This blog post is by Emily Schweich, junior broadcast journalism major.

Part of the value of a performing arts degree is that it teaches important skills that are transferable to any career. As a sales engineer for Cisco one of the largest companies in internet working technology, School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies alumnus Chris Martin (Ph.D. in Performance Studies ’10), draws on the interpersonal skills and work ethic that he developed through his training in the humanities to better serve customers.

Martin hasn’t completely abandoned theatre – quite the opposite. He said his position at Cisco has given him the financial freedom to continue pursuing the arts in other ways. “I’m able to do things like volunteer at a high school,” he said.