Category: Other Successful Berklee Alumni

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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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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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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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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Graduated in 2023, with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: voice.

Position: Digital Communications Specialist at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a foundation started in the 1940s with a mission to “Advance social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world.” Kerem handles much of the day-to-day execution of communications work: making images, posting on social media, sending emails. Much of the focus is on the work being done by organizations they fund. Kerem also promotes arts-related events at a seasonal arts festival which the foundation sponsors.

Overview: Kerem went to an arts high school and Berklee was the obvious choice for college, though he cared a lot about politics and social justice. As his time at Berklee was wrapping up, Kerem figured he wanted his career to go in a social justice direction. A friend suggested he apply for an internship at Telos, a group in Washington DC working on peace and mutual understanding in Israel/Palestine. Kerem applied and got the jobin September 2023, then weeks later the massive Hamas attack happend and the war started. “I felt the entire organization change overnight. It was chaotic. But it cranked us up and brought us closer, really gave us newfound hope.”

Kerem worked there as an intern for most of a year. Eventually, they offered him a full-time job, but they had waited to long–Kerem was already applying for other jobs so that he’d land on his feet when the internship ended. One of those resumes had gone to the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, whose work really excited Kerem, plus it was based in New York City, where he is from, so he took that position.
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You can see Kerem’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “There are a lot of similarities with the arts. You cultivate community. You have ideas and want to cultivate an audience around it. The core identity of my work never changed, even though this is different. The simple thing you’re trying to do is connecting with people. I’m in my element and what makes me happy is the same as what did when I was in music.”

“I did well because I was doing work I was passionate about. If you want to consider something outside of music, making sure it’s something you’re passionate about where you’re not going to have to try to work hard is the most important thing.”

“At Berklee, we have faculty and classmates from all walks of life I got good at talking to folks and connecting /finding common ground with people from anywhere.”

“Communications is very similar to audience building in the arts. You have a lot of skills already at your disposal. When I applied to Telos I wrote down a bunch of stuff I’d done that even somehow related. Booking shows, things like that. There are a lot of creative elements in communications as well. Video, photography, speaking.”
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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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Graduated in 2016 with a major in Professional Music. Principal instrument: voice.

Position: Sales Development Representative (similar to a Business Development Rep.) at Rally UXR, a tech start-up whose software product supports research, making it easier to find users, generate reports, etc. Jonathan’s job involves reaching out to potential customers and setting up meetings with his higher-ups when they’re interested. Unlike many similar positions which involve being on the phone most of the day, that’s at most 20% of Jonathan’s day, as he spends a lot of time researching potential clients and rehearsing his pitch. “My company believes in intentionality rather than spray-and-pray.”

Overview: Jonathan had a long, winding path into his career. A year working at the family fish business in New Jersey to save money. Several years in Korea, first pursuing a music career and then teaching English and math at an international school in Korea. Eventually Jonathan returned to the United States to pursue a career in dentistry, working as a dental assistant while taking the science-based prerequiste courses for dental school, but decided this career was not for him. He next went to the Fire Academy in New Jersey and currently serves his community part-time as a volunteer firefighter.

In 2023 a friend who worked as a Business Development Representative told Jonathan that he would do very well in this field. Jonathan went to a boot camp to learn sales, Aspireship, then applied to many sales jobs and went to networking events. Someone he met networking offered Jonathan his first job, and it went well. As is very common in sales, after some times there Jonathan applied to work at other places with greater earnings potential and he was hired into his current job.
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You can see Jonathan’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: “So far as career changes go, a great thing about sales is there’s a low barrier to entry. Also, in sales you get what you give. Some other professions you deal with people relations and you’re dependent on other folks. In sales, you control what you earn.

“At Berklee you’re interacting with a lot of different people from a lot of different places. Music is collaborative and that’s a relevant parallel. I’m good at speaking with people and enjoy it and believe what I’m talking about. I’m good at being a people person and that transfered directly from my time at Berklee.”

“In sales you have to be a people person. A lot of sales gets a bad rap, but SAS (Software As a Service) sales is really about delivering solutions. I look at what I do through a lens of service.”

“Continue to ask yourself what it is you want in a career as well as what you enjoy. Always have a mindset of learning, and never quit. But it’s important to have goals as to what you’re going for. I did a lot of running, but I ran in place. Have a goal of what you want to do, then go for it.”

“If you want to work in sales, LinkedIn is a great resource. When you’re first starting out, look for valuable experience, not the money. Teams that you want to be part of are looking for a proven track record of success. Think about the experience you’ll be getting and keep the big picture in mind.”

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“What surprises me every day is how many jobs there are that you don’t know about until you meet someone doing it. We tend to focus of well-knows jobs while in school. There are a lot places you can get your foot in the door, then once your’e there look at what everyone is doing and figure out what would be a good fit. Expecially in tech companies where people are doing such different things. Find some previously-unknown niche that’ll make it easier to develop your career. I’m doing something I didnt’ know existed until 3 years ago! (Obviously I knew marketing existed, but there are so many sub-sections of it.) Be flexible. Learn overall abilities and apply them to many different things. It helps to have a wide variety of skills. You can even go to the jobs page of a company you like, scroll through 100 job descriptions, then learn some of the skills that are called for.”
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See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.