Author: Kevin

Graduated in 2020 with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: voice.

Position: Corporate Partnerships Manager (Fundraising) at GLAAD, a nonprofit organization that advocates for fairer treatment of GLBT folks in the media. One of around ten people in development, Brittany works out to corporate partners to maintain relationships and obtain sponsorships of GLAAD events and/or the organization itself. He job involves both external communication and internal communication to make sure everyone’s on the same page. She’ll also make “pitch decks” – very pretty slideshows that describe everything offered to a partner will receive. “It’s a fun way to be creative.”

Overview: Graduating during the pandemic, Brittany spent about a year looking for work. Then a friend who worked at Berklee NYC connected her to an administrative job there at the Power Station. After about a year, she met the assistant to Paul Simon to work for the NYC Dept. of Education, administering a mentorship program for new teachers which Paul Simon had funded. But both jobs were long hours and fairly low pay, which wore her down, so in 2023 Brittany looked for a new job and took a better-paying job at a for-profit company that ran events for HR professionals.

Brittany worked there for about a year, but found herself really missing working someplace with a mission. After she was laid off, Brittany had more clarity on the type of place she wanted to work at. She changed her LinkedIn profile to read that she was a “community builder and social justice advocate and put on a banner with a quote by gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. Two days later, she heard from a recruiter on behalf of GLAAD. Several tough interviews later, Brittany was hired into her current position in August, 2025.
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You can see Britany’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “Nonprofits have always had a special place in my heart. It’s a privilege to work for a cause, and I feel like I’m making the most impact I’ve ever made in my life.”

“Berklee prepared me to think outside the box for everything. The number one compliment I get at work is, ‘Wow, I never would’ve thought about it that way’ or “You have such a creative flair.'”

Sit with yourself and figure out what you mean to you. Not what others tell you what you should be, but what do you mean to you.”

“If you want to work in the nonprofit sector, the best way to connect with nonprofits is to volunteer with them. You’ll meet the people you’ll need to meet to ultimately get hired.”

“I don’t regret a single piece of my education or career. It’s an honor to have those experiences and use them in my career. My passion wasn’t music, but I can still have a space in my heart for it while dedicating my passion to this mission.”
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Graduated from BoCo in 2023 with a major in Musical Theater.

Position: Assistant Director of Annual Giving at M.I.T. Sloan School of Management. Working with a portfolio of around a thousand often-recent alumni, Isaac works to build relationships with them and encourage them to contribute to M.I.T.’s annual fund. Each day he’s emailing folks, following up communication, calling them to have conversations about what their alma mater is doing and how they can help make good things happen.

Overview: While a BoCo student he did a few work-study administrative jobs and liked it. His student debt meant that the precarious life of a performer didn’t appel to Issac as much as a steady paycheck an job security. Initially he was unable to land a theater-adjacent administrative job in the Boston area and he moved home to Maine and worked as a substitute (music) teacher while applying to a wider range of jobs. After a few months, he was hired at M.I.T. as exectutive assistant to the director of an arts-related program at M.I.T.

For nearly two years Isaac did that job, but eventually he wanted to work a more “front end” job (interacting with alumni) rather than “back end” job. So he applied internally to his current position and after eight challenging interviews, was hired into it in the summer of 2025.
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You can see Isaac’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “I really love building relationships with people. When people give back it’s some of the most generous and happiest moments of their life, and we get to be part of that. I may not be in the position to give huge gifts, but I get to help others do that. M.I.T. is changing the world and I get to be a part of that.”

My education at BoCo prepared me to take curveballs–to improvise and be resourseful and good on my feet. Also there’s a component of public speaking in my job and I’d be nowhere without my musical theater training!

“I’m currently about halfway through my Southern New Hampshire Univ. (online) MBA program, paid in part by M.I.T., and I’m very glad that I’m able to continue my education. It’s never too late to expand your educational horizon.”

“I actually was offered a promotion at my previous position at M.I.T. when I got this job offer, and it would have paid a bit more. I chose my job so it makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning.”

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Graduated in 2019 with a major in Contemporary Writing & Production. Principal instrument: piano.

Position: XR Curriculum Developer and Instructor at The Glimpse Group, a Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality firm which purchased Gregory’s previous employer, XR Terra. They offer courses in 3D engines which work on a browser, both for students and for professional programmers. Gregory spends around 1/3 of his time in front of students, with most of the remainder spent creating curriculum, including using AI to develop roleplay situations used in training home health aides.

