Category: Other Successful Berklee Alumni

Amy Puffer

 

Listen to the interview (approx. 1 hr.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2016 with a major in Music Production & Engineering.  Principal instrument:  piano.

 

Position:  Assistant Video Editor at Peel&Eat, a small video post-production company which works primarily with advertising firms, turning the raw video footage into the finished product–typically a 30 or 60-second advertisement.  They also do a bit of film work.  As the one assistant video editor, Amy make the first careful pass through the raw video-footage, organizing it by category and selecting the best take for the editors to work on.  Increasingly, Amy is working directly with customers to make edits.  Amy also is responsible for backing up the company’s data.

 

Overview:  Amy graduated in the spring, planning to have a relaxing summer, then move to New York to work in a studio.  Still in Boston in August, she applied and got a job with PSAV, a large multinational firm which does audio-visual support for conferences and other events.  Amy’s plan was to port her job over to New York.  However, she decided she wanted to stay in Boston, and after a few months grew disenchanted with her job’s chaotic hours and lack of creativity, “I felt like a high-tech waitress, where people wanted me to bring them their order and go away.”  She started looking for jobs on Indeed, and saw one for an office manager/asst. producer at Peel&Eat.  She applied, and two days later had a job.

Amy’s bosses made it clear that she should use her downtime to “better herself in a way that helps the company,” so Amy eagerly started learning different software packages:  Photoshop, Illustrator etc.  After about a year, Peel&Eat’s assistant video editor was promoted, which opened up that position.  While a bit lacking in specific technical skills, Amy was a clearly a hard worker and eager to learn, so they gave her a shot, albeit at no increase in pay.  Six months later she got a substantial raise that reflected her new duties.

 

You can see Amy’s LinkedIn profile here.

 

Choice Quotes:  “I love being here. I gives me the opportunity to put together images and the artistic way that images fit with music. I enjoy the technical hands-on part– that drew me to engineering while at Berklee, and in a visual realm is really exciting   The other half of what I love about my job is the people. I loved how Berklee people were so passionate about what they do, and my coworkers here are the same.”

“Breaking down a 30-second ad is days of work for me. A good rule-of-thumb is that a half-day of footage is a full day of work.”

“I love my job, but I still ask myself what I’m going to do when I grow up.   Be flexible and easy on yourself and give yourself time to figure it out.  Also, Berklee pressures people that career is everything, but remember that a job is a job–a way of making money.  If you don’t like it, make a change, or at least do something good in your downtime.”

 

Amy at Berklee, working the sound board.  “There are so many commonalities between video editing and audio engineering. Often the technical software works similarly. Even though I’m not using the specifics of my degree, I’m using the general concepts and technical skills, and did learn a bit about video editing & parameters at Berklee.  My Berklee education got me to where I needed to be.”

 

 

 

While she has mixed feelings about not working in music, Amy jams with coworkers and makes music with friends.  “Doing something professionally and doing something from the heart are two different things.  I’m not pursuing music from a professional level but it’s definitely worth nurturing my relationship with it.”

 

 

 

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Luke Ramus

 

Listen to the interview (approx. 55 min.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2010 with a major in Film Scoring.  Principal instrument:  guitar.

 

Position:  Web developer at the University of Chicago Law School.  The one in-house developer, Luke gets assigned projects by the school’s IT director and is then a “one-man band,” designing, coding, and testing the websites he builds.  While officially a front-end developer, he deals with back-end stuff as well, “everything but the databases.”

 

Overview:  After graduation, Luke moved to Burlington, Vermont to “do the band thing” with guys he had been playing with since high school, while working day jobs to support himself, and got the occasional film-scoring project.  As a hobby, he did websites for his band and to showcases his other work.  Opportunities were limited in such a small city, so in January, 2012 he moved to Chicago, hoping to make a living doing music for commercials.   He started looking for freelance work, while hoping to get a job in music.  A sheet music store, Performers Music, hired him (at minimum wage) to build their website.  He got a little raise, but hoping to make more money applied and got a similar web-building job for a liquor store in early 2013, then 6 months later, got a better-paying half-time job building websites for the University of Chicago’s Music School.

