For Eric Johnson, opportunities at Goldey-Beacom College have often started with a simple decision: say yes, show up, and be ready to learn.
Johnson, who serves as Director of Financial Aid and adjunct faculty in economics and finance, first came to GBC as a student in 2013. He earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in finance from the College before beginning his professional career on campus. What started as an internship in graduate admissions grew into roles in admissions, academic advising, the registrar’s office, financial aid, and eventually the classroom.
Today, Johnson brings that broad experience into his work with students, helping them understand not only the technical side of economics and finance, but also the larger lessons that prepare them for life after college.
Johnson’s path into teaching began unexpectedly. In fall 2021, a microeconomics course needed an instructor shortly before the semester began. Johnson accepted the opportunity, and what began as a last-minute opening became a meaningful part of his career.
Since then, he has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, corporate finance, and corporate valuation.
That dual role—as both a staff member and faculty member—gives Johnson a unique perspective on the student experience. In financial aid, he helps students navigate an important and sometimes stressful part of college. In the classroom, he gets to connect with students in a different way, helping them understand concepts that can shape their decision-making long after graduation.
For Johnson, that connection reflects something central to GBC: whether working as faculty or staff, the shared goal is preparing students for their careers.
Johnson has seen Goldey-Beacom grow from multiple perspectives: as a student, an alumnus, a staff member, and an instructor. He points to the College’s long-standing commitment to career preparation as one of its defining strengths.
GBC began with a strong foundation in business education, and while the College has expanded into new areas, that focus on practical preparation remains part of its identity. Johnson sees that legacy not as something static, but as something each generation of students, faculty, and staff helps carry forward.
He has also witnessed the College adapt to changing student needs, from expanded campus facilities and student spaces to the growth of online learning. The shift to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many institutions to rethink how they serve students. For GBC, Johnson sees that evolution as part of a broader culture of growth, flexibility, and calculated risk.
“Student needs change,” he explains through his work. The important thing is to listen, respond, and continue improving.
That same mindset shapes his teaching. Johnson does not want to teach the same way year after year simply because it is familiar. He values student feedback and uses it to refine his approach, improve the classroom experience, and help students better connect with the material.
In Johnson’s economics and finance courses, the goal is not simply memorization. While students learn important concepts, models, and terminology, Johnson is most interested in helping them build intuition.
Economics, in particular, asks students to think about trade-offs, decision-making, and the gray areas that often exist in real life. A model may help explain what should happen, but the real world is rarely that simple. Johnson wants students to understand both the theory and the complexity behind it. That kind of thinking has value far beyond one course.
Whether students are reading the news, making financial decisions, evaluating career options, or contributing to an organization, Johnson hopes they can apply what they have learned in practical ways. His courses are designed to help students approach problems differently, consider multiple perspectives, and make more informed decisions.
At the graduate level, that career connection becomes even more direct. Johnson wants students to return to their organizations with new insights, stronger analytical skills, and the confidence to contribute in meaningful ways.
When asked about the best career advice he has received, Johnson points to two ideas.
The first is simple: showing up is most of the battle. Consistency matters. Getting up, doing the work, and giving your best effort each day can set someone apart over time.
The second is to be willing to do the jobs others may not want to do. Those tasks may not always be glamorous, but they build trust, create value, and often lead to new opportunities.
Johnson also believes strongly in shared success. One lesson that has stayed with him is that there is no limit to how far someone can go if they do not care who gets the credit. For him, the best work often happens when people focus less on individual recognition and more on moving a project, team, or institution forward.
One message Johnson hopes every student takes with them is the importance of staying open.
Students often feel pressure to have their entire career path mapped out. Some arrive with clear plans: earn a degree, pursue a credential, enter a specific field, and follow a defined route. Ambition is valuable, but Johnson reminds students that life often unfolds in unexpected ways. A degree builds more than subject knowledge. It develops human capital: communication, problem-solving, persistence, adaptability, and critical thinking. Those skills can transfer across industries, roles, and opportunities students may not yet be able to imagine.
Johnson encourages students to immerse themselves in what they are learning, even when they do not immediately see how it will apply. Later in life, those lessons often resurface in surprising and useful ways. He also urges students not to be afraid of unconventional opportunities. A career does not always move in a straight line. Sometimes the unexpected path leads exactly where someone is meant to be.
Johnson’s story reflects the kind of career readiness GBC works to build in its students: practical knowledge, confidence, adaptability, and a willingness to keep learning.
From financial aid to the classroom, his work is grounded in helping students prepare for what comes next. That may mean understanding economic trade-offs, building finance skills, learning how to make better decisions, or simply realizing that a career can grow from saying yes to the right opportunity.
At Goldey-Beacom College, preparation is not only about earning a degree. It is about developing the skills, mindset, and confidence to Achieve Greater—wherever the path leads.
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