Title: Group Engineering Manager for Premiere Pro
Employer: Adobe

Eric earned his degree in Honors Biology here at Illinois, and used his background in scientific thinking and methodologies to break into the technology industry.

At Adobe, he manages an organization with ~45 engineers worldwide that develops and delivers Premiere Pro, Adobe's flagship video editing product and the backbone of television, film, and video products for millions of people.

His team is part of a larger organization of ~300 engineers worldwide, along with product management, customer support, sales, and other functions of the Digital Video and Audio business unit at Adobe.

His job requires a strong understanding of software and software development, excellent communication and problem solving skills, and the ability to connect with individuals sufficiently to direct them, develop them, and help them through their problems (technical and interpersonal).

It's an incredibly fun, challenging, and rewarding mix of requirements, skills, and opportunities.

How does his Biology degree help him in this role? “Long story short… it's less about the degree and more about what went into earning it. Although I'm not actively studying the biological sciences, the application of scientific thinking, insight, and method have proven to be both critical and foundational for my career.

Even so, I believe the Honor Biology curriculum was an excellent preparation for the technology field. At its roots, I see biology as the study of complex, self-organizing systems. The technology industry is also composed mostly of complex (and often self-organizing) systems. As such, I often find the application of fundamental biological principles to be useful tools in the technology development and analysis.”

Eric would be a great person to talk to about how to translate your IB skills and experiences to a variety of professions, or if you are interested in software development or the technology industry. Contact Christina Swanson at alumnimentor@sib.illinois.edu if you would like to connect with Eric. You can also learn more at www.linkedin.com/in/ericberdahl.