they're more than tough. But, I will be learning the subject matter through my work as well, so I know I can do it. Once I achieve this, I will be looking for a promotion. Hopefully, I will continue my work and be qualified to become an IRO, then I will be able to market myself with experience and merit.

In the long-term I would like to start my own IR firm that takes on companies as clients. We would handle the IR. So we would bring our skills, contacts, and resources to the table to achieve the most lucrative solution possible for your organization.

Bonus vocabulary with links!

NIRI - The National Investor Relations Institute. This organization certifies IR professionals and requires them to sign a code of ethics.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act - In 2002 IR became much more critical with the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, because it required all companies to provide more transparency in their fiscal activity, this is monitored by the SEC.

Dreams, excitement, reality, fear..

Going home for Thanksgiving brought me so much excitement. I get to see my family and all of my friends from other schools. But it also brings the reality that everyone will be talking about what they are doing after graduation, their new jobs, and of course be asking me what I'll be doing. What will I be doing?

That is something I always thought I knew. My path was set. I would graduate in 4 years and go on to law school. It was my "dream" - or was it. The more I've thought about it, the more I have realized it was more of a path I had set out for myself, not my dream.

For years I have been focused on school, while spending my free time looking through Brides magazines. This obviously freaked out any guy I ever dated. But this past time wasn't about my dream wedding. It was about everyone elses. I loved reading about extraordinary weddings and events. And I always dreamed of planning them one day.




In fact, the reason I went into public relations as a major is because it listed one of its careers as "Special Events Specialist." That was my dream: to plan extravagent, wonderful events. But it is a dream that seems like is nearly impossible to make a reality.

Graduation scares the life out of me. I have no idea where I will live, what I will be doing, or how well I will be able to do it. I have researched several event planning studios in the Oklahoma area to contact about possible jobs. The most prominent one I would like to work with is Dolly Levi's Event Design Studio. It seems like the exact type of organization I would love to work with. I've Also looked at Event Planning by Leilani, Blueberry Hill Events, and several others. I have finally realized my dream job and I plan to do all that I can to snag it.

I think my experience in Public Relations has truly helped me prepare for this field. It has prepared me with knowledge of design, publicity, and organization of events. It has taught me to look through all angles and consider all audiences, as well as to prepare for possible crisis situations. As scared as I am, I look forward to my future with hope.

PR to LAW

The future is unknown, and to be honest, it scares the hell out of me. Some people know what they want to do when they are children. I was the kid who wanted to be a different profession every time I was asked (to be honest, it was usually an astronaut, a spy, or Troy Aikman). Regardless, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I started here at OU. I started out in business and moved to public relations. The reason is that I decided to go to law school. So why would I choose public relations?

I feel I must be honest with this class so I will tell you that I chose this major because I thought it was going to be easy. After participating in the public relations research class, I found at that this is not an easy major. There are, however, many skills a public relations major is taught that could be beneficial in the legal profession.

One of the most important skills I used in my PR major were my writing skills. This class, along with almost every other PR class, calls for a ton of papers. I cannot count how many press releases, reports, and fact sheets I have created in my time in good old Gaylord. So basically, I wrote a lot. Law school, as I have heard from those who attend, is mostly reading and writing. The entire grade of a semester at law school is usually taken from one test that requires you to write for two hours. So, the countless hours I spent in college writing papers has molded me into a better law school student before I even step in the doors.

Another attribute of this major that is beneficial to my legal future is research. Research is a word that we here in every class. It never leaves our side during campaigns and it is necessary to accomplish campaign goals and grades. It seems like libraries.ou.edu and myself are so familiar with each other that we could be best friends. Every PR class I have ever taken has emphasized research as one of the most important tasks for a PR practitioner. This skill is incredibly important for a lawyer and law students. Researching past cases, in the legal profession, is how lawyers win cases. Every lawyer I have talked to has told me to get ready for research in law school. Thanks to the PR major, I will be ready for more research.

