Graduated in 2023 with majors in Performance and Contemporary Writing & Production. Principal instrument: piano
Position: Faculty Support Specialist at Harvard Business School. An administrative job involving both working directly with faculty to support them and assist them with preparation of materials. Chris also manages other projects and is coordinating the rollout of a new, ten-section course.
Overview: While at Berklee Chris worked for a music education technology start up, which involved teaching, materials development, and administrative work. Chris graduated with a plan to get an MFA in Creative Writing, but needed a day job. He liked working with students and wanted to stay in academia, so he applied to various college administative jobs in the Boston area and his experience made him a good fit for this position. Chris started working at Harvard two months after graduation.
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You can see Chris’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “I enjoy engaging and learning about the scholarship of the faculty I’m working with. One focuses on studies of CEO leadership, for example. I enjoy supporting their work on this research and be able to learn from what they study.” “One wonderful thing about being at Harvard is all the benefits. I’m doing a MFA in Creative Writing at Emerson–Harvard helps pay for that. I’m also taking classes at Harvard Extension School, which is normally very expensive, but it only costs us $40. I’m taking a course in statistics this semester, as I’m interested in data analytics.”
“At Berklee, You know that when the show starts it starts. On the tech side, you make sure everything works.” I also understand which things are flexible and which are not–that helps with my admin job and setting up faculty to teach. Similar to my performance. It’s like all the stuff you have to do. Also, attention to detail.
Find the things you’re good at and work the hardest at those things. Even of those things aren’t n music. Don’t be afraid to follow them. I got into Berklee, did two majors and graduated. Even though I’m not working in the industry, I still feel very fulfilled and happy with the direction of life I’ve taken, and that’s becuase I followed threads and embraced my strengths and inclinations and really saw how I can best fit in and provide value.
‘It’s easy to zoom out and say in the big picture things all work out and make sense. The reality is there’s be a lot of questioning and days of boredom and repetition. A professor once told me “Doing the work is unglorious” but it’s sticking with it and shifting when you need, while in the rearview mirror it makes sense, it doens’t at the time and I’m still figuring things out.”
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