Creating His Own Path

Eric Buckley ‘15 attributes much of his success to the multi-disciplinary studies major he pursued as a student at Colby-Sawyer College. While earning his Bachelor of Arts, Eric had the opportunity to explore various disciplines and understand how integrative learning can be the key to solving complex issues.

Eric developed a self-designed MDS program that gave him a broad liberal arts foundation and incorporated marketing and business. For his capstone project, he created three songs using Garage Band and then explained how he would market each song to a unique audience. He was able to flex his creative skills and showcase different marketing techniques he learned in his business classes.

In 2017, Eric started working at Greenhouse Software, a technology company based in New York City and specializing in recruiting software. His first role at the company was as a sales development representative, which gave him an introduction to the tech field. In a project similar to his capstone project, Eric had to demo a software for an audience during his interview process. He created a live song while walking through the process and was essentially “selling” Garage Band during his interview.

“At Colby-Sawyer, I learned to look at a problem from different angles and creatively find solutions,” Eric said. “I used these skills to advance my career at Greenhouse.” He has held five different positions within the Greenhouse company: sales development rep, implementation, customer success, technical consultant and, most recently, enterprise sales engineer. “In order to be successful in tech, you need to be curious and have a well-rounded skill set,” he said. “My current role is a combination of business skills, interpersonal skills and technical skills. My experience at CSC gave me the opportunity to be creative, while also learning the ins and outs of the business world.”

Eric said he also had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy and was able to continue his learning outside of the classroom. Before working at Greenhouse Software, he worked for a production company in Florida, and highlighting his multi-disciplinary studies major helped him land the job.

“If you look at my career,” he said, “it’s a great representation of a multi-disciplinary major.”

Eric said he is also grateful for the support he got at Colby-Sawyer, especially from Professor Randy Hanson, who he said supported him and his work even when he was having what he described as “internal struggles.” Now, in addition to being proud of his success in his current job and of being a top performer for three years, Eric said he is also proud of his sobriety, which he has worked hard to maintain. This December, Eric will have been sober for six years. He credits staying healthy and staying busy. He has completed two full and two half Ironman triathlons, and he loves to hike, ski, rock climb, golf and play guitar. Eric prides himself on enjoying every day, every small moment in life — a value his father helped instill in him.

As Eric looked back on his Colby-Sawyer experience, he had one piece of advice to offer current students.

“Take advantage of everything CSC has to offer,” Eric said. “Befriend professors, get outside and study abroad if you can!”