When Matt Higgins graduated from Catholic Central in 2016, he had no idea where his career would eventually take him.

In fact, he wasn’t even sure what he wanted to study.

“I changed my major eight times my freshman year,” Higgins said.

Today, Higgins works in software sales for Thomson Reuters, helping accounting firms navigate an increasingly digital industry. He has spent the past six years building a career in technology sales, witnessing the rapid transformation of the accounting industry, and taking on leadership roles within his company.

Higgins initially arrived at Grand Valley State University thinking he might pursue exercise science and physical therapy. After dealing with a couple of stress fractures from running cross-country and track, he spent much of his junior and senior years at Catholic Central in physical therapy and began considering it as a career.

Once he got to college, however, he quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit.

He explored nonprofit work, business, marketing, and human resources before eventually finding his way into sales. Along the way, conversations with professors, advisors, and friends helped him better understand his strengths and what he might be called to do.

“I just didn't know what to do at that point,” Higgins said. “But still having a good foundation for my curriculum and really being involved with a lot of things at Grand Valley helped me a lot.”

That involvement was something Higgins had learned to value at Catholic Central. As a Shamrock, he participated in cross-country, band, student council, and other clubs. At Grand Valley, he continued building relationships through Catholic and Christian groups, a business fraternity, student senate, and professional organizations.

He eventually realized that the people around him were just as important as the activities themselves.

“Just really trying to network a lot and just getting to create a lot of genuine friendships helped a lot in my college experience,” he said.

That desire to build connections was already taking shape before Higgins had even figured out his own career.

While still at Catholic Central, he worked with Shaun Sova 2009, Director of Communications, on several projects and came up with the idea for what became Shamrock Connect - a way to leverage the school's enormous alumni network to help young professionals and students learn from one another.

“I really had no idea what I wanted to do in college when I first started out,” Higgins said. “I think that was one of the reasons why I started it.”

The idea was to give Shamrocks a way to help one another find jobs, grow businesses and, perhaps most importantly, explore different careers and discover their own vocation.

Nearly a decade later, that same idea has taken on a new form through Catholic Central’s Shamrock Professional Network, connecting alumni across industries and generations.

An Unexpected Start

Higgins’ own professional career began at an especially unusual time.

He graduated from Grand Valley in April 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning.

There was no traditional graduation ceremony. Instead, Higgins celebrated virtually from his childhood home with his girlfriend Brooke, who is now his wife.

Then came the job search.

“I applied to probably over 150 jobs within marketing, sales, human resources and recruiting,” Higgins said. “I just wanted to get my feet wet, try something. If I didn't like it, I could switch to something else.”

Of all those applications, he received one offer.

It came from a growing technology company called SafeSend.

Higgins joined as employee No. 33. Over the next several years, the company grew to more than 300 employees before being acquired by Thomson Reuters, a global company with more than 20,000 employees.

The young college graduate, unsure what he wanted to do, had unexpectedly found his career.

Looking back, Higgins sees more than coincidence in the way it happened.

“It all definitely kind of worked out,” he said. “Looking back, I see how much happiness we gained from that and how the company has been able to provide for my family.”

There was also a familiar connection. Higgins’ father worked in software sales, giving him an example of what the profession could look like long before he entered it himself.

And Catholic Central connections followed him into his professional life.

Higgins recruited fellow Shamrock Jake Loehr 2016 to join the company more than five years ago. He also helped bring his brother-in-law onto the team, creating another family connection within the company.

Selling Technology in a Changing World

Today, Higgins spends his days talking with accounting firms about software designed to make their work more efficient.

His work involves everything from cold calls and discovery meetings to product demonstrations, pricing conversations, and follow-ups with prospective clients.

No two days are exactly alike.

Some days are spent working from home, while others take him to the Thomson Reuters office in Saline. Much of his work happens virtually through phone calls, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams.

And the industry itself has changed dramatically since he started.

Before the pandemic, much of the accounting world was still heavily paper-based. Higgins has watched firsthand as firms moved toward digital processes and now toward artificial intelligence.

“The products I'm selling are always changing,” he said. “Especially in this new age of AI, it’s going fast in terms of what the competitors are doing and how everything is evolving.”

After six years in the industry, Higgins has also discovered that what he enjoys most isn't simply selling software.

It's helping people.

At SafeSend, he was given opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities, including helping onboard new employees and creating sales playbooks. Those experiences showed him that he wanted to eventually move into a leadership role where he could mentor others.

In spring 2025, Higgins served as an interim sales team lead after completing a leadership development program within the company.

For him, the experience was a significant milestone.

“It was kind of a shining moment of a lot of hard work I put in,” he said.

One of the lessons he has learned as a mentor is that there isn't one formula for success.

“Everyone does it differently,” Higgins said. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.”

For Higgins, helping younger salespeople discover their own strengths and develop their own style has become one of the most rewarding parts of his career.

The Bigger Picture

For all of his professional accomplishments, Higgins is quick to point to something else as the thing he is most proud of.

His family.

Higgins and his wife are raising three children: Max, 4, Elijah, 3, and their daughter, Ruby, who was born just last month.

Life outside of work is busy, but Higgins wouldn't have it any other way.

He spends much of his free time with his family, whether they're outside together or simply enjoying life at home. And his Catholic faith has remained an important part of that life.

After college, Higgins found himself missing something he had experienced at Catholic Central and Grand Valley: a close-knit group of men with whom he could talk openly about faith, fatherhood, and life.

That changed when he became involved in a men's ministry at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Brighton.

About two years ago, Higgins and four other men formed their own small group. They meet monthly, despite busy schedules and the demands of raising young families.

For Higgins, the group provides the same kind of faith-based friendship and accountability he experienced as a student.

“I feel like I was a little bit lost,” he said of the years immediately after college. “It was like having that new group of friends here that are proud in their faith.”

Faith also plays a role in how Higgins starts his day.

With three young children, the early morning is often the only quiet time he has to himself. He uses it to work out and pray.

A former cross-country and track athlete, Higgins has traded some of his running for weightlifting over the past year.

“Starting out each day with a workout as well as a prayer, I feel like that definitely is a game changer,” he said. “Just kind of being in the right state of mind as I take on each of the challenges for the day.”

You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out

If there is one lesson Higgins would pass along to today's Shamrocks, it isn't about choosing the right major or landing the perfect first job.

It's about being patient with the process.

“Please stay grounded in your faith and stay open to God's plan for your life,” he said.

Higgins knows firsthand how difficult it can be to feel pressure to have everything figured out - what college to attend, what to study, and what career to pursue.

His own path included eight majors, more than 150 job applications, a pandemic graduation and an unexpected first job that eventually became a six-year career.

The common thread through all of it was a willingness to keep moving, keep asking questions and remain open to where God was leading him.

“God really has amazing plans for your life,” Higgins said. “And that all starts with just making time, even if it’s a couple minutes a day in prayer, to really create that foundation for the rest of your life.”