A Look Inside Ten Home-Based Laboratories: Second Career Offers New Lease On Life
Posted Jun 13, 2012 in Labs & Profiles
Jeff Walker and his brother — a licensed contractor — built his home and the attached 600-sq-ft laboratory from the ground up. Walker even custom-built the lab's benches and cabinetry.
Jeff Walker, London Bridge Dental Lab, Amity, OR
Age: 47
Years in industry: 9
Lab opened: 2010
As a television news photographer, Jeff Walker had an exciting career covering the happenings across his state and even traveling on assignment to areas of conflict, like Kuwait and Bosnia. At first, he loved the adventure and creativity of his job and the satisfaction of telling a story through his pictures. However, after more than 10 years in the field and winning numerous awards for his work, Walker made the life-changing decision to leave it behind.
"During my career, things in TV news changed quite dramatically," says Walker. "Reports shrunk from two minutes to 45 seconds so you could only offer limited information and so often I had to cover personal tragedies—everything just felt wrong to me. I began to dread going to work and I realized I needed more peace in my life."
While he was considering earning a Master's...
