Return to WOW/EM homepageHi, my name is Stephanie Baker and I am currently employed in the sales department of one of the world's largest music retailers. 5 1/2 years ago, when I graduated from High School, I never would have guessed this is where I would be. Let me tell you the whole story.
I grew up loving music. I was a good student but never found any subject that REALLY interested me. I decided that I wanted to be involved in music but teaching didn't seem like the answer. While looking at the music departments of different colleges, I came across the Music Engineering and Technology (MET) program at Ball State University. From the description, I could see that it would combine science, technology, and music. I wasn't real sure what that really meant, but I decided to find out. College was challenging, diverse, tiring, and great all at the same time. The MET program required me to complete a minor in physics which included a graduate level electronics course, and a major in music. This meant I would take four years of music theory and composition concluding with a recital of my own music; take private instrument lessons and play in ensembles; studying music history from early chant to 20th century music; and take classes in acoustics, sound synthesis, and recording techniques. There was always something new to learn. This was a great degree program for me because I didn't know exactly what I wanted "to be when I grew up" and this way I had the opportunity to learn about a lot of things.
As I approached graduation the time came to ask myself, what next? My favorite classes had centered around recording music, but I knew it would be hard to get a job at a recording studio without any experience. Tackling the work force seemed an even more overwhelming task than picking a college. Several other Ball State MET graduates had gone to work at Sweetwater Sound (http://www.sweetwater.com) so I also looked into that possibility. After visiting Sweetwater, I found that it is a leader in the industry and takes great pride in having knowledgeable staff. Being the logical person I am, I decided this would be a great starting point because I would be able to get some experience, learn about a lot of equipment, make some connections, and hopefully to make some money.
Four days after I graduated from college I started work at Sweetwater Sound as a sales assistant. I know that sales sounds a bit far removed from what I studied in college, but I have used everything I learned and have developed other skills that hadn't been a focus in school.
I work with one of the top salesman as his right hand woman. He is selling over 2 million dollars of equipment in a year and counts on me for a lot. I handle all the paperwork, money, correspondence, and take calls when he is on the phone. Having the opportunity to share my technical knowledge is my favorite part. Sweetwater works very hard to have sales people who understand the equipment, technology behind it, and how to make it all work together. With hundreds of products it isn't an easy job. Everyone in the sales department attends product demos and sales training 4 hours every week outside of work hours.
I was hired with the hopes of becoming a salesperson. The internship was be one to two years and would be complete when I was "up to speed" with the products and the Sweetwater philosophy. On top of the weekly demos and training I have attended "Sweetwater University" which is a class taught by a Grammy award winning composer. We study similar things to what I did in college but from a different angle. It has been a great way to reinforce what I learned. Also, I have spent hours and hours reading product literature. All this lead up to THE TEST!! The final test of an assistants competency is to pass a 27 page short answer exam. I spent 7 hours, yes in one day, completing the questions. It was very extensive but I am proud to say that I was the first person to pass (80% or higher) on my first try.
Since then I have been honing my skills and waiting for someone to be ready to take over my current position. Starting in a few days I will be full commission and able to focus on building up my own customer database. It has certainly been a long road, but at 23 I am working on a career, that combined with my college experience, will give me the knowledge and experience I need to be sucessful at whatever I choose to pursue.
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Copyright September 1996,
updated February 2004.
Kristine H. Burns,
Florida International University
Questions? Contact me.