Category: Other Successful Berklee Alumni

Graduated in 2019 with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: voice.

Position: Customer Experience Coordinator and Data Analyst at On Board Experiential (“OBE”), a company with close to 200 employees that specializes in putting on events such as large corporate gatherings, networking events, small festivals, etc. Medora is the one person there doing what she does, her job being split between a project management role and a data analytics role. She helps a bit with events directly, but spends most of her time, particularly in the off-season, working with spreadsheets and analyzing costs and so forth.

Overview: After finishing up Berklee in December 2019, she moved home to Orange County, California. Medora applied to many music industry jobs and had a promising interview, but them the pandemic hit and nobody was hiring. Because of her fiance Medora wanted to stay in her area, and with music jobs few and far between she broadened her job search. A random application led to an administrative position at a small music school, but the job wasn’t great and she continued to look. Soon she was working part time at the House of Blues (She had worked at the Boston branch while at Berklee.) and had another part-time job. In the spring of 2022, though a connection Medora was able to work at Coachella, then at a local food festival which was run by OBE. Apparently OBE got excellent feedback about her work, becuase someone from human resources encouraged Medora to apply for what became her current position.

You can see Medora’s LinkedIn profile here.

Choice Quotes: “But I love the company I work for. Even when the work is hard, we still have a really fun time. I feel like I excel with onsite customer service–I’m extroverted and that helps. The work is also interesting and challenging. Being able to solve a puzzle and help the big project, that’s gratifying. I also like how my company is invested in me and how I do in my own career.”

“Trust your gut–I had interviews pre-pandemic and wish I’d trusted my gut. If you don’t like going to work every day and what you doesn’t bring you any joy, that’s not the right job for you even if they pay huge money.”

“Berklee taught me the importance of being comfortable with a fast pace of work and things changing. And the importance of being dependable”.

“Event companies are using A.I. — Live Nation is spending a ton on A.I. to market shows to you. Being a data analyst and being open to that opens oneself up to a much larger pool or opportunities. Increasingly, data analysis and operations will go hand in hand.”

“The job market is really hard. It took me 2.5 years from graduation to land this, my first full-time job. If you don’t get your “first big girl/boy job” straight out of college and it takes a while, that’s OK–I put a real knock on myself and it hurt my mental health.”

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Choice Quotes: “I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I enjoy how challenging this is! There’s something about getting through somethign really difficult, you build confidence and self-respect. It’s good life experience. I couldn’t go through life going ‘I wonder what would’ve happend if I’d made it through this.’ I like the challenge, the responsibility, knowing that when I’m at the controls of the helicopter I have the lives of several peole under my control.”

In the military, you can’t just say, ‘Hey, I don’t really like my job. I think I’m gonna quit.’ That’s not a thing. Probably there’s something you can do to transfer branches, but you still owe the time. I do know people who reverted to being enlisted or being a warrant officer.”

“Try as much as you can in different areas and careers would be the most helpful. Keep on exploring new passions. I tried many jobs. If I hadn’t struggled I wouldn’t be in the place I am now.”

“I guarantee that if you’ve put in all the time to make it to flight school, done all the tests and physical stuff to make it, you’ll enjoy it.”

“There’s worthwhile degrees and realistic degrees. Berklee was worthwhile; it fostered my creativity. You always need a plan if you’re going to have an arts degree. That’s just the way the world works now. That said, Berklee was an awesome experience and it helped me learn to work well with all types of people.”

“If you’re thinking about military service, find someone who’s been through it and take them wtih you to the recruiting office. They can help you navigate everything they’ll promise you. A recruiter’s goal is to get you to join. I almost joined before I realized that ROTC was a thing. Explore all options, get advice from people who have done it. Don’t make any rash decisions. It’s very difficult to get out if you don’t take the right job. Also, shop around. It doesn’t have to the army. Make sure your morals, ethics, job aligns with that organization.”

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Choice Quotes: “I’ve never had a job where I felt so close with colleagues. They go above and beyond themselves, and they really want to see me grow in my role, try things, and succeed! They really want to know what I think. Realistically, (as someone fairly young) I’m part of the target audience.”

“It’s SO important to follow up with people! Any professor you form a connection with may be able to helpful. Personal relationships will take you far. Also, LInkedIn is a great resource. I found both my jobs on it.Reach out to Berklee alum on it and use it to the best of your ability. Also, it’s OK to work some part-time jobs while you’re figuring it out–I’ve met great people and got valuable skills working those.”

