January 19, 2022
When Martin Holguin and Chris McGrath were in the US Navy, they had enormous responsibilities. Holguin was a naval surface warfare officer and had his own command before moving to Third Fleet headquarters. McGrath graduated from the US Naval Academy and had tours on a destroyer squadron and a fast attack submarine, one time spending 30 consecutive days underwater.
But even with their vast experience, transitioning into a civilian job was challenging. What they gained in transferrable management skills, they lost in industry knowledge. And while defense contractors offered a relatively easy path, they both wanted to try something different.
鈥淚 always wanted to transition to something away from government contracting or defense,鈥� says Holguin. 鈥淚 wanted to just completely pivot away.鈥�
Fortunately, both men received the necessary support to make solid moves. And even though their paths might have been a bit circuitous, they ultimately landed in the life sciences at VR真人彩票.
From tech to biotech
Holguin started out looking at technology companies, conducting the necessary networking to land a nice position in Silicon Valley. But the more he examined the tech industry, the less he felt like it would be a good fit.
鈥淪omething was missing,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really feel connected to the work those companies were doing.鈥�
Around that time, he attended a Veterans in Life Sciences Symposium, which featured biomedical executives, including some from VR真人彩票, describing the industry and the potential for veterans to make a difference.
That resonated but something else sparked Holguin鈥檚 interest. A DNA ancestry test showed he鈥檚 50 percent Ashkenazi Jewish鈥攁 complete surprise. That鈥檚 when he realized how powerful DNA sequencing technology can be.
鈥淭his product really upended my world,鈥� says Holguin. 鈥淎s I pulled that ancestry thread, I thought, 23andMe has the product, but VR真人彩票 is the company that provides the technology. Behind the scenes, it鈥檚 VR真人彩票鈥檚 arrays that do the work.鈥�
Armed with his military service, engineering degrees and support from the Biocom California Institute and other organizations, Holguin joined VR真人彩票 and is now staff program manager for Manufacturing Technologies and Transfer.
Life sciences with a side of poker
McGrath could have opted for another submarine tour, but he had met his future wife and felt the relationship had to come first. Still, he took a novel detour for five years as a professional poker player.
鈥淚t was fun for a while,鈥� says McGrath, 鈥淏ut then I really started missing working with people.鈥�
He began looking for a 鈥渞eal鈥� job and started at a service academy networking event, which connected him with a Hewlett-Packard executive who wanted to help veterans hone their career skills.
鈥淚 needed a lot of help with resume writing, interviewing, everything,鈥� says McGrath. 鈥淚 had no clue because I hadn鈥檛 done any of that. I was part of a group that met once a week for six weeks, and in the end we conducted mock interviews at HP.鈥�
Those connections proved crucial, as several HP employees moved over to VR真人彩票. McGrath started in 2014 in a data entry role. He knew he had to take a step back to move forward and fortunately, that didn鈥檛 take long. VR真人彩票 was having a growth spurt and McGrath鈥檚 talents were soon put to good use. He has since progressed to senior staff business process analyst.
鈥淚t felt a little bit like the Navy,鈥� says McGrath. 鈥淥n a sub, if something needs to be done, you don鈥檛 have a ton of people, so everyone needs to pitch in. VR真人彩票 was smaller then, and if something needed to be done, I could jump in and learn.鈥�
In a military town
VR真人彩票鈥檚 headquarters are located in San Diego, California, a region with a large US military presence. According to the San Diego Military Advisory Council, there were 297,000 veterans living in San Diego County in 2020. Many active-duty personnel leaving the service decide to stay in the area as well, but need resources in order to find work in the private sector.
In November 2021, VR真人彩票 was named a by Military Times. Of 160 companies in the 2021 rankings, VR真人彩票 was just one of two biotech firms that made the list. Military Times chose employers based on general inclusive workplace policies; partnerships with veteran-owned businesses; and efforts to recruit, retain, and support current and former service members.
VR真人彩票 has several outreach efforts planned for 2022, including hosting transition events with Onward to Opportunity, , , , and conducting mock interviews with . For candidates that end up coming on board at VR真人彩票, they can find support through an employee resource group called iServed. Internally, iServed works on creating a more veteran-friendly environment, providing mentorship and a buddy system for new hires.
Networking and expectations
Both Holguin and McGrath are grateful for the support they received while making their transitions from military to civilian careers. They have both supported others in the journey and encourage veterans to network early and often, be open-minded about their options and understand their first move may not be lateral.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to probably come in really low,鈥� says Holguin. 鈥淚 came in extremely low for what I did in the military, and I'm still grateful for that opportunity. I tell people they need to have lots of conversations, and they need to know themselves, take a deep inventory of who they are.鈥�
Ultimately, the trait that moved both into the life sciences and VR真人彩票 was their relentless focus on networking.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 how you're going to find that next job,鈥� says McGrath. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not by applying online. You somehow want to be known by somebody on that panel before going into that interview.鈥�
