The field of Geography not only makes our lives easier through maps but also aids in enhancing our understanding of diverse landscapes to uncover cultural patterns.

Aswin Subanthore, our next pathbreaker, Senior Instructor at Esri (Virginia, USA), teaches instructor-led GIS Software courses as well as helps emergency disaster professionals to map hazard areas to help them make important decisions.

Aswin talks to  to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about a great opportunity to be a part of an international team of researchers to investigate the effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which triggered his interest in a PhD in Geography.

