Isaac Takushi '10 on Being Open to Unexpected Paths

Place of Influence: HubSpot, Cambridge, MA

Role: Program Manager, Third Party Integrations

"Adulting it" Surprise: I've realized that I'll never wake up one morning and feel like everything has "clicked." I'll always be growing and evolving. "Adulting" is doing the best you can with what you have and striving to do better with the humility and curiosity of a student.

Biggest MA Takeaway: Approach every new relationship and experience with an open mind and a loving heart.

Advice to Current Students: Don't restrict yourself to one "life plan." Lean into your strengths, listen to those that you respect and love, and be adaptable. You may run into unexpected opportunities or doors that close, but if you keep your eye on the ultimate destination you'll find the path that suits you best for getting there.

You might be surprised to learn that roughly 2 out of 3 young adults end up working in a field other than the one they went to school for. What might surprise you more, though, is how often their original major actually prepared them for these diverse paths.

From Environmental Studies to Software Solutions: Same Skills, Different Space

When Isaac Takushi settled into his current role as a quality program manager at HubSpot, a powerhouse marketing platform for small to mid-sized companies, he discovered that his unique set of skills had found an unexpected landing place.

“Thinking critically about systems, seeing the connections between concepts and processes—it’s very similar to what I learned in environmental studies,” he says. Takushi began his journey at Dartmouth in marine biology but ultimately moved on to explore the workings of human organizations, governments, and societies in the environmental studies department. Eventual involvement in the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network and then the Tuck Business Bridge exposed him to the idea of more technical or business-based solutions to the problems he felt passionate about.

When Takushi heard about an opportunity to work for HubSpot, he decided to grab it and see where it would take him.

“I'm learning technical skills and understanding how a fast growing, best in class business runs from the inside. [Eventually I’d like to] actually apply that to either my own ventures, or organizations that directly contribute to the vision of a more sustainable world.”

Takushi says his work calls on both his interest in healthy ecosystems—­this time, in the technology world—and his ongoing personal work of becoming a better, more patient communicator, and becoming someone who really understands what the other party is trying to communicate.

People First

Along these lines, HubSpot’s workplace ethos attracted Takushi’s attention:

“[They think] just as much about their people—and the culture that they’re cultivating—as the product that they’re selling.”

This, he says, echoes his experience at Minnehaha in terms of a welcoming environment where the ultimate goal was to see each person succeed and be celebrated for who they are as an individual. The chance to learn in a workplace that mirrored values he grew into early on felt like the right fit.

Taking it One Opportunity at a Time

Reflecting on his journey to this point, Takushi notes: “I thought that, because of my passion for the ocean, therefore I must be a marine biologist...that is not the only way [to fulfilling my passion]. That is a way, a well known way. But it's not the only way.”

He now sees his current path as an opportunity to learn skills that may one day serve him in circling back to finding creative approaches to impact the health of the environment. His advice to students early in their journey?

“Opportunities will arise; doors will close. Lean into your strengths, listen to those that you respect and love, and be adaptable.  As long as you keep your eye on the prize as a destination, there's many ways to get there. And you'll find the one that makes sense to you.”