BTU #9 - Will Grannis: Boeing, Google, Startups and More

“Asking for help sometimes for some people implies weakness. If there's one thing I did that was semi-smart it was realizing that I wasn't going to be able to do it on my own and asking for help from those who were closest to me and had the most vested interest in my success." – Will Grannis

Will Grannis is the Managing Director of the Cloud CTO Office at Google. Since his time as an officer in the Army, he's had an incredible career prior to Google, including: Founding a company that was acquired after just two years; serving as the Chief Technology Officer for L-3 Communications, a company with over 38,000 employees worldwide; leading Boeing's Advanced Information Solutions team.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• His decision to leave the Army.
• How he leveraged his closest relationships to land his first civilian job
• How the Army most prepared him for his first job, and where he had to catch up to his peers
• How overhearing a conversation in an adjacent cubicle changed his career
• The advantages of working in a small office environment
• How valuable industry experience is prior to pursuing an advanced degree
• What it's like to work through the first part of a week, hop on a plane and attend grad school, fly back home and start the whole cycle over again
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation
• Boeing
• Wharton Executive MBA Program

Show Notes

• [1:45] Background info
• [3:04] Approaching the decision to leave the Army
• [5:40] Active duty to IRR... and then to the Reserves
• [7:51] The Telecom industry and a role as Program Manager
• [10:19] How Will approached his job start when he first left the Army
• [14:38] Day-to-day life in Will's first civilian job in the Telecom Industry, and why small companies are so valuable for veterans
• [20:58] How the Army was a competitive advantage for Will... and where he had to catch up
• [22:52] The biggest surprise Will faced when he transitioned to civilian life
• [25:35] Making the transition to Boeing after one year as a civilian
• [32:31] Pursuing an MBA at Wharton while working at Boeing
• [36:15] How to consider grad school or straight to industry and what degree to pursue
• [38:48] Final advice to anyone on Active Duty

BTU #7 - Shaunnah Sopko: Project & Program Management

“You can do an internship - not just through grad school - as a way to dip your toe in the water to see how you like that type of role and company. It’s a great way to give yourself that reflection time period if you’r not going to go to a grad school program." – Shaunnah Sopko

Shaunnah Sopko is a Product Quality Program Manager at Nest. She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, an MS in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a BS in Systems Engineering from the US Naval Academy. Shaunnah served six years as an officer in the Surface Warfare community, where she served on the USS Shoup (DDG 86), Destroyer Squadron 9, and as the Flag Aide to the Superintendent of the US Naval Academy.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• Her decision to leave the Navy
• Joining the Reserves through grad school and at work
• Advice for Business School appliations
• How the military prepared her for graduate school…and where she had to catch up
• Overview of Product & Program Management
• Advice for Active Duty military personnel who want to pursue a career in Product & Program Management
• Recommended resources to prepare for your transition
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Engineering Duty Officer (EDO)
• Nest
• Transition Assistance Program (TAP)

Show Notes

• [1:20] Background
• [3:15] - Weighing options on leaving the Navy
• [5:50] - Joining the Reserves through grad school and at work
• [7:15] - How Shaunnah’s company accommodated her Reserves time[10:10] - Pursuing a second master’s degree
• [11:24]  - Advice for Business School appliations
• [14:35] - How the military prepared her for graduate school…and where she had to catch up
• [18:07] - Overview of Product & Program Management
• [21:15] - Advice for Active Duty military personnel who want to pursue a career in Product & Program Management
• [24:52] - Interning at Apple
• [28:08] - Choosing Nest
• [29:38] - Advice for preparing for an interview
• [32:07] - Day-to-Day life as a Program Manager
• [40:33] - How the military prepared her for Program Management…and where she had to catch up
• [42:35] - Recommended resources to prepare for your transition
• [46:45] - Final advice for transition

BTU #6 - Jimmy Sopko: Active Duty to Pinterest & High Tech

“Be open to the fact that you don't know what you don't know. Be willing to reach out and ask people what they do, what they like and don't like...be open to just learning and figuring out what's important to you and try to find a company that's right for you." – Jimmy Sopko

Jimmy Sopko is a Manager of Growth Sales at Pinterest. Jimmy got his start at Pinterest by rolling up his sleeves and taking a job at Pinterest as part of their Community Operations team. While this was a step back in terms of pay and seniority, it got his foot in the door and he was able to quickly work his way up within Pinterest... a company that has already tripled in growth since he joined. Jimmy is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and former Surface Warfare Officer. He's also an avid rower, having earned a Silver Medal in the 2009 World Rowing Championships.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• The three approaches Jimmy took to get his first job (Recruiters, Networking, Mentors)
• The importance of choosing a lifestyle NOT a specific role at a company
• How he narrowed his job search down to the Technology industry and Pinterest
• What it's like to join an internet rocket ship... at the very bottom
• Why he thinks it may be better to skip grad school and going straight to industry
• The difference between military leadership and Tech leadership
• How customer-facing roles maximize your learning inside a company
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
• Pinterest
• US Rowing Team
• Military LinkedIn network: iSABRD
• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
• How to Get Hired at Google - Cracking the Tech Career: Insider Advice on Landing a Job at Google, Microsoft, Apple, or any Top Tech Company

Show Notes

• [1:30] Background
• [2:40] Transition from the Navy to US Rowing Team and searching for a new career
• [4:10] Three approaches to getting his first job (Recruiters, Networking, Mentors)
• [6:38] Approaching the decision to leave the military
• [8:40] Choosing to not join the Reserves
• [10:55] The importance of choosing a lifestyle NOT a specific role
• [11:55] Deciding to leave the US Rowing Team and enter industry
• [12:53] Exploring career possibilities while rowing
• [14:10] Narrowing a job search down to the Technology industry and Pinterest
•  [16:30] Joining a rocket ship... at the very bottom
• [17:57] Advice for skipping grad school and going straight to industry
• [23:40] The difference between military leadership and Tech leadership
• [26:50] How customer-facing roles maximize your learning inside a company
• [27:52] Day-to-day life of a Community Operations / Customer Support roles
• [30:00] Managing in an organization (vs. in the military)
• [32:05] Day-to-day life in Growth Sales capacity
• [36:50] Advice to those currently on Active Duty