Upon his arrival in the US, Eric Murray sourced a placement almost immediately. With his attractive resume and the assistance of Rian Immigrant Center (formerly the Irish International Immigrant Center) staff, Eric commenced his internship at Arbella Insurance. Although Eric had worked in Human Resources for both construction and stock brokerage companies after graduating with his Business degree, he was keen to gain international experience in his field. Not only would this role broaden his portfolio, it would also expose him to new facets of the Human Resources field, as well as a talented and welcoming group of professionals.

Initially, Eric planned to complete his J-1 year in New York City, but soon realized the scale of the city was not the right fit, whereas he fell quite naturally into life in Boston. He also preferred being closer to the countryside, with the other New England states just a short ride away. By the end of his year in Boston, Eric knew his way around the city quite well. 

Stepping right into place as a Bostonian, he navigated the MBTA, participated in cultural events around the city, and advanced his career through his internship and a knack for networking. He joined us for our yearly SOLAS Awards, as well as business networking events, and came to basketball games where he was able to meet other J-1s in the area. He was afforded the opportunity to join a colleague at their home for Thanksgiving, where he was pleased to have an “authentic American Thanksgiving.” Having traveled extensively through the US, Eric visited 10 states, and was especially fond of California and Miami. He expressed gratitude toward the Rian staff for providing travel tips, but asserted that Boston remained his favorite.

Although Eric has since returned home and is continuing his career quite successfully with Intel, he has never fallen out of touch with his coworkers at Arbella. Between daily messages, check-ins throughout the COVID pandemic, and Christmas-time postcards, he has kept a piece of his experience alive in a tangible way, despite the distance of 2,986 miles. 

During his internship he came to know most everyone in the company, which he found especially rewarding and which lent itself to personal and professional growth. The variety in his role gave him a taste of different areas, including recruitment, which quickly became his favorite.

Coming to the US brought its own set of differences and changes, but returning home was met with a period of adjustment. However, thanks to his experience and networking skills, Eric lined up multiple interviews and received various offers, which ultimately led him to his current job at Intel in Dublin.

Although he is still honing his career path, Eric plans to remain in Human Resources. He always had an interest in business, and through his time working in the field he is certain he made the right choice. He has found his experience working with different cultures to be helpful in his current role, expressing enthusiasm at how Intel is a “fantastic company to work for,” and how his experience at Arbella prepared him thoroughly.

Eric reflected upon how quickly his year in Boston passed, and encouraged other J-1 exchange visitors to “see and experience as much as you can… and to participate in all of the holidays.” As he recounted his time in Boston he noted with a hint of nostalgia, “You do miss home, but you will miss the experience here more than you could have imagined.”