An Amazing Career Journey w/ Dr. Chris Jackson

An Amazing Career Journey w/ Dr. Chris Jackson

Dr. Chris Jackson grew up in an orthodontic family. Her father was the town orthodontist in Clarksville, Maryland. She’d spend a lot of time in the practice helping out with her twin brother, who went to dental school and became an orthodontist straight away.  

She went to MIT to study Mechanical Engineering and found her way to Wall Street to work as a high-yield bond trader with Goldman Sachs.

The thrill and buzz of Wall Street didn’t last long, after 5 years, she longed for something different. She missed working with her hands and helping people in a tangible way.

Around this time, she attended an Ortho convention with her family in Boston, only to be inspired by all the Ortho tech on display.

She decided to take a new career path and went to Harvard Dental School and UNC Chapel Hill for her Ortho residency.

She practiced Ortho for a while and is now headed to Massachusetts to work as the Director of Clinical Affairs at LightForce.

Hers is an amazing story where everything she has done, from mechanical engineering, to finance to practicing Ortho, has aligned perfectly to bring her to her present position.

Tune in to hear Dr. Chris Jackson’s amazing story, how she’s pulled it off, and her next big potential career move. 

Key Takeaways

  • Dr. Chris Jackson’s amazing career journey (01:41)

  • Changing careers and going to dental school (08:07)

  • Time investment for a career change (12:57)

  • The different stages of life we go through (15:15)

  • Overcoming Sunk Cost bias (14:48)

  • Life is too short but long enough to try different things (17:10)

  • Working as an Associate without a contract (21:53)

  • No matter what you are doing, learn something new (30:04)

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