While research and writing are invaluable to my future, the skill that I am proudest of that I learned here was public speaking. This major requires you to be an adequate public speaker. Although I started slow, I now feel confident in my public speaking skills.

So I will make the journey from one college to the next and then to the courtroom. Law school is going to tough. I’m glad I can take these skills with me.

From Part-Time Job To Dream Job

I am very pleased to write this because after 22 years of life and 4 and a half years of college I think I finally know what I want to be when I grow up! I never knew when I signed up to be a substitute teacher in Norman this school year that I would discover my real passion.

I always knew that I loved children and got along very well with them, but it had never occurred to me that I could teach for a living. So here I am with a semester of substitute teaching and about to graduate with a degree in Journalism, not education.

I have given my future a lot of thought throughout my college years, probably because I changed my major 3 times. After finally deciding on Journalism with an emphasis in public relations I thought I was set. Then when it came to be my last semester of school, I started really thinking about what I wanted to do after graduation.

It was actually after my first day of substitute teaching that I decided that I wanted to be a teacher. I had such a wonderful experience getting to know some of the children that I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to be there everyday, helping to shape their lives.

After much research and a meeting with the vice superintendent I have discovered that I can get my teaching certification in Journalism. This will allow me to teach middle school journalism classes, including yearbook, which was my favorite activity in high school.

I am so excited to have the opportunity to be in charge of recording a school’s year in a yearbook. I have always been really into scrapbooking, nerdy I know. But it will only help me in my future profession, with laying out yearbook pages and coming up with creative ideas.

I have found a way to use what I have learned in college with my own personal passion for creativity and children. I couldn’t be happier!

NYC or OKC?

NYC or OKC

The first time I remember seeing my mom reading her magazines was when I was around 5 years old. Every night she would sit and read Vogue, Bergdorf Goodman and tons of other magazines of all different types. I don't know if it was the glossy pages full of bright, colorful pictures or the fact that it was my mom reading it, but after that magazines became a sort of obsession. I couldn't read but I would sit there for hours looking at the countless stories, advertisements and pictures full of glamorous things and people.

Of all the things that have changed since I was 5, the one thing that hasn't is my interest in magazines. Although that's been a steady part of my life, I've had my share of 180s. Born and raised in Oklahoma, all I could think about when I was a teenager is getting out. It's boring. It's slow. Nothing ever happens here. There is nothing to do. Those were just a few of my reasons for wanting to leave.

When I hit 20, something changed. All those reason I had for leaving suddenly became reasons for staying. I started to appreciate the simplicity of life here. Maybe it was maturity, comfort or something of that nature. No matter what caused it, I reached a point where the more I travelled, the more I enjoyed returning home.

As much potential as Oklahoma has, it is still not the ideal place to go into Magazine industry. So there is my problem. Sure, I can still go into the business and stay here which is probably what I'll end up doing, but it would be hard to beat the excitement of working for a prestigious magazine based out of New York City.

With graduation coming up, we all have a lot of big decisions to make. It's a pivotal time in all of our lives. As scary as it is, I'm a big believer in fate and like to think that things happen for a reason. I think maybe that is why these HUGE decisions that I will be faced with don't scare me as much as they should. There is so much opportunity and so many different things possible. With those endless possibilities, there are a lot of chances for things to go wrong but I find some sort of peace in the fact that maybe it is out of our hands. The only thing we can do is our best and go wherever that takes us. So no matter what happens in the future, whether I end up here in an industry I never expected or in some busy city working for a magazine, I know I'll be happy.

http://www.style.com/vogue/

http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/

My dream job? Traveler extrordinaire. My PR dream job? To be Kenny Mossman's successor.

