What do making beer and making movies have in common? For 1983 Boston University College of Communication graduate Garrett Oliver, more than it may seem.

Oliver graduated from the then School of Public Communication expecting “to be a filmmaker or work in television.” But after earning a degree in broadcasting and film and spending a year in England, he decided to follow a passion he developed living abroad, where he said he “fell in love with traditional beer” and became a brewer.

“When I got back, I could no longer drink the mass-market American beer, and there weren’t any micro-brewed beers yet, so I started brewing at home in order to have a flavorful beer to drink,” he said.

While not obvious, Oliver said “brewing and filmmaking are actually rather similar in that they are both blends of art and science.”

“You use both sides of your brain every day,” he said, “which makes the job very engaging.”

As for the profession itself, Oliver said he still applies skills gained from both his education and former career with HBO.

“Even though I’m no longer behind a camera, I’m now often in front of one [doing] a lot of television,” he said. “Having been trained in television comes in handy all the time.”

Oliver said college was “an invaluable experience.”

“Frankly, much of the useful learning in college happens outside the classroom,” he said. “I’m quite thankful to have found my calling.”

Career Services Assistant Director Deborah Halliday said the “days are pretty much gone” of people sticking to one career for the duration of a professional life. She said it is common for students to choose a career without a direct relevance to their major.

“What I often tell students when they come in is that your major doesn’t necessarily determine your career,” she said.

According to Halliday, “development takes place throughout the lifetime.”

“If you explore different areas of interest, you’ll find there is a common connection,” she said.

Passion is the driving force for both Oliver’s profession and his book, The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food, published in 2005. Oliver is currently the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, N.Y.

For Oliver, the journey to his career has been all about the experience. He said if he did not go to college, he would most likely not be a brewer. Through his experiences at BU, Oliver said he “learned how to assemble a team and direct them to make things happen.”

Aside from Career Services, there are other services available to BU students. While the Office of Alumni Relations may not work directly with students like Career Services, they are “open to ideas and to hearing what the students are interested in,” Alumni Relations Executive Director Meg Umlas said.

Halliday encouraged students to understand the experience of life.

“Development takes place throughout the lifetime,” she said. “You don’t know what you really want to do until you’re out there working . . . Major in something that captivates your interest.”