Jeremy Spindler, MFA'10 and PhD'11, Music
Chocolatier and Entrepreneur, Spindler Confections & Savory Delights
June 26, 2025 
Can you describe your career path and how it has led to your current work?
My career path took a very different direction than expected. After graduation, I spent two years on the academic job market (this was in 2010 and 2011 when there was a virtual hiring freeze in academia). I eventually realized that I did not want to leave Boston as I had built a very good life here, and with the job market the way it was I decided to go a different route. Initially, I was on track to work in academic administration, but my life-long love of candy-making led me towards entrepreneurship. In 2012, while working in the Brandeis GSAS office, I began a small confectionery business out of my home making caramels, chocolates and other sweets. I gradually built it up and by 2015 it was time to move to a brick and mortar shop. We opened up Spindler Confections & Savory Delights in December of 2015 and have steadily grown since. I am now looking at expanding into a second storefront in Boston. Additionally, I hope to greatly expand our Museum of Chocolate & Confectionery, currently housed at Spindler Confections to showcase the art, history, and science of confectionery through an exploration of Boston's rich and storied past.
What does a typical day/week look like for you in this position?
One thing I love about my work is that every day is different, so a typical day is hard to describe. However, the various tasks that any given day might include are administrative and financial work, drafting sales projections for various holidays, marketing and promotion work, curation of new retail products, spending time in the kitchen drafting new recipes, ordering, managing projects for my staff, and of course a whole lot of candy making! As of this writing (June of 2025) I currently make about seventy different bonbons & other candies.
What skills from your Brandeis degree have you found most valuable in your current work?
Having obtained a PhD in Music Theory and Composition, it may appear there is not much direct overlap with business or sweets. However, my studies greatly developed the ability to problem solve, think analytically and critically, and collaborate with others. The dissertation process also significantly improved my research and writing skills. The latter has been invaluable in researching and writing about Boston's confectionery history in preparation for building exhibits at the yet to be built museum mentioned above.
What advice do you have for current students as they embark on their career exploration or job search?
Be open to new ideas, and explore all opportunities. Skillsets are highly adaptive and can be used in ways that may not readily present themselves, and, above all, try to get rid of any self-doubt you may have. The worst thing that can happen if you apply to a position is that you won't get the job. And from that experience you become better at interviewing and honing your skills. Rejection hurts, but that's how you learn. It only takes one person to see your potential, and that person could be at a company you may not have initially thought about working at because you didn't feel qualified. If the position interests you...you owe it to yourself to apply and see what happens.