When I was a little kid my dream job was to be a pro athlete, when I hit about 16 years old and needed to stand on a few phone books to hit 6 ft. tall, I figured I would start looking into other options. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to become a PR practitioner in the sports industry. After meeting Kenny Mossman this semester, my goal was completely solidified. Kenny Mossman is the Media Relations Director for The University of Oklahoma's Athletics Department and pretty much my hero.

There are so many incredible aspects to Mossman's job that they are too numerous to be listed. Let's start with he gets to hang out with high-profile athletes and coaches all day long. He is also ultimately responsible for all of the external media relations communications that come out of OU's Athletics department. Mossman travels with the team to away and bowl games, and he gets paid pretty well as well. Gosh, I'd do all of that for free. I am currently taking Mossman's Sports PR class, and every time I leave on Thursdays I think to myself "he is such a badass".

I have probably learned more about what I want to do with my life over the course of this semester , than i have in my 4 years here at OU. Mossman could take a terrible situation and turn it into something positive without hesitating for a second. The best part of it is, he doesn't need slant or spin, he is just so experienced that nothing phases him.

Now on to what it takes. Ultimately, to get into Sports PR you have to start from the ground floor, or just be really lucky. According to Mossman over 90% of those in this line of work started at a volunteer level. From there you must gain experience and start from a little pond and work your way up into the ocean of high profile collegiate and professional programs.

what dreams are MADE of...

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you."
-Hebrews 13:5

There is no way to get around it, in order to succeed in life one must have money and the most common way of obtaining money in today’s society is to get a job. Money is what sustains us and it is what gives us the means to survival and beyond that it allows us to enjoy pleasures in life. In many ways, money drives us. With that being said it comes as no surprise that people who find a job for the sake of having money are often left unfulfilled. In order to refrain from this many people attend college to get a degree that will hopefully give them more options to find better jobs with better pay and in turn a better way of life. I, however, am a firm believer that money does not make you happy in the long term, but finding a job that you love.... will.
As a senior at the University of Oklahoma my time to find this dream job was fast approaching, and half way through my last semester I felt confused and much like I was the only one of my peers that had absolutely no clue what they would be doing with their diploma. However, that all changed when I was browsing on the internet one day, for what I don’t recall, and came across the Web site prcouture.com. The name itself sparked my interest and I delved further into what the site was about, and as I researched the idea of Fashion PR became extremely intriguing to me.

Ultimately my dream job would have to be designing clothes for a living because I think it is very important to do something that you are passionate about and fashion is one of the only things I know it would be hard for me to get tired of. A few of the steps I am currently taking to accomplish this dream are: I applied to a fashion school in Las Vegas and will attend in April 2008. I also ingest as much fashion as I can be it through television, magazines, or internet. I know I can accomplish my goal of having my dream job because my public relations degree will give me the tools I need to market myself to the media and other outlets and my fashion degree will give me the skills I need to be a designer.

Fashion is a fast-paced and ever-changing career and I think that is why I love it so much. I decided to continue my education with fashion because having the two degrees will broaden my opportunities upon graduation. I will have the option to do fashion design, fashion pr, or public relations in any realm I choose. It is necessary to be specialized in today’s job market because there are so many more college graduates then there have been in generations past.

There is a long list of designers I admire because of their individuality and uniqueness in the fashion world. It is important to be a brand as a fashion designer and some of my favorites are: Betsey Johnson, Christian Dior, and Chanel.

“Making clothes involves what I like…color, pattern, shape and movement…I like the everyday process…the people, the pressure, the surprise of seeing the work come alive walking and dancing around on strangers. Like red lipstick on the mouth, my products wake up and brighten and bring the wearer to life…drawing attention to her beauty and specialness…her moods and movements…her dreams and fantasies.”

– Betsey Johnson

I am most interested in haute couture because it allows you to be very personalized in your designs and I am a big fan of having a one-of-a-kind design. Fashion allows people to express themselves as them; we are what we wear essentially and for the reason that I want to dress people to make them feel good about themselves in their own skin by putting on the most amazing clothing they can.