Danforth Nicholas considers it pure luck that he ended up at MIT. He interviewed with the Math Department on a whim and was enticed by the benefits and stability the administrative assistant position offered him. He was initially ambivalent about finance and research administration when he started but fell into it when an NSF grant application was due while his administrative officer was on vacation. “Someone needed to submit the application, and it was a webform, so I stepped up to the challenge when no one else was available. I think a lot of people at MIT just fall into finance by accident the same way—it’s not just a job for mathy people, it’s for problem solvers.”
Over the next twenty years, he took on roles with increasing responsibility—which started with reviewing monthly transactions in his department—and grew to MIT-wide reporting and analysis of transactions for sponsored projects at VPF. In addition to being the subject matter expert on sponsored programs for the Controllership team, he helped educate financial professionals across MIT by serving as an instructor in VPF's “Fundamentals of Financial Management” training. He now steps into the role of Senior Finance Officer in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering where he is responsible for managing all funds in the department.
Danforth attributes his career growth to the support he received from his supervisors and the network of colleagues he has cultivated over his MIT career. “In every role I’ve had, there was someone who believed in my ability to grow my skills. They knew where I was starting from, and what I didn’t know, but they give me the opportunity to try it anyway,” says Danforth. One mentor stuck out in his mind—not because she provided him the answers, but because she refused to. “She told me the best resource you’ll find at MIT is the person who has done what you are trying to do. Then she gave me a list of financial officers from outside of my department. She knew how important it was to have a good network of colleagues to bounce ideas off, and encouraged me to not ask her, but to ask around instead.”
Pure luck—maybe—but also a career of supplementing that luck by daring to try something new and cultivating his network of supportive and knowledgeable colleagues. Danforth’s formula for a successful finance career at MIT? “Actively network outside of your department, get exposed to the things you don’t do all the time, and sign up for extracurriculars or groups that put you in contact with people you don’t know yet.”