“You can’t teach taste; you can’t teach instinct. Music has made those second nature to me. Also, being on set in my job feels the same as being onstage.”

“I listen to many lectures online about marketing and those help me think about my job. As simple as marketing sounds, there are so many different facets to it that you can get into.When you think about yourself and platforms you’re on, you’re marketing yourself–that’s everything you do!”

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Choice Quotes: “I love being around kids–I’m the oldest of 4, and have many younger cousins. I babysit on weekends. I really, really enjoy that part of it. And seeing how much kids progress over time is really special as well…and now I get paid to play games with kids, which is awesome! That’s one of the most unique experiences in the field! When I was exploring what I wanted to do I hadn’t heard of this, and couldn’t believe it was real! When they wanted to bring me on after my internship I couldn’t believe that was real either!”

My background and emphasis on pedagogy while at BoCo was incredibly helpful. In many ways, leading a group is similar to teaching. It gave me foundational things I still rely on a lot. Also, the overall emphasis on knowing and listening to your body. So much of what’s going on for kids mentally presents itself physically. Many kids can’t express what’s going on in their heads, but I can put some of how kids may be feeling into words. It makes them feel really seen. Even when I’m wrong they’ll tell me that, which is also super-helpful!”

“If you know what you want to do, just do it! That’s what I did. By all accounts I shouldn’t be where I am. Somehow grad school let me in–I applied to multiple other grad schools and didn’t get in and was feeling dejected. I was maybe going to give up, figuring it wouldn’t happen. Then Regis took a chance on me. We all experience this in the performing arts world–doors that aren’t open. if you really want it, continue to go for it.”

“This job is hard. I talked about the great parts of it, but you’re face to face with people who sometimes will tell you about something horrible that happened to them. It’s not your job to fix it or make it better. But it’s your responsibility to be there for them and help them feel seen.”

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Position: Customer Service Team Lead / Administrator at Coastal Waste & Recycling a trash (and recycling) removal company with roughly a thousand employees in Florida. Residential, commercial, temporary dumpsters, etc. Dustin oversees the customer service team (him + 4 people), deals with escalations, billing/service issues as “level 2” support. He helps make sure stuff gets done and everyone stays happy. 46 – 52 hours/week. 99% in-person. Dustin deals with homeowners, commercial accounts, condos/property managers, construction companies.

Overview: Dustin graduated high school in 2010, then “made some bad choices” for a few years. He tried college twice, but dropped out both times. Dustin’s wife suggested he try Berklee Online, which he did and enjoyed, hoping to do music afterward. Then week before he completed the program he and his wife had twins and a reliable paycheck became far more appealing. His old job at an administrative office in a church was going to end at the end of 2021, so Dustin searched Indeed for opportunities. He found a customer service job at his current employer and was hired, starting immediately after his old job ended.

Dustin really enjoyed the work. “There was room to grow, stuff to do. Problems to solve. It was fun! I’d see gaps in systems, would try to figure out solutions to make things more efficient.” After only a few months he was promoted to sales coordinator (point of contract for commercial/industrial customers and responsible for data entry, coordinating with operations side.) Dustin did that for a while, got some side opportunities, such as helping being the contact point for a post-hurricane cleanup, working at corporate levels. They’d throw more stuff at him and he’d do it. They offer him a gig for a new department, but then he got in a car crash, and he didn’t want to be the one remote person, so they offered him this position. In the local office he also has had opportunities to optimize process, such as by turning paper into aps and creating new user solutions.
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You can see Dustin’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “Being able to solve a problem is fascinating in a way I can’t fully describe. I find the actual trash industry absolutely fascinating, the amount of pieces that go into it. All the routs and facets of the operation. I had no perspective on how big and complex the industry is. I took the job becuase I needed a job, but there’s so much more going on than I expected. I love the dance of all the different things working together for the operation to succeed. I find it invigorating when every piece is firing on all cylinder, in synch with the others.”

“At Berklee Online there were no multiple choice tests. It was all problem solving. You had to think critically and get to the answer-defining the path that got you to the solution is as important as the answer. Knowing HOW to solve a problem. That has translated directly into my work.”

“Start somewhere! There are so many different options. We pull up InDeed and there’s 4,000+ jobs. Pick something, try it. If it doesn’t work out, try something else. Be willing to fail forward. Eventually you’ll get to where you’re going–those experiences will help point the way.”

