Silicon Valley lives and breathes every day as the headquarters for a vast array of technology companies.  The ability to attend the Berklee school trip not only strengthened my interest and passion for technology, but I could see

myself living in the San Francisco area after college.  While Los Angeles and New York stand as major music and art hubs, San Francisco caters to music lovers such as myself through their technology companies.  Of all the companies the school visited, the amount of departments within said companies that dedicate entirely to sound and audio surprised me.  The trip unexpectedly sparked an interest in pursuing a career at a top technology company within the Silicon Valley area.

Music has flowed through my veins since my earliest days of childhood.  My memories of music listening involved carrying a Walkman with a CD pouch everywhere I went.  It is safe to say my music passions have always been with me.  However, my passion for technology and how it impacts peoples’ lives is quite new (within the last few years).  Stepping foot into the offices of Facebook, Apple, PlayStation, YouTube, Dolby, and Spotify shined a light on how one can merge the worlds of music and technology.  I had no idea such opportunities existed at these monstrous technology companies offering sound, audio, and music roles.  Additionally, Berklee alumni work at a majority of these companies inevitably encouraging me to pursue a career in a technology company related to music.  Personally, I feel an intimidation factor when consideri

 

ng top technology companies as candidates for a company I could work at.  The stigma that most of these companies hire individuals from Ivy League schools or internationally initially made me believe the chances of me working at such a company was slim.  However, after meeting with many Berklee alumni, touring through the various campuses and company headquarters, and participating in Q&A’s with current employees regarding the companies day-to-day operations, I found that opportunities do exist for passionate music and audio lovers who wish to enter the Silicon Valley tech world.  A select few companies stood out to me as to where I could best apply myself within the work culture.

Working at Spotify has been a dream of mine for over a year now.  While there were no Berklee alumni working at the company, I found the company’s involvement in the community and commitment to artists inspiring.  This inspiration comes from a place where the knowingly best music streaming company in the world technically has no obligation to cater to its local community or community of artists but their culture inspires positivity, growth, and community.  The same occurred at Facebook.  Facebook centers its culture and ideals on the concept of creating a cohesive, growth-driven community.  While the perks of free breakfast, lunch, and dinner are nice and the seemingly unlimited access to various resources on site is mesmerizing, the community culture stuck out to me the most.  Facebook, along with other successful companies, stick with their values thus creating a positive community where employees can thrive and create incredible ideas and products that ultimately positively affect consumers.  Certainly community and culture is important when evaluating the characteristics of a company when considering a career.

Overall, the trip enlightened me to envision working within a technology company featuring an audio aspect.  I saw that it is indeed possible to work for one of the tech giants and, even still, other Berklee alumni who have come before me have created a path for employment.  The next few months before graduation will feature much consideration about what city I will end up living in while simultaneously applying for job opportunities all over the United States.  I can only hope the impact Silicon Valley had on me will influence me to consider working and living amongst other Silicon Valley employees.

By Zach Cox

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