My Story: As an Army veteran with 8 years of service and a deployment to Syria under my belt, transitioning to civilian life was a daunting prospect. I knew I wanted more than just a standard “Project Manager” or “Defense Contractor” position. I was looking for a career that allowed me to: 

• Work remotely (more family time) 

• Provided a tight-knit community of passionate people (belonging to a team again) 

• Offered the opportunity to earn (a lot) more based on my performance

That's when I connected with Andrew, the Navy (I promise I don't hold that against him) veteran behind The Arena. 

Andrew provided me with the tactics and insider knowledge to separate myself from the rest of the crowd. He literally gave me the answers to the test. I Should Have Reached Out Sooner. Thanks to his guidance and support, I landed my first role in tech sales. Saying I wouldn't be here without his help is an understatement. 

My only regret is not reaching out to him sooner because I thought it would be 'weird' to cold message someone on LinkedIn. Now, managers are actively seeking out Andrew to find veteran talent. That speaks volumes about the value he provides. The Arena's program offered invaluable guidance, resources, and a supportive community of like-minded veterans. Andrew's personal mentorship and the program's tailored curriculum equipped me with the skills and confidence to successfully navigate the tech sales landscape. 

The Best Thing, You Ask? The best thing about The Arena is the genuine commitment to each veteran's success. Andrew goes above and beyond to ensure that we not only gain technical knowledge but also develop the soft skills necessary to thrive in our new careers. The network of industry professionals and alumni that The Arena connects us with is unparalleled, opening doors to opportunities I never thought possible. Hiring managers are constantly asking Andrew for veteran talent. 

 Thanks to The Arena, I have successfully transitioned into a rewarding tech sales role where I can apply my military leadership experience and continue to grow both personally and professionally. I wholeheartedly recommend The Arena to any transitioning service member looking to break into tech sales. It's not just a program; it's a life-changing experience.

I was an Army Logistics Captain for 4 and a half years with a Finance degree looking to exit the military and likely follow the “traditional” route of getting an MBA and moving into the corporate consulting space. Andrew and The Arena changed that from almost the first meeting I had with him. He reached out cold, but I was intrigued and took the meeting. Not once did he try to sell me anything - he simply informed me about the industry and opportunities, and then encouraged me to do my own research. After deciding it was the best fit for me, I went all in with Andrew and his Arena University program. It has been one of the best decisions I have made thus far. Not only is the coaching and programming exceptional - seasoned instructors, in-depth material someone with no experience can follow, and a clear path to both employment and success - but Andrew is a phenomenal resource / mentor / advocate. In true sales fashion, Andrew and The Arena give you the tools to succeed, but they expect you to execute. Working with him and his team took me from 0 sales knowledge or experience to a Federal Account Manager role at a fantastic company in IMPRES Technology Solutions within 3 months. I highly recommend any service member even remotely interested in a career in tech sales schedule time with Andrew soon to see what he and the industry can offer.

Ben Gutierrez. Army Artillery officer. USMA ‘19. Andrew was instrumental in me crushing a mock discovery call with Commvault and ultimately helped me land my first AE job in tech sales.

The Arena Gave Me Back My Confidence and Landed Me an Offer in 3 Weeks: My name is Carolyne Rumah, and I'm a Sales Executive who found The Arena through a peer referral during what felt like an endless job search. While I haven't served in the military, I was desperate for the kind of structured guidance and coaching that The Arena provides. How The Arena Transformed My Job Search: Before joining The Arena, I had hit a complete wall. Despite having an ATS-optimized resume and doing everything I thought was "right," I was getting nothing but automated rejection emails from LinkedIn applications and Greenhouse postings. After making it to final rounds with three different companies only to be passed over each time, I was discouraged, anxious, and starting to question my abilities as a candidate. That's when Andrew changed everything. From our very first meeting, he pinpointed exactly what I was doing wrong and why I kept getting the same disappointing results. I finally found what I'd been searching for, real coaching backed by facts, not just generic job search advice. What Makes The Arena Special: The Arena taught me how to completely reimagine my approach. My goal remained the same (finding a new job), but my execution needed a complete overhaul. Working with both Andrew and Nick, I learned how to truly stand out in a sea of applicants instead of getting lost in the automated hiring systems that strip away the human element of interviewing. The coaching wasn't just tactical, it was transformational. After months of rejection, The Arena helped restore my confidence and gave me the wings I needed to keep flying toward my goals. The Results Speak for Themselves: Just over 3 weeks after joining The Arena, I accepted a job offer. Three weeks. After months of struggling on my own, The Arena was the missing piece of the puzzle I needed. My Advice to Others: If you're looking to break into tech sales or transform your job search, The Arena is an invaluable resource. Come ready to embrace a growth mindset, get comfortable advocating for yourself and your career, and most importantly, be coachable and apply the steps. The Arena doesn't just teach you tactics; it rebuilds your entire approach to career advancement. The Arena has been the best thing to happen to me this year, and I'm beyond grateful it exists for anyone ready to take their career to the next level.

When I decided to transition out of the Army after 4 years of service as an Infantry officer, I found out quickly just how hard it was to find a new career on my own. When Andrew reached out to me on LinkedIn, I had already decided sales was the field for me. After speaking with him, he immediately made me feel more confident, prepared, and hungry to succeed. By leveraging tips and tricks Andrew provided in our very first Arena meeting, I was able to ultimately land an offer from ADP. The Arena is an invaluable resource and continues to help hone my sales tactics and, most importantly, my mindset. Andrew is always available for tips and advice, and he even called me to congratulate me on my first sale! Overall just an awesome dude. I would recommend The Arena to any transitioning veteran with an interest in sales, or just generally becoming the best version of their professional self.

As an Army Officer transitioning to the civilian workforce, I quickly realized how challenging it can be to navigate the job market after military service. A friend of mine recommended that I speak to Andrew. I can honestly say that Andrew has been an incredible asset during this process. His dedication to helping veterans find meaningful employment is unmatched. As a Veteran himself, he understands the unique skills we bring from the military and knows how to translate them into language that employers recognize and value. Andrew took the time to listen, provide honest feedback, and offered tailored advice. His support not only boosted my confidence but also opened doors. He’s not just a resource, he’s an advocate, a mentor, and a champion for those who have served. What separates Andrew from most; He cares!

I'm in tech sales and was Andrew's neighbor from 2021 to 2024. I lived right next door to him. 

Andrew is the type of neighbor who actually returns borrowed tools, maintains a lawn you could nap on, and grills steaks worthy of awards. 

But, Andrew's secret talent? Christmas lights. His display is tasteful enough to make Martha Stewart nod approvingly, yet bright enough to confuse local pilots. 

Honestly, if neighborhoods had MVPs, he'd be ours every year.

I spent over 10 years as a Navy Helicopter Pilot and Staff Officer. When I was ready to take on my transition, I caught the tech sales bug. The Arena offered me the perfect avenue to catch up on knowledge and experiences that aren't obvious to find while you're in. With Andrew's lectures, The Arena cold call and discovery meeting practice sessions, meetings with various The Arena coaches, and The Arena alumni network, I was able to best prepare to interview and win a spot as a sales rep. While it's possible to make the transition on your own, The Arena enabled me to break into tech sales faster and at a more senior role than doing it on my own.

I was an Armor officer in the Army for almost 10 years. Upon getting out in 2021, I took job in a well know area for me, Operations and Team Leadership. I hadn’t done as much research as I should have and I picked a path of that I was comfortable with. I quickly realized I wanted more. This is when I was introduced to Andrew Garcia and The Arena. I immediately scheduled a coaching session and was part of the cohort less than a week later. Andrew’s passion for fellow veterans paired with his immense knowledge of mindset, sales, and the tech industry has made the process of hunting for a tech sales job much less daunting. Andrew, The Arena, and the team he is building are a tremendous asset to the veteran community. The straightforward but powerful lessons coupled with the sense of community has been a blast to work with. Best of all, Andrew and the team are always available - they are always around, whether it’s to answer questions, review a cover letter, or take part in a quick coaching session. I’m grateful for Andrew and The Arena community and look forward to what the future holds!

While in the last year of my time with the Army, I began looking for a career that would interest me following my transition. I did not need a lengthy self-analysis to understand the past 4 years spent in the Infantry had left me with few hard skills and technical experience. The great thing about being in the Infantry though is that you spend plenty of time in less than ideal conditions to practice your soft skills: teamwork, problem solving, communication, adaptability, leadership, etc. After researching more customer-facing careers, another veteran referred me to Andrew Garcia. Before I spoke with Andrew, the only thing that came to mind when I heard “sales” was a used car salesman. When Andrew and I first talked I realized my preconceived notion of tech sales was very far off from the truth. Andrew provided me with a plethora of resources to learn more about what a career in tech sales actually entails. Shortly after that discussion Andrew asked if I would be interested in joining the first cohort for The Arena, and without hesitation I said yes. Since then I have not once regretted my decision to join, it was a leap of faith but I knew Andrew was genuine and he would go above and beyond to help me prepare. Every week he’s putting out content that’s helping us to improve our sales methodologies, prepare for interviews, search for jobs, and never stop learning. Instead of feeling confident that I am mastering the world of sales I understand that I have only seen the tip of the iceberg and I am on the right path which requires me to constantly reasses and continue improving. The most valuable resource The Arena provides though is not Andrew Garcia, the recommended reading, the renowned guest speakers, or the software platforms at our disposal. No, the most valuable resource The Arena provides is its community of like minded veterans who are willing to go the extra mile to achieve success and they are eager to help those around them to experience that same success. For those struggling to decide if The Arena is worth it I would urge them to take a leap of faith.

My name is Caroline Locksmith and I am a logistics officer in the United States Marine transitioning to tech sales. I spoke with Andrew via a mutual connection when I discovered what Salesforce was looking at job descriptions. That led to a few calls with him of me picking his brain and ultimately joining The Arena. Andrew is a very humble individual and I learned over time his success at Salesforce as well as just sales over all. Andrew selflessly dedicates his time to anyone interested and by creating The Arena, has fostered a community of veterans who are also willing to help each other and build the community. Transition can be overwhelming, scary, exciting, you name it. Andrew and The Arena have helped ease those feeling by creating an intentional and safe place to develop the skills necessary to be successful in sales but specifically, tech sales.

My name is Nick Schebler I am currently a Captain in the US Army. I have been in the Army for the past six years as a Field Artillery Officer. I have been with the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions and have lead soldiers in many different situations and scenarios. The Arena has helped me develop different skills and traits to allow me to be successful in the interview process, but also in the sales world. The knowledge gained, skills learned, and relationships built are all key aspects in the pursuit of a career in sales. The best thing about working with the Arena are the relationships built and community developed while helping veterans achieve success in a new chapter in our lives.

As a naval intelligence officer, the transition to the civilian world has its well-worn tracks and common destinations, few of which deeply interested me. Andrew helped me realize that my passion for problem-solving, analysis, and leadership have highly applicable and potentially lucrative application in tech sales. "Potentially" is not a scary word if you're willing to bet on yourself, especially when The Arena helps stack the deck in your favor. Andrew's thoughtfully structured program will prepare you to confidently pivot to the competitive world of tech sales and build an amazing network of like-minded peers in the process.

Leaving something that you know well to pursue something brand new is hard- I think most of us can agree on that. I truly enjoyed my time serving as an Active-Duty Signal Officer in the U.S. Army. From graduating Ranger School, to providing communication support all over the Indo-Pacific, I learned a lot through these experiences but was ready for a change. After evaluating which direction and career path I wanted to take, I made the decision to pursue Sales, which was an extremely difficult choice to make. Although many of my previous positions contained many qualities directly related to Sales, I quickly realized I was going to need help. I randomly stumbled upon the Arena Sales Training Program, thinking to myself that this was fate. On paper, it had everything I thought I needed to obtain the slight edge to successfully break into Tech Sales. After speaking with Andrew for the first time, it was clear that this program was what I needed, but there was one issue. The Arena was a “baby”, and my cohort would be the first ever initiated from start to finish. I was a bit skeptical because I couldn’t confirm with previous Arena members if this program was legit. Knowing I needed support, I decided to take a leap of faith, and enter the Arena. After a few months in this program, I can confidently say I made the right choice. After feeling timid about my transition, the Arena has given me confidence from learning from others who have gone before me. The transition out of the Military is already extremely complicated, so why make it more stressful. The mentorship I have been receiving in the Arena has completely changed my mindset from feeling anxious, to complete confidence that I will be able to perform in my next role.

I recently decided in January to transition out of the Army at the nine year mark and quickly learned from my peers who transitioned before me how rewarding (and challenging) a career in tech sales could be. As I was building my LinkedIn profile, I stumbled on Andrew Garcia and The Arena program and was pretty impressed. I read through his e-book in one night that was focused on the mindset, vision, and habits needed to be successful in this field as well as the detailed breakdown of different roles in the field (BDR/SDRs, Account Executive, Sales Engineers, Customer Success, etc.). Fast forward after only being in the program for a month, I'm blown away how much I've learned about how to nail interviews and the sales process in general. This program is worth the investment. I just passed my final round of interviews for the Cisco's competitive Military in Sales and Leadership (MISL) and I contribute a lot of my success to the prep work we've done in The Arena. Do it, you won't regret it.