Overview: Gregory went to Berklee interested in video game scoring, though that wasn’t a major at the time. While at Berklee he built an app where one used movements of one’s body to control music. Staying in Boston, Gregory worked in a hardware store for two years for money, but he really wanted to break into tech, XR in particular. During this time, Gregory went to every local VR meetup and was a co-organizer. Indeed, that paid off, as someone at XR Terra recommended Gregory for some gig (tech) work. Over the next year and a half this grew to the point where in early 2022 it was full time and Gregory left his hardware store job.

Gregory’s job as moved form all training toward more curriculum development as he gaind experience. He also published that body movement music app, under the name Rave Gazebo.
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You can see Gregory’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “Troubleshooting just makes me feel smart, as I get to draw on years of experience then talk people through problems and save them hours of work. I get to answer weird questions, solve the puzzle. Curriculum development, I’ve gotten really good at creating these step-by-step guides, minimizing the number of clicks required. Being really efficient about it. Not only do I have to demo this live, but then they have to do it as well, so each click eliminated makes things much easier. I’ve gotten good at this, plus creating .gifs where people click on-screen, those step by step guides have been super useful for when people don’t have me there. I use my own guides as well. I’m really proud of the work I do, that it’s useful to me as well as to my students.”

“Musicians in tech tend to solve problems before others even realize there are problems.”

“At that Harvard/MIT/Berklee collaborative course the Berklee kids always became the team leaders. They knew the creative process. The constant iteration, aking criticism with grace, and using the feedback to improve. Perseverance and knowing you can keep improving something until it’s good. And yeah, you get real work ethic out of Berklee. When I did the first version of Rave Gazebo at Berklee folks didn’t really like it, so I improved it.

You can figure out what you want to commit to, but it really helps to just show up and be known as a person interested in the stuff you’re interested in. You get jobs from friends, and you get friends by showing up over and over. After college, the only friends you make are the ones you make by showing up over and over, not the first time but maybe the 5th time people talk to you. Go Find your people–the people interested in the same stuff as you. Expecially these days, with AI, it’s soul-sucking trying to just apply to jobs. It’s much better to know people where when their employer needs someone…you want to be one of the competent people your friends know. You have to actually be friends with them, enjoy spending time with them. People will want to hire the folks they like.”
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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

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

Position: Manager at Osteostrong, a franchise specializing in a type of physical therapy related. “I multitask a lot. I open the center; answer messages; handle payroll, taxes, commissions and reach out to doctors for referrals.” Aliel also fills in as a session coach when needed.

Overview: While a Berklee student Aliel worked in the Admissions Office. After graduation she worked at a supermarket during the pandemic, then in 2021 she moved back home (Connecticut) and worked at another grocery store. A friend of a friend mentiond that Osteostrong was hiring locally. It involved learning new things and the pay was somewhat better, so Aliel applied and got the job. She worked part-time at various locations in Connecticut.

After about a year, Aliel learned that NYC locations were hiring, and she took the opportunity to move to the city. The job started as part-time but she took on more and more hours and more and more resposibility. At some point her current boss purchased her location and she came with it. By now, she had lots of experience and her boss needed someone like her to keep the place running, so he officially promoted Aliel to manager.
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You can see Aliel’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “Seeing people improve physically over time is the most rewarding part. They go from not being able to raise their foot to being mobile. That really does it for me.”

“At Berklee, getting to know people from all over the world, understanding everyone is from a different background and being able to communicate with everyone are things that proved very helpful! I work with native New Yorkers and with people who immigrated here 2 weeks ago. A lot of my job is customer service. and knowing how to talk to people is key.”

“If you don’t have the financial ability to go straight into music that’s completely fine. Maybe not ideal, but everyone makes their own path. Just don’t be discouraged. If music is what you want to do, you can make it work. And if it isn’t, it’s not like your time at Berklee was wasted–there are multiple things you can do with that education.”

“If you want to get into administrative work you need to be a self-starter. Show you’re willing to do some of the mechanical stuff, being detail-oriented and a hard worker. Show you’re interested in the work and willing to go that extra mile.”

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Graduated from BoCo in 2019 with a major in Musical Theater.

