Career Path Of A Customer Success Manager At A Health Tech Platform
Avery's career path reflects a proactive and persistent approach, starting with securing a job "my very first day of college" and consistently seeking opportunities to advance, even "being pushy" to secure roles in research, healthcare, and teaching. This diverse experience, including two years in a psychiatric clinic and two years teaching sixth grade science, ultimately led to their current role in healthcare technology customer success, leveraging their background in education and their passion for addressing systemic healthcare inequities.
Career Development, Overcoming Challenges, Networking, Communication, Healthcare Technology
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Avery Tinsley
Customer Success Manager
Health Tech Social Services Platform
University of California, Los Angeles 2020
Johns Hopkins MSEd
Biology & Related Sciences
Technology
Sales and Client Management
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Avery's proactive job-seeking approach: Avery didn't wait for opportunities to come to her; she actively sought them out, demonstrating initiative and persistence in securing various roles throughout her college years and beyond.
2. The value of diverse experiences: Avery's career path highlights the benefit of exploring different fields. Her experiences in retail, research, healthcare, and education provided her with a diverse skillset and a unique perspective that makes her successful in her current role.
3. The importance of identifying and pursuing your passions: Despite initial career choices, Avery consistently returned to her interest in healthcare, eventually finding a fulfilling role in health tech that allows her to leverage her skills and make a positive impact.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Do you have any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
I was all over the place, but in a straightforward way. I had to make money to afford school rent and all the things I wanted to do outside of school. So, I started working on my very first day of college during orientation.
I walked straight into the UCLA store and up to someone wearing a polo shirt. I said, "I want a job here. I start school in two weeks, and what can I do to get a job here?" I interviewed on the spot and got my first job at the textbook store at UCLA.
They hired people to work there for the first two or three weeks of school. I basically flooded my hours there to earn as much money as possible, working between classes. I was just grinding to get access to funds as quickly as possible so I wouldn't drown in school.
It was probably my second quarter there when I went straight to the manager. I said, "The first three weeks isn't going to do it for me. I need consistent income throughout the school year. Can I work the whole quarter?" He looked surprised and said, "No, we don't do that. Only a couple of people are here full-time." I replied, "Well, I'm going to be one of those people."
It was a lot of drive, a little bit of pushiness, and just going after what I knew I needed. After that, I moved into another role, a research position with one of my professors. She taught my freshman year cluster course, which was about sex from biology to society, exploring the intertwined nature of STEM with gender studies.
Again, I was really pushy. I told her, "I loved this class and really appreciate and want to learn from you. I'm going to work for you. What do you need me to do?" She immediately put me to work on her research project.
After that, I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was cleaning up after a sorority meeting when a woman was there for career day, hosted by the Panhellenic council. She was talking about a medical office she works at.
She had been there to discuss applying to med school and mentioned, "Oh yeah, I work at this medical office in Santa Monica. It's been really great for me because they pay X amount of dollars." Being my pushy self, needing to pay bills, I went straight up to her and said, "That pay is equivalent to the two jobs I'm working full-time while in school. Can I work there?"
She thought for a moment and said, "Well, actually, I'm going to be leaving in a couple of months. Why don't I get you set up with an interview, and you can apply and maybe take over my position?" So, I then worked in this private practice, a psychiatric clinic in Santa Monica.
I ended up working there for two years, and that's where I really got to see healthcare's fragmented pieces at play, affecting patients. I became really enamored with the idea of systemic injustice. During my time there, I was introduced to Teach for America.
They are very focused on systemic injustice and inequity in different systems. I applied and got into Teach for America, ending up as a sixth-grade science teacher in Virginia during COVID. I saw how healthcare's fragmented system did not serve students adequately.
I got really frustrated and left my two years into Teach for America. I thought I might teach longer and had obtained my master's in education. However, I was continually plagued by my interest in healthcare and my desire to be part of change within it, especially after COVID.
That's what really geared my shift to healthcare technology, and that's where I'm at now. I'm really working with software companies trying to either fill gaps or focus on reforming our healthcare system from a tech lens. In customer success, which is what I do now, it involves a lot of teaching people.
This leverages my education background. It requires being organized, knowing people, and knowing how to talk to them and share these experiences. I think having such a diverse background of career experiences all plays into my success here.