While Luke continued to get the occasional little music scoring project, the money there was extremely minimal.  Taking advantage of having a well-paying part time job, Luke decided to actively pursue a Masters in Human-Computer Interaction at DePaul University., while continuing to work part-time for the University of Chicago.  January 2017, a few months out from completing his Masters, Luke started looking for a full-time job, and got one at a website translation firm.  However, he didn’t love the place and after about 9 months he was one of many who got laid off.  However, he saw that the University of Chicago had just created his current position, and with his experience/references there he quickly got the job.

 

Luke continues to do music for fun, and his band in Chicago, Cirkut Mob, put out an album.  You can see that multi-media music/story experience at their website–built by Luke of course!

 

You can see Luke’s LinkedIn profile here.

 

Choice Quotes: “I enjoy a number of things about web development.  It feels like a game to figure out how all these moving parts should fit together. It’s challenging, but there’s a million  Stack Overflow posts, tutorials, websites, etc. to help me meet those challenges. It’s satisfying to know that any wall I hit there’s a way though it.  All the logic, planning, and organization goes into making this neat-looking interface come to life. And hopefully it has real value to somebody somewhere.”

“If you want to be a web developer, learn all you can. Keep building new sites. I took a class where I had to build 10 stupid little websites, and that cemented a lot of knowledge.  Be ambitious in what you try to do with websites–always push what you know, research the best practice for whatever it is you’re trying to do. Practice. Learn more. There’s nearly unlimited online resources. Build yourself a nice portfolio website that shows that you can code, and that goes a long way.”

“Berklee taught me to be disciplined and good at self-teaching, exploring something I’m passionate about it and learning all I could–I applied that model to web design later on.  Berklee also gave me experience making creative output and getting critiques on it. That’s valuable and gave me a thick skin.”

 

Luke with his wife.  “Meeting her helped me sort out a lot of things.  I realized some things I wanted in life–to buy a house, to have a family–and random little music projects weren’t going to get me that.   But I was fortunate to be really passionate about web design and development.”

 

 

 

 

Luke at work.  “One thing that attracted me to this job was that I’ll be doing multiple roles. “This job lets me be a UX designer and I gather requirements and build mock-ups, then I get to build it and make sure it works correctly.

 

 

 

Luke playing in his metal band in Vermont shortly after graduation.  “Music is this funny thing. To be successful in it, you need to be making stuff people like, be really good at it, and be good at self-promotion. If you can do all three, that’s awesome. For everybody else, hopefully there’s a lining up of what people are willing to pay you for and what you enjoy doing.”

 

 

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Marcel Hamel

 

Listen to the interview (approx. 40 min.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2009 with a major in Performance.  Principal instrument:  bass guitar.

 

Position:  Implementation Engineer at Sailthru, a company specializing in marketing automation, for example, automatically sending follow-up emails when someone has browsed a product.  Marcel is one of two implementation engineers out of 200 employeees.  “Every time a new client comes on board, one of us is dedicated to wiring them up with our system and making sure everything is functioning properly.” He also does hands-on coding projects for his own company, often projects to improve the customer’s interface.

 

Overview:  Marcel toured with a theatrical show both before and after graduation.  But by 2010, tired of being on the road, he moved to New York to pursue his musical career.  He taught music, did some off-Broadway theater runs, and gigged, then did a 3-year tour with the Mama Mia! musical.  But he tried of being on the road, missing his family and hardly ever seeing his fiancee–also a performer.  Moving back to New York, he tried to re-connect with the local scene, but found his network had atrophied in his absence. “It was unpleasant. You leave and life goes on without you.”  However, he noticed that a lot of friends had done coding “boot camps” and getting good jobs that they liked.

Still gigging some, Marcel studied computers on his own for close to half a year, then did a 12-week boot camp at General Assembly.   Once the program was done, he did a bit of freelance programming work while looking for a full-time job.  It took him about 4 months of applying to get his current position, which had posted the opening on one of General Assembly’s job boards.

 

You can see Marcel’s LinkedIn profile here.

 

Choice Quotes:  “There’s a good amount of practical problem-solving in software development in general, and specifically what we do here.  Out software is, for better or worse, a living, breathing thing that’s updated all the time and changes features to suit each user.  It’s more than sitting down in front of a screen running tests over and over–it’s a very human, practical thing.”

