Meet Christian. He's a Sales Development Rep at Credly by Pearson, helping organizations understand how they can better verify and credential the skills of their workforce. Christian is also a fully trained opera singer. And not just any opera singer, but the first person in Metropolitan Opera history to go from a non-singing member of the cast to a principal soloist.
It’s a chilly day in New York when Insights sits down with Christian to hear more about his fascinating career story. His plaid shirt, beaming smile, and zeal for life soon warm up the screen as he tells us why he’s so passionate about upskilling, retraining, and accrediting skills in new ways.
“Fundamentally, it’s about being vulnerable. Being open to exploring newer, better versions of yourself every day” he explains, as he tries to sum up his career path since graduating in 2007. “Change is scary, for sure, but if you have the humility to pivot and learn new skills, it can open up whole new worlds you never knew existed.”
Graduating college at the time of the global financial crash, Christian found himself in NYC with no career plans and unable to get a job. In such an expensive city, you don’t get long to secure a job before funds run out. He needed something, anything, to pay the rent.
When he saw an ad from the Metropolitan Opera House calling for actors who could perform stage combat, he almost hesitated to apply. He’d done martial arts as a hobby but had no qualifications to prove it. He was surprised when they offered him the job — and even more surprised when he was quickly promoted to supervisor, choreographing and directing stage fights for other cast members. But it wasn’t long before his attentions turned upstage...
“I was hooked. I became so impressed with the world of opera. So many talented people working in tandem, for thousands of hours, practising, practising, to make each second possible. I decided to figure out a way to become great at opera singing.”
For the next six years, Christian grafted. He studied on-the-job, learned the ropes from colleagues, juggled multiple jobs, and even worked on his singing teacher’s farm to pay for lessons. Without any formal training, he became the first person in Met history to go from not being able to sing a note, to being a principal soloist in prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and the Royal Opera House in London.
And then Covid hit.
Theatres closed, contracts dried up, remuneration was lost. Christian felt the familiar sting of being in NYC without an income. While he worked odd jobs, he became frustrated that his performing arts peers and colleagues were being forgotten. These were highly skilled and talented performers who had no way to prove their skills on a traditional resumé or translate them into new opportunities.
That’s when he was drawn to Credly. “The Credly mission resonated with me deeply. In a changing world, it allows individuals and organizations to redefine how people are represented through their skillsets, and it gives validity to skills acquired through non-traditional pathways.”
So, these days, you will find Christian talking to prospective Credly clients about their workforce needs; taking time to understand their pain points, so that he can suggest solutions that will boost their people’s skillsets and set them on the path to success.
We were curious — is there any skills overlap between opera singing and a sales role at Credly? “Yes! The skills are totally transferable – and that’s the best thing about honing skills like adaptability, agility, and willingness to learn. It frees you up to pivot quickly into new roles and fields. When I reach out to a prospective Credly client, I feel as though I am on stage representing Pearson and myself to the best of my ability. Learning operas - often in another language - means I can take in lots of information very quickly, which has really helped me in this role.”
Ever the upskiller, Christian is now a keen collector of Credly badges himself. The one that makes him most proud? His ‘Certified Credly Employee’ badge. To him, it’s a sign of vulnerability, taking risks, and being forever open to learning new skills.
As we wrap up the call, we ask him for some parting advice for people starting out in their careers. “Raise your hand. Go do things without being asked. Don’t wait. And, to use a martial arts analogy, approach work with a white belt mentality – ‘there is always more to learn.’”
And with that, Christian heads off into the winter afternoon to sing some opera, advise some Credly clients, and generally make NYC and the world a brighter place.
We just hope he soon gets promoted to Aria Manager. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist).
--
- Find out more about how Credly can help your organization make better decisions based on trusted information about what your workforce knows and can do. Get in touch with one of our sales reps (maybe even Christian himself).
- Did you know that the top five skills most in demand by employers now and in 2026 are all human skills? Check out the findings of our recent Skills Outlook report to see how targeted learning and development can equip your workforce with the capabilities to thrive, whatever tomorrow brings.
- Find out more about Christian Zaremba and his operatic work.