To celebrate Veterans Day this upcoming Friday, November 11th, the Energy Central Community Team will be shining a light on the many outstanding utility professionals in our network who also spent time in the military. This week, we'll be featuring interviews with these veterans sharing how they found their way into the industry. We will also highlight their unique perspectives of the industry and how they are influencing the utility space.
All the interviews will be collected at this special Veterans Day 2022 topic tag.
To all the veterans in the Energy Central Community, we want to say thank you for your service and we wish you a Happy Veterans Day.
John Urbina Jr.’s entry into the utility industry is the result of a chance meeting. The 32-year-old U.S. Navy Veteran was working as a traffic controller in the Bay Area when he met a Superintendent from California utility PG&E “quite literally on the street.” The Superintendent informed him about his company’s Power Pathway internship program. After six years of trying, Urbina Jr. finally landed a spot in it.
His ascent through the ranks has been quick. He started as a ground linesman – assisting crews on the field – three years ago and now works as a senior real-time asset manager, managing multiple utility resources to balance the grid.
He has also received a salary bump. “I went from making less than $60,000 a year to making more than $90,000 now,” says Urbina Jr.
How the Navy Helps Utility Careers
Urbina Jr. credits the swift rise in his PG&E career and earnings to the intensity of his training in the navy. “The pressure that the military gives you when you are 18 or 20, that kind of pressure wasn’t there at PG&E,” he says.
The learning curve required to shift between industries didn’t faze him either. “The military molds you to be flexible,” he explains. This means that when he encounters a new topic or subject, he switches to military mode. “I am, like, okay, I need to learn how to do this now and that’s it,” he says, adding that the military teaches complete commitment to each task or job. “Even when it is free,” he laughs.
Urbina Jr.’s time in the Navy also taught him a problem-solving attitude and cultivated a drive to succeed. “In the military, you are taught to present a solution each time you encounter or report a problem,” he says. That approach, combined with his networking skills, has not only helped him in his daily responsibilities but also in advancing his career by using tools, such as LinkedIn, strategically.
The transition from military to civilian life has also meant a reconfiguration in his professional interactions. “You have to be softer and family-oriented (in your interactions and communication skills) with each other here,” he says.
Opportunities At Utilities
From his perch as a real-time asset manager, Urbina Jr. has had a bird’s eye view of the industry’s direction. “Three years ago, there were many fossil fuel units in California’s grid but now they are being rapidly replaced by battery storage units,” he says. The push towards renewable energy is accompanied by a dramatic change in the industry’s workings and has created many opportunities for military personnel.
Urbina Jr. is a believer in the power of research and networking. Veterans interested in a career in the industry should research their local utility for internship opportunities. “Most utilities have many such opportunities, we just don’t know about it,” he says and points to his own chance encounter that led to his current career.
Networking is also necessary for advancement. Online tools like LinkedIn are helpful in connecting with veterans, he says. Urbina Jr. is in touch with two veterans who contacted him through the platform in the past year.
A Rewarding Career
Urbina Jr. joined the military right after high school and spent five years in the navy. After leaving, he tried different jobs – postal services, traffic controller – but none piqued his interest in a career. Even the glamorous technology industry, where he worked as an account executive with online reviews site Yelp, did not entice him.
Urbina Jr. is set on making a career in the utility industry, at PG&E specifically, and is pursuing an MBA at UC Davis because he wants to be in it “for the long haul”. He says the industry offers a rewarding and stable career.
“I don’t want to say we are recession proof, but it definitely helps to work in this industry [during a downturn],” says Urbina Jr. As example, he points to recent news of tech giant Alphabet’s layoffs. “I haven’t heard of anyone being let go [at PG&E] yet,” he says.
As far as perks and benefits go, the industry compares well to other places, says Urbina Jr. His MBA degree is partially funded through a tuition assistance grant at the company. Corporate apprenticeships are also available at his utility for those interested in transitioning from fieldwork to an office. He has also found community at PG&E’s Veterans Club.
But there is one area where utilities cannot compete with tech giants: office meals. Tech giants are famous for serving meals from notable restaurants, and catering companies to workers for lunch. Such five-star meals are absent in the office cafeterias at utilities. “That might be the only thing I’d miss, if I was working in the tech industry,” says Urbina Jr.