“Migrating customers’ data into our system sounds simpler than it is–there are a million quirks that can show up–different system may handle data differently, have different parameters, etc.”

“Go out into the world and fail at a lot of things to figure out what you actually want to do. Embrace your position which is that you can accept a lot of risk without consequence.”

“Meeting so many musicians at Berklee and being forced to create something with them is very analogous to dealing with clients in my current job. It really puts you in a position to facilitate thing happening while working with people with all sorts of backgrounds and viewpoints.”

“It’s thankfully easy in 2018 to figure out if you have an aptitude for code. There are so many free resources which will teach you the basics. You can go to FreeCodeCamp or CodeAcademy. Go through a self-guided course. If that’s fun to you, you can go down that road and be in a really good place to start your journey into tech.”

 

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Devon Frampton

 

Listen to the interview (approx. 46 min.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2013 with majors in Performance and Music Business.  Principal instrument:  voice.

 

Position:  Assistant Public Defender in the Miami Dade County Office.  One of roughly 300 attorneys working for the county who represent those who can’t afford private legal help, Devon, as a first-year defender, handles misdemeanor cases–offenses which lead to less than a year in prison “from a simple battery to a DUI to criminal traffic violations such as driving with a suspended license.”  Devon deals with an average of around 180 cases at any one moment, around 10 of which she’s in court for on a given day.  Devon has done 6 trials since starting the job 9 months ago, ” Which is a lot for a new attorney–you can’t get so many trials as a new attorney, unless you’re a public defender or work in a DA office.”

 

Overview:  Devon started Berklee as a performance major, but double majored after her mother convinced her that business would be practical and help her understand her own contracts better.  She really enjoyed a contract negotiation class she took at Berklee, and found that interested her more than constantly performing.  After graduation, thinking about the life she wanted to lead (“I wanted a career and a family.  I didn’t want to be a gypsy in New York, waiting tables to make ends meet”), she decided to go to law school and pursue a career in entertainment law.  Working several different odds jobs during that first year, Devon researched law schools, took the LSATs, applied and got into the three schools she applied for, electing to go to the University of Miami Law School because she loved the city.

During her second year at law school, between a contract class and an internship, Devon realized that “Entertainment law is all about contracts, and I hate all the minutiae of contracts!”  She felt a bit lost, but the performance aspect of trials.  A professor invited her to join the school’s trial team.  Later, the trial team coach suggested that Devon look at the Miami Dade County public defender’s office.  During her last year at law school she started interning there–as a certified legal intern she could represent clients and do trials!–and within a few weeks she was accepted to work there once she finished law school in the spring of 2017 and took the bar exam. (Devon got a raise once she passed.)

 

You can see Devon’s LinkedIn profile here.

 

Choice Quotes:  “When I did my internship at the public defenders office I realized that not only could I be like a performer again, but I also could give back to the community and be a lawyer for people who don’t have a voice.  I feel so good helping people who can’t help themselves.”

“About 80% of my cases get dismissed. Witnesses don’t show up, we’ll have motions and have a chance to talk, and before the trial we’ll get to a dismissal or a conditional dismissal such the client attending an anger management course. The other 20% is either a plea or a trial–usual a plea. We’ll try to get the best deal for our clients, such as community service hours rather than cash fines because many are poor.”

I’ve never before had a job where I worked such long hours because I care and I like it!  If you’re passionate about helping people, want to do something different every day and not sit behind a desk and use those performance skills, this is a good option.

There’s a loan forgiveness program when you work in public service. Work 10 years and pay your minimum payment on time every month for 10 years and the remaining debt is forgiven. I’ve had private attorneys offer me a job, and I reply ‘No, not yet.’ because I have a lot more experience and autonomy working here. By staying in public service, I take a pay cut now but then can ask for more later.”

“I loved Berklee. I still consider myself a musician, and perform as often as I can. At first it was hard when I was thinking about this career.  People would say ‘You’re giving up after all that work?’ But I don’t feel that I’m giving up, just that I found the right path for me.  I’ve been able to use everything I learned at Berklee in my job now.”

 

 

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Tara Comes

 

Listen to the interview (approx. 40 min.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2012 with a major in Music Business.  Principal instrument:  voice.

