Challenges Of Being An Assistant Program Manager At American Biotech Co.
Angel's biggest challenge as an Assistant Program Manager at American Biotech Co. is translating skills from the defense industry to the biotech industry, a hurdle overcome by the security of a military pension and pursuit of a UCLA MBA to bolster "academic credibility" and "speak intelligently about business practices." The process highlights the importance of transferable skills when changing industries.
Career Development, Overcoming Challenges, Industry Realities, Transferable Skills, Project Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Angel Torres
Assistant Program Manager
American Biotech Co.
University of California, Davis
University of Oklahoma, Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (2022); University of California, Los Angeles, Masters in Business Administration (2025)
Political Science, American Studies
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
Operations and Project Management
Disabled, Scholarship Recipient, Veteran
Video Highlights
1. Transferring between industries (defense to biotech) requires connecting prior knowledge and skills to the new field.
2. Continuing education, such as an MBA program, enhances credibility and provides relevant business knowledge in the new industry.
3. Transferable skills are key to a successful industry change; a financial safety net (like a military pension) can ease the transition.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
My current challenge is understanding how everything I've learned in my previous industry, the defense industry, translates and is transferable to this new industry, the biotech industry. I probably know more than I realize, I just need to be able to connect those things.
If you're transferring industries, that is a challenge you'll definitely have. What allows you to transfer industries? Right now, for me it was the comfort of having that military pension.
Also, the fact that I'm back at school to re-certify my academic credibility is important. Going into the UCLA MBA program ensures I can speak intelligently, maybe not authoritatively, but at least intelligently about real-world business practices.
Applying transferable skills, I think, is a good way to summarize that.