Chris Lister
Tesla
Sparks, NV USA
"There are things you’ll learn about yourself over time. The way to bring those skills out is to step outside of your comfort zone and try new things. You’ll be surprised at what you’re actually good at!"
Career Roadmap
Chris's work combines: Engineering, Technology, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
There's an idea that it's not okay to fail, whether that's a class, or a project, or something bigger. But it's not the end of the world if you do fail at something. I've failed and had to retake classes—I'm not the first to have to go through that, and I won't be the last. Failing and getting back up after learning from your mistakes is some of the best type of learning you can do.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Industrial Engineering
Purdue University
Graduate Degree
Finance, General
Loyola University Maryland
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Growing up, I was good at math and science, and was always curious about how things worked.
2.
I got my bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, which I felt was the best way to blend my interests with real-world operations.
3.
After undergrad, I continued my education and received an MBA in finance from Loyola University Maryland.
4.
I started my career out of college at Frito-Lay and spent as much time as I could learning about operations, engineering, and leadership—all of the things that make factories and supply chains tick!
5.
From there, I’ve held various positions across the continent within the engineering, manufacturing, production, and supply chain fields.
6.
At one point in my career, I was given the opportunity to pursue an expatriate position—my family and I moved to Canada, where we all had to learn and adapt to a new culture and environment.
7.
I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to watch and learn from both good and bad leaders—that mentorship has helped me step into the leadership roles that I’ve held.
8.
I’m now the vice president of operations at the gigafactory for Tesla in Nevada, where we make technology to help the world transition to sustainable energy.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
It's not okay to fail.
How I responded:
There's an idea that it's not okay to fail, whether that's a class, or a project, or something bigger. But it's not the end of the world if you do fail at something. I've failed and had to retake classes—I'm not the first to have to go through that, and I won't be the last. Failing and getting back up after learning from your mistakes is some of the best type of learning you can do.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
The first few years of college were pretty hard for me. It was difficult to balance all of my classes and coursework. However, I think failing and learning how to get back up is part of that college experience that teaches you how to be resilient.
My family and I moved to Canada when I was offered an expatriate position. We had to adapt to a new environment and culture. While the transition may have been hard at times, I'm able to draw on it now when I walk into other uncomfortable situations.