 

Position:  Account Manager at the NYC branch office of P.I. Global, a branding and visual agency that helps companies establish and promote brands for products, providing both the strategies and the imagery to use.  Tara “wears many hats” at this relatively small agency, communicating with clients, handling administrative details, reviewing strategies and design work and representing the clients’ perspective during meetings with her own company’s creative/design people.

 

Overview:  While at Berklee, Tara worked for Cornerstone Agency, a company that promote artists and helps them build their brands.  She worked on street teams and did online campaigns, including during her intenership with them in New York.  After her internship, Tara found herself very interested in branding, and sought a career in that.  Reaching out to a recruiter, she got a position at a company that designed and built props and displays for liquor companies, working mostly on the production end.  After a couple of years, she was ready to move on to a job with more creativity and opportunity.  She applied to many companies, and in relatively short time got a job with P.I. Global as a business development coordinator, doing a lot of market/client research.  But as part of Tara’s job she supported the Account Management Team, so when 1.5 years later a senior person on that team left Tara was promoted into that role.

 

You can see Tara’s LinkedIn profile here.

 

Choice Quotes:   “The way P.I. does branding is similar to music in some ways. I’t’s understanding the DNA of an emotion and what you want to communicate from an emotional perspective and how to bring that to life from a communicative perspective. You become a storyteller, bringing something new to the world. It’s gratifying when consumers gravitate to that. There’s an intimacy to that–understanding the market and being in tune to the ever-evolving world that we live in. I really enjoy it.”

“Something the Berklee community has is openness and a different kind of sensory understanding of our surroundings. This helped me perceive consumer behavior in a different way. take a step back, listen to something or see it or have an idea in mind, and create a sensory for it and create a world that people will understand.”

“A lot of people think they understand how to communciate a brand and brand themselves as artists, but until I worked at PI I never understood the DNA of waht it meant to do that properly.”

“If you want to be an account manager, you have to be very good with people.   Know that even when you’re right, the client is always going to have to be right. Understand when to push back, when to not. It’s really a job where you have to understand behavior patterns and people and have the stamina to be involved in very difficult situations.”

“Be grateful for the Berklee community. Use the community and keep those friends you make at Berklee close. There’s a bond you’ll always have, so cherish that.”

 

 

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Mary Jarchow

 

Listen to the interview (approx. 1 hr, 9 min.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2008 with a major in Professional Music.  Principal instrument:  flute.

 

Position:  Associate Director of Development (front-line fundraising) at Colorado State University’s Engineering College.  Mary works very autonomously, data-mining for good prospective donors, setting up meetings, traveling and meeting them, and following-up.  She also helps with some events.  It’s a salaried position, which is the norm for non-profits, but she has to hit certain metrics in terms of both meetings and money brought in.

Overview:  While a student at Berklee, Mary write a paper for a Music Business class profiling financially successful symphonies, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which was published in Berklee’s Music Business journal and then republished in a Music Trade publication.  She also got some fundraising interhships during the summer in Colorado, and worked in Berklee’s development (fundraising) office.  That experience got her a telefundraising jobs at the BSO about six months after graduation (where she no longer had to “do the coffee shop thing”) where she worked for 9 months.  She did well, but missed Colorado, so moved back home. After a while, she applied and got a position doing fundraising work for a small music school, but that place wasn’t doing well financially, so a year later she was looking for a new position.  Mary felt that it made sense not to pigeonhole herself as an arts-and-music fundraiser, so applied more broadly and got a fundraising job with the United Way in early 2011.

Within 6 months it was clear that she didn’t want a career at the United Way, so Mary started systematically building her network–actively pursuing meetings and informational interviews.  About a year later, a recruiter reached out to her that she was recommended for a fundraising job at the University of Colorado to support their music school and arts programs.  A major bump in salary and impact, Mary had four great years there, though there was a lot of turnover and after 4 years she decided to leave and reevaluate whether she really wanted this as a career, working as a fundraising consultant in the interim.  She decided that this was what she wanted, and also wanted to stay in Colorado.  Hearding good things about Colorado State University, she reached out to them and met with someone who subsequently informed her about new positions and who to meet with before any job interview happened.  This led to her getting her current position when it opened up in early 2018.