“If you enjoy problem-solving and finding abstract ways to get to the finish line, this would be a good career path for you. Customer service has a lot of room for growth. Don’t be afraid to start at the bottom, then go your best. Good talent will rise to the top quickly in a sea of mediocrity. So really TRY. You will be noticed.”

“It’s crazy how much money is to be made in the waste industry!”
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Graduated in 2019 with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: voice.

Position: Relationship Manager at Gilbert & Cook, a modest-size wealth management company in Des Moines, Iowa. Relationship Manager is the entry-level position on the way to Financial Advisor. A lot of the job involves meeting with clients to get their data and desires, then meeting with Financial Advisors and helping make sure interactions go smoothly. Meanwhile, she’s getting her financial certifications.

Overview: Ananya and her boyfriend–now husband–moved to L.A. after graduation. She got a job at a professional audio equipment distributor and loved it, then lost it when the pandemic hit. With her boyfriend also unemployed, the least bad option was to move in with his parents in Iowa. Ananya’s parents introduced her to a family friend in India whose job involved helping wealthy Indians purchase American real estate, and Ananya worked for him for a year and a half. She enjoyed this field, but her work was mostly on the back end. She wanted a more client-facing role and started applying for other jobs. She found her current position advertised on LinkedIn, applied, and was hired into it.

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You can see Ananya’s LinkedIn profile here.

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Choice Quotes: “I really enjoy working with people and in a very intimate sort of way–you get to know them, their wishes and what they want as their legacy. It’s very sensitive topics. I enjoy helping people through certain stages of their lives. This is something we’re not really taught in school. So it’s a kind of job where you’re working in the best interest of the client.”

“Berklee was my dream school; while a student there I was living my dream. Finishing, I didn’t know what my dream was anymore. I always thought my job would be so exciting but realized you have to do the work to get there. You have to start again after school, despite all the things you have done. I learned to put my head down and do the hard work.”

“I’ll run the numbers, put in recommendations for clients. The financial advisor has to approve all that, of course.”

“Being in such a diverse, international school you meet people from all around the world. It made me more open-minded and feel like I could have a conversation with anyone!

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Position: Senior Software Engineer at Emergent Space Technologies,. Rolla builds and maintains software code related to satellite data transmission–both civilian and military. “The code I work on mostly writes other code.”

Overview: Initially from Australia, Rolla worked as a classroom support tech while a Berklee student. He gave music a solid go for six months after graduation, but didn’t earn enough money for it to be sustainable. He applied and got a job at Izotope, which does music Software, in early 2019–his experience at Berklee made him a good fit for their customer care team. Then when Covid hit Rolla decided to have his career go in a more remote direction, “I decided to make what had been my commute time into my school time and he enrolled in a remote Bachelors Degree program in Cybersecurity at Western Governors University., earning that degree in the spring of 2021.

With that new degree, Rolla convinced Izotope to switch his role to that of software engineering, which came with a nice raise. He contiued on with online eductaion, earning a Masters Degree in the same field from the same place in 2023. Meanwhile, in 2022 Rolla and his partner decided they wanted to move to Denver, Colorado. He applied and got a job at a consulting firm, but the hours were extremely long and the work stressful, so Rolla applied for jobs with a better balance. He was hired into his current position, without the senior title, then was promoted a year later when his Masters Degree was complete.
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You can see Rolla’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “I love being able to think of something and then do it entirely, having the freedom to be creative along the way and have something that solves a problem and really being able to make that happen without a 100-person team or something is quite remarkable and really enjoyable. I like the creative side and flexibility to solve REALLY hard problems. I like being around smart people, mentors who are geniuses and literal rocket scientists.”

“EPD had a class on max-msp which was kind of a visual programming language. That was an entry point and opened my mind to this technical world. Plus creativity and self-motivation are things I had to be good at to succeed at Berklee–you’ve got to go into those practice rooms.”

“If you want to learn software engineering, do projects on whatever you want to learn about. Go do the things you want to be able to learn how to do. You can pay for it in a class, or you can use Codcademy, Youtube, etc. You have the knowledge available to do all of this. If you don’t know what it is you want to do, try everything and see what resonates with you.”

“Doing music for those 6 months after graduation helped. Now I can say I gave it a shot. I’m happy; it’s hard to look back with regrets.”

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.