Position: Executive Administrator at International Registeries, Inc, a cargo ship registry service affiliated with the Marshall Islands. She’s one of six people in her NYC-based office. “When things come over in the giant ships, I’m the one who registers the boat, I make sure the boat has all the paperwork it needs in order to sail. I also register new builds, transfer of ownership, etc.” Emily also does day to day administrative work, supporting the manager.

Overview: Emily stayed in Boston after graduation, working at the front of a theater and doing a bit of musical theater projects, but she didn’t really think much of her roles in found it depressing. When the pandemic hit, generous unemployment benefits kicked in. A friend recommended Emily for a corporate receptionist job, saying that theater folks make great receptionists. Emily worked there for a year, then she and her partner moved to NYC for her partner to go to law school.

In NYC, Emily looked for receptionist jobs. Her temp agency suggested her current position doing vessel registration, and she figured she’d try it out. It went well, Emily gradually taking on more responsibliities as she learned more and people left.
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You can see Emily’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “On the vessel registration side, I enjoy when I all goes according to plan. There’s something satisfying about checking everything off a list. I enjoy the administrative work as well, I’ve done it for a while, and like the human side of it. In theater I’d run my own admin and I feel very competent at it. My theater background comes in handy, talking to people.”

“My relationship with theater is thriving! I recently was paid to did some intimacy choreography, working as a go-between between the director and the actors. Recently I wrote a play, which is being produced an will debut this fall! I love the work I am able to do artistically, becuase I’m not reliant on it for an income. I’m able to do only the projects I want to do rather than needing to do whatever came my way.”

“There are many cool hobbies/places/friends in your future. You can make your own opportunities, even in theater, where you see them. I started with intimacy coordination in 2018. Then I started a business about finding monologues for people. You can do literally whatever you want!”

“If you want to get into an administrative career, put together all of your hard skills–talking to people, front-of-house work, talk to a temp / perm agency. A receptionist job is a great way to get in the door. Job sites can be disheartening and you’ll think nobody likes you, but a temp agency gives you the feedback you need.”

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See the full index of successful Berklee/BoCo alumni

Graduated in 2015 with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: flute.

Position: E-Commerce manager at Rooted, a mens apparel and streetware retailer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Chelsea manages the company website, keeping the links current and fuctional, while also handling all online marketing.

This full-time postion is done on top of Chelsea’s other job–being a full-time mom to a one-year-old child! Chelsea has had to become extremely good at scheduling and working efficiently! (In the interview she discusses both, and how to balance the two, at length)

Overview: Chelsea moved to Nashville after graduation. Determined to pay off six figures of student debt as quickly as possible, she hustled, working multiple side jobs. After about a year she got a remote job working for a social media agency that contracted for Live Nation and she did the publicity for five music venues, though the pay was fairly low. After a few years, she started applying to other jobs, being hired at CAA by someone who was creating an artist development branch of the company. But after a year there the pandemic hit and Chelsea’s boss left the agency. “I learned at lot at CAA but I was miserable working there. An agency can be a toxic environment to work, with expectations of super-long hours and inadequate.”

Chelsea continued to work at CAA for another year, but looked for other opportunities, focusing outside the music industry as she decided the industry wasn’t making her happy. She worked briefly at a jewelry company, then found her current position.
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You can see Chelsea’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “Marketing is a puzzle in your brain where you figure out your audience and what you’re trying to sell. If something isn’t working, why not? Is it your content? Your platform? Your audience? I think that’s fun.”

“My boss doesn’t check on me at all. He’s like, ‘I don’t want to deal with that–you handle it!’ This works really well for me, meaning I have the flexibility I need and it’s about what I get done rather than the hours I spend doing it.”

“If you’re thinking I’d like to be a mom and have a career. 100% make sure you’re prepared before you have a kid. I work from home–that’s an extremely important point! I couldn’t do this in an office. I have a flexible job. Make sure you have a support system in place. Build yourself up for success before you have children.”

“My first job in marketing were for promotions and marketing at the Red Room at Berklee. That was the basis of everything else in my career. I learned so much at that internship. They paid me, too. It as good experience and fun, and looked good on my resume.”

“I had a long grieving period after leaving music. I was bitter and upset with myself. Only in the past year and a half have I come out of that and now am loving music again. I use my music side, being a mom. I sing to my daughter all the time! It calms her down. Last night we had a dance party in the kitchen. It feels good to honor an old part of myself.”

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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.