 

You can see Mary’s LinedIn profile here.

 

Choice Quotes: “As a musician, I really enjoyed playing music with an interacting with other people. It carries over in fundraising. There’s a bit of direct crossover–a lot of the engineers I’m meeting were in marching band or have other music talent. That shared interest in music works to my advantage quite often.”

“When I work with someone to set up a scholarship endowment, a student recipient writes a letter to the donors–I keep a couple of copies of these heartwarming letters in my office. They’re really rewarding and remind me how important my job is. Often this scholarship makes the difference in letting them go to college.”

“My education at Berklee and experience as a musician taught me the value of listening, how to collaborate and negotiate with people.”

“I still play my flute, which I really enjoy.  Usually I’ll just put on some music and play along.  I’ve met so many people who say they used to play. I encourage people to get back on the horse. Music is a wonderful part of my life!”

“I encourage people to think about what they’re worth. Early on you have a lot of learning to do, but later you get to a point in your career and can point to your successes, there’s room to negotiate. A lot of people, especially women, just accept an offer right away.  Don’t do that–thank them and say you’ll look forward to considering their offer over the next couple of days.  Think how whether it’s in the salary range. Think if it’s in what you want, or if there are creative ways you can negotiate for more money or other benefits.”

“If you want to be in fundraising, the number one thing is to feel passionate about the mission!  Find an organization you really, truly are interested in. You’ll be doing many things in long hours for low pay.  But if you’re passionate about the mission, you can walk away thinking you have one of the best jobs in the world. The more you prove you can get visits with people and raise $ the more you will get noticed, promoted, and start to make a good living.”

 

 

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Dan O’Connor

 

Listen to the interview (approx. 48 min.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2009 from the Boston Conservatory with a major in Musical Theater.

 

Position:  Showroom manager at the New York (sales) office of Milliken & Co, a large, multi-national manufacturer of fabrics.  “Every day you touch about fifty products that his company makes.”  Dan manages the showroom for carpets, supporting salespeople working trade shows, and managing hosting little events to keep the clients–mainly architects and designers, entertained while helping them figure out what products meet their vision.  “I wear a lot of hats, but my day involves a lot of wine and cheese.”

 

Overview:  After graduating, Dan moved to New York City and pursued roles in musical theater.  For five years, Dan pursued musical theater roles, but his relative weakness with dancing limited led to many callbacks and previous few roles.  During this time, he worked many temporary jobs to make ends meet, often through a temp agency including at one point in 2013 managing a showroom which he found enjoyable.

By 2014, Dan felt that the musical theater career wasn’t happening and he wanted a career, so he listed out all of the things he liked about what he’d done and decided that he’d do well as an event planner.  He started building his own business while continuing to temp, but found it overwhelming.  A person he knew though an industry group introduced him to a different fabric company that needed a showroom manager, and Dan took that position in the fall of 2014.  Close to two years later, a recruiter reached out to Dan about his current position–a bit of an upgrade, so Dan interviewed and took it.

 

You can see Dan’s LinkedIn profile here.

 

Choice Quotes:  “It’s in the title ‘showroom manager’–there’s a show that happens. Sometimes I’m the director, sometimes I’m the stage manager setting props. When the client walks in, it’s showtime.  It’s not the easiest thing to meet someone for the first time and connect with them–that’s a skill.”

“One thing I really like about this job is the creative problem solving. An architect comes in and says ‘I want it to look cool,” but what does that mean?  Is that a color, the temperature, an attitude?  Helping them figure all that out and finding what matches their vision is a lot of fun.”

“It helps to do your research, put in the effort and become an expert in your field.  In my field, a lot of people don’t think about carpeting the way we think About it. It’s very complex. There’s a lot of science that goes into it–it’s more than just colors and patterns.” ”

“I’ve had ups and downs, but BoCo gave me a real sense of who I was and what I bring to the table, and I could roll with the punches.”

“Don’t compare yourself to other people.  Do what makes you happy, and you’ll find your way.’

 

See the full index of successful Berklee/BoCo alumni.

Scott Beardsworth

 

Listen to the interview (approx 1 hr, 32 min.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2012 with a major in Music Business.  Principal instrument:  bass guitar.

 

Position:  Project Manager at Keller Williams Realty‘s Corporate HQ, where under 300 people support over 170,000 agents worldwide.  Scott is on the 25-person (Business) Operations Team, which administers software, helps with e-payments, and process implementation.  Scott wears many different hats, from supervising renovations of office space to being the liaison between different business teams when a new software or process is being rolled out to whatever is needed next.  Most of his time is spent in meetings or emailing.

 

Overview:  Scott’s Music Business internship led to a job on the road with Aerosmith, doing VIP tours and meet-and-greets.  However, after 6 months he sensed that he didn’t want the roadie life long-term, and shortly after that the company he worked for folded.  Scott moved back to Boston and, unable to find a good opportunity (“With only a roadie job on my resume, people probably assumed I was a party animal.”), spent most of the year driving a delivery truck and doing a bit of small website jobs to make rent.  Feeling ready to leave Boston, Scott was able to live cheaply, but temporarily, in the home that had belonged to a deceased relative.  Using a Berklee job board, he found a job as a music administrator, helping the guy (also a Berklee alum) who composed music for the NFL.  It was a good job, but Scott was hired as a contractor and after 10 months the contract ended, and the house he was in was put on the market.  Scott was ready for another change.  He recalled seeing and loving the scene in Austin, Texas while touring, and decided to move down there.

Arriving in Austin, Scott applied widely to jobs, which meant non-music business jobs given the lack of that industry in that city.  His then-girlfriend’s friend helped him get a job at a quickly-growing tech startup selling software.  Scott worked really hard, but wasn’t giving any coaching or training.  6 months later, he hadn’t made any sales and was let go.  Scott realized that all these short-term jobs might become a liability and he search for his next job more thoughtfully, wanting someplace he could work long term and grow with.  He applied online for to Keller Williams and was hired as an Operations Manager (a half-step below Project Manager) in May 2015.  Scott found himself with not enough work to fill his day, so he regularly asked for more work.  He was given projects to do and did them well, so his job gradually evolved into his current one.

 

You can see Scott’s LinkedIn profile here.

 

Choice Quotes:  “I hadn’t really been into Real Estate, but Keller Williams seemed like a great opportunity. They seemed authentic in how they pitched themselves to potential employees, and you see them everywhere. I figure they’re doing well and I was looking for a company I could see my career grow within.

“When my manager throws a project at me with no details and tells me to figure out how tio get it done, I see that as a challenge and enjoy that a lot. I like to be challenged, pushed, and out of my comfort zone. ”

“Yesterday I was in meetings straight from 9- 4:30! Some meetings I run, others I’m there. Some I’m just a fly on the wall.”

“The thing Berklee armed me with the most for any job is emotional intelligence and social awareness. Innate communication via music gives us a method that non-musicians have a really hard time emulating. Our communication skills–there are so many ways to communicate while playing music. Picking up on social cues is hugely important–we know how to listen for things and be analytical about listening.

 

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Darsell Obregon

 

Listen to the interview (approx. 50 min.) or download it.

 

Graduated in 2010 with majors in Performance and Songwriting.  Principal instrument:  voice.

 

Position:  Personal assistant to a celebrity model.  Working directly for this woman, Darsell’s time is split roughly evenly between helping with business things and with personal things.  She does a wide variety of tasks including emails, shopping, organization, being the liaison between anyone and her employer, and accompanying her employer on photo shoots and traveling (domestic and int’l).

Overview:  Darsell came to Berklee a year and a half after getting her associates degree, and has been working front desk at a hotel in Miami, where she’s from.  After graduation, she stayed in the Boston area for a year, working at a cell phone store, but tired of the weather and moved to L.A.  she got some gigs, but needed more money so got another front desk job at the same hotel chain.  But she didn’t like the culture in L.A., nor was she prospering financially.  A friend helped her get a job at an online ticketing start-up, but after her training in New York Darsell decided she wanted to be there instead of L.A.  The company wouldn’t transfer her, so she left that job, moved to NYC, and reached out to a former hotel client who had a staffing agency and needed an office manager.

That position lasted about six months, then Darsell got laid off.  She applied widely for jobs; at one point a friend from her now-former staffing agency suggested she apply to another staffing agency, Quintessentially People, which placed her with her current employer.  It started off part-time, but evolved into a full-time salaried position, and within 6 months Darsell was hired “permanently.”

 

Choice Quotes:  “It’s hard work!  I say I’m a celebrity assistant and people are like ‘OMG it’s SO cool!’  Yeah it’s cool, but it’s no freaking joke. It’s 24/7, and you have to be on top of everything. Your job is to resolve issues BEFORE they get to whoever you’re assisting. while they focus on what they’re trying to do (building an empire most times).”

“I enjoy working with my employer. We’re a good match personality-wise. I respect what she does and what she stands for. It’s also still in the entertainment world, which I love. She’s in that world and I love being with her from when she had a small following to now when she’s grown into a superstar.”

“A lot of the time I create my own schedule. She’ll give me things to do and I’ll get them done at my pace. But my hours vary enormously. There are 80-hour workweeks, and there are 30-hour workweeks.”

“Don’t be closed off to other opportunities in the same world.  I was so obsessed with being the next Mariah Carey. That’s not realistic for me now.  Priorities change–I’m older and want a family.”

“If you want to be a personal assistant, do it for someone you like, in an industry you’re interested in.”

“I’m grateful to Berklee for changing my life. Even though I’m not a full time musician I hold Berklee near and dear to my heart.”

 

 

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.

Alexander Gavurin

Listen to the interview (approx. 1 hr, 9 min.) or download it.

Graduated in 2008 with a major in Music Business.  Principal instrument:  guitar.

Position:  Manager of Strategic Planning / FP&A (Financial Planning and Analysis) at WATSCO, a large holding company that own many distributors of HVAC equipment.  “We’re a giant middleman.”  They buy existing HVAC distribution companies and support them with better IT and business information infrastructure as well as being able to negotiate better prices due to their size.   Alexander uses financial analysis on how their subsidiary companies can be more profitable over the next few years, and also which companies and exclusive deals should be acquired..  Strategic planning may be about customer segmentation, evaluation of potential and ongoing projects for ROI (Return On Investment)  95% input (info gathering, data validation, synthesis, etc.) and 5% output (presentations, reports).

Overview:  While at Berklee, Alexander waited tables at the restaurant Sonsie in the Back Bay, but he was really interested in the management aspect, and got to know the manager, so by the time he graduated he was helping manage the place.  However, with his now-wife (then girlfriend) being a teacher with early morning hours, he disliked restaurant hours, so they moved home to New York, and a connnection hooked him up with a job at a restaurant equipment company managing the smallwares department (pots, tables, knives, etc.)  The money was OK, but the job felt dead-end and not what he wanted, so by 2010 Alexander was doing a lot of soul-searching on what he wanted to do.  He started applying to many jobs, but between the bad economy and his unusual background he was having no luck.  By 2012, Alexander realized he needed to “re-brand” himself, and that meant going to business school.  He left his job in September, 2012 and studied for the GMAT and researched business schools, making a bit of money as an independent restaurant operations consultant during this time.

Doing well on the GMAT, Alexander was offered a very generous scholarship by the University of Miami’s MBA program, graduating in the spring of 2015.  He learned fluent Portuguese His second year there he had a full-time paid internship at Novartis, where he hoped to stay after graduation, but they wanted him to work in Brazil, which didn’t interest him, so he applied to local companies and got a job as a financial analyst (FP&A) at Spirit Airlines.  After about a year and a half a recruiter reached out to him about his current job, which was a step up so he applied and took it.

You can see Alexander’s LinkedIn profile here.  Alexander encourages folks interested in financial analysis to reach out to him.

Choice Quotes:  “Analyzing financial data is like mining for gold. You spend all this time sifting through dirt, moving it around, processing it, shaping it, working on it. And at the end it’s this beautiful, polished piece of jewelry.”

“There’s something about massaging secrets out of the numbers that is very satisfying. It’s very creative. Sort of like when yhou’re writing a song and varying the melody and it starts to make sense and you add stuff and soon you have a finished project where you really have something–it feels like that. And better yet here you have a very finished, accomplished feelling at the end while with music one often feels it’s not quite there.”

“The main reason I wanted to make money is that my wife is the center of my life for ever on and I wanted to provide for her and give her a good life That’s the love story behind it all.”

See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.