Charlie graduated in 2008 with a double major in Performance and Music Business. Principal Instrument:  Guitar.

Position:  Wireless telecommunications brand advocate at MarketSource, Inc. http://www.marketsource.com/

Charlie visits retailers of cell phones in his territory, providing training, support, and connecting with sales managers in support of Microsoft products.

Overview:  Graduating during the worst job market in decades, Charlie moved back home (Washington State). He made a living doing three jobs: gigging and local touring with bands, working at Best Buy selling cell phones (for near minimum wage) and helping at his brother’s funeral home.  During his nearly three years at Best Buy, he became friendly with the product vendors.  One day he asked one of them about their job.  She described a job to his liking and put in the good word for him, which got him an interview.  He was hired to to product vending/support part time, and was promoted to his full-time position within a year.

You can see his LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlieshaughnessy1

Choice Quotes: “I made a really good decision by focusing on the business aspect (of music).  I think some of those business classes should be required.”

“Networking and relationship building is what it really boils down to–at least in this field–for us in the corporate environment.  There are plenty of opportunities that students at Berklee can seize to do (and learn) this naturally…You’re putting together bands with people you see in the hall, doing different projects, etc.”

Charlie Shaughnessy | Wireless Telecommunications Brand Advocate

Graduated in 1996 with a major in Performance.  Principal Instrument:  drums.

Position:  Professor (rank:  Asst. Prof.) of Literacy Education at the University of Wyoming.  Dana teaches elementary school teachers-in-training how to teach reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Overview:  Dana gigged and toured full-time for several years after finishing Berklee, but decided that touring wasn’t the life for him.  He started substitute teaching, which allows great flexibility on which day you do and don’t work and worked well with his schedule.  He enjoyed that, so got his Masters in Education (M.Ed.) and started teaching fifth grade.  He continued to take classes and after a few years enrolled in a Ph.D. program, while continuing to teach and gig on the side.  Upon receiving his Ph.D. he applied for teaching positions at research universities across the country, and got his current job.

You can see his LinkedIn profile here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-robertson-910b119?

Choice quotes:  “Don’t just take any job, but think about what it is that you really enjoy doing–as well as playing music.  Every job hasn’t really seemed like a job for me, because I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done.”

“I learned to network as a musician, which applies directly to my job, which requires networking with people at other universities, collaborating, etc.   Also the discipline & focus required to master an instrument..transferred directly over to other aspects of my life, such being able to spend a long time working on a paper.”

Dana Robertson | College Professor, Education

Graduated in 2010 with a major in Music Production and Engineering (MP&E).  Principal instrument:  Voice.

Position:  Customer Success Manager at Pitchbook Data.  Matt finds, trains, and maintains clients for a “Google for venture capital” business.  He earns mostly salary, with opportunities for commissions on top of that.

http://pitchbook.com/

Overview:  Upon graduation, Matt got an mostly-unpaid internship with a producer in Seattle, while bartending and waiting tables for money.  Eventually the producer moved away, and a bar client mentioned that his place, a contractor the National Cancer Institute, was hiring “cancer specialists” (basically working at a cancer information hotline.)  He put in the good word, and Matt got the job.  He stayed there over 2 years, it was an OK job, but dead-end, so he looked for something better.  He was helping a friend, who worked at Pitchbook Data, quit smoking.  When her company was hiring, she knew he wanted a new job and recommended him for the job and coached him on what to say during interviews.

You can see his LinkedIn profile here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-clear-3606bb11

Choice quotes:  “I’m always open to opportunity and to learning something new.”

“Being an MP&E student taught me about collaboration, to be a good listener first.  To be a cancer specialist is to listen to people, meet them where they are, and give them info to take it a step further.    That’s exactly what being an engineer or producer is all about.”

“I wish Berklee taught us more more about professional networking and how to present yourself as a professional and demand that kind of respect. Also how to handle our student loans (and our last day of school isn’t the time to do that.)”

Matt Clear | Customer Success Manager

Graduated in 2014 with a major in Music Business (Management track). Principal instrument:  voice.

Position:  Staffing coordinator at RAD Employment Services, a temp agency. Leah recruits and evaluated workers interested in temporary work and send appropriate people to client companies.

Overview: While still a student at Berklee, Leah worked for RAD as a temp worker (sent out to other offices), as a way to make money during breaks. After graduation she planned to continue with that, but, having done well in various assignments, the RAD hired her directly as a part-time administrative employee. At one point the office shrank and Leah was one of multiple people laid off, but soon afterward one of their full-time staffing coordinators left and Leah was contacted and offered that vacated position.

http://www.radtemps.com/

You can see her LinkedIn profile here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-hinton-96292182

Choice quotes: ”Studying business prepared me for my job in the sense that I learned how to speak well to people, how to interview, work with computers, work on documents. I think a business education is helpful for everything, and it’s important to at least have the basics of that. Working in the Berklee offices as a work-study student helped me as well. ”

“There are so many avenues you can take both in music and in business.  Don’t feel that you’re nothing if you’re not the rising pop star. The skills you learn help you be confident and put yourself out there.”

Leah Hinton | Staffing Coordinator

The Berklee CDC provides expert guidance, leading-edge resources, and professional development to Berklee College of Music's diverse student and alumni body.

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