Johnny Garcia

Johnny Garcia

Founder & CEO


SimIS, Inc.

Norfolk, VA USA


Everybody has great ideas, but that doesn’t mean that great idea is going to get you anywhere. The key to being successful isn’t about having a great idea, it’s about how you implement it.

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Johnny Garcia

Milestones

My road in life took a while to figure out.
I grew up working on the cotton farms of Lubbock, Texas with my family.
My early dream was to become an astronomer, but I realized that the lack of jobs would make pursuing this career very difficult.
After high school, I attended Texas Tech University in order to play baseball, but when that didn’t work out, I dropped out and joined the Navy.
While in the Navy, I took classes online to complete my degree in computer information systems.
After spending five years in the military, I decided not to reenlist—got a job working in engineering simulations.
At the time, I didn’t know anything about engineering, so I kept going to school to earn an MBA and a PhD in engineering—moved my way up until I was the chief technologist of the whole company.
I was encouraged by my former boss to start my own company—I risked everything and ended up quitting my job, mortgaging my house, and spending my life savings to start it.
In 2007, I launched SimIs, Inc. offering information security consulting and engineering services to various clients including Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. Government.
Keep following my journey

Career

Founder & CEO

I run a company providing innovative IT solutions to model and secure technologies for the future.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Engineering
Science
Accomplishing Goals

Day to Day

I work with my employees to model and make simulations for medical software, military software, and even training software for nursing students at Old Dominion University. I have a ton of ideas every day but I need money to implement those ideas. I spend a lot of time securing new clients and partnerships in order to make these ideas a reality.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for high school students

Challenge yourself and take as many honors classes as you can to prepare for college. Getting a college degree and educating yourself as much as you can is extremely important.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

undergrad
Bachelor
Computer and Information Systems

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Peers:

"You don't have what it takes to be a CEO."

Challenges I Overcame

Racial Discrimination
Financial