Mark Parades grew up in San Diego in a military family, surrounded by the routines and expectations that come with service. Most of his childhood was in Chula Vista, where his stepfather served in the Army and often traveled to Fort Irwin.

His stepdad, he says, “put a structure into me of how to be as a man and how to strive to be as a person with morals and proper values, and try to strive to be the best that I possibly could in everything I do.”

That drive carried him into the Army. Mark trained as a Black Hawk mechanic and crew chief, handling critical maintenance and flying missions.

“I fixed them and I flew them,” he says. “I was the door gunner, and I was also the medevac.”

His responsibilities ranged from replacing turbine engines to supporting combat and rescue missions. Over time, he moved from maintainer to flyer.

“I’m trained in every single aspect of flying in a Black Hawk,” he says.

Mark served for five years, with assignments in South Korea, Virginia, and Fort Irwin. Like many veterans, he expected to transition smoothly into civilian work. Instead, he found the process confusing.

“It was really hard to find those kinds of resources,” he says.

For about a year and a half, he moved between construction jobs with family and valet shifts tied to his interest in cars.

“It was a bit of a struggle,” he says.

His stepfather eventually encouraged him to attend a veteran’s outreach event at San Diego City Hall.

“My stepdad told me about it and to go check it out,” Mark recalls.

At the event, a Workshops for Warriors recruiter invited him to tour the school. The offer was immediate, and Mark took it. At first, he imagined himself in the welding program. But during the tour, a stop in the CNC machining shop changed his direction.

“I wanted to be a welder at first, and then I met Randall up in the machining shop, and he convinced me to be a machinist,” he says. The technical focus of machining felt familiar and aligned with the aircraft systems he had worked on. “I just kind of always knew that I wanted to be something technical,” he says.  

Once enrolled, he found a community he recognized.

“Honestly, it is the most welcoming and positive community for me and for fellow veterans,” he says.

The structure helped him regain confidence and direction during a period that had felt uncertain.

“They not only get your foot in the door, they introduce you to people, they branch you out,” he says. “They get you out of that kind of scared shell that you are lost in when you first get out of the military.”

Passing his first qualification reinforced that he had made the right choice.

“I was super excited,” he says. When he shared the accomplishment with his family, he learned his grandfather had also worked in machining. “He was like, ‘Yeah, I was actually a machinist as well.’ I was like, [he] never mentioned that to me.”

Mark completed Machining 1 and 2 and recently took another major step. He accepted a job as a machinist with Versatech, a role that allows him to apply the skills he built at Workshops for Warriors. The job gives him a stable foundation while he continues building toward larger goals.

Those goals remain ambitious. Mark hopes to start a business that produces fishing lures. Fishing has been part of his life since childhood, and machining gives him the precision to design specialized, higher-end products. He plans to continue studying automation.

“It could be like a light salt factory, where I just program everything, and I could just have it doing it by itself, 24/7,” he says.

Hiring veterans is part of his long-term plan as well. “Hopefully I can start a company, and have jobs not only for fellow veterans, but for my family as well,” he says.

He envisions calling Workshops for Warriors someday to request skilled graduates, knowing they will arrive trained to industry standards. When asked how he feels about his future, Mark answers clearly.

“A lot brighter,” he says. “A lot more certain about what I want to do and how I can work toward the goals I have been wanting to have.”

For veterans who feel stuck or unsure about their next move, he has one message: “The first step is look up Workshops for Warriors,” he says. “If there are no other options and you are not sure about anything, and you were technical in the military or feel like you do not want to do college, this is the next best step. This is the step to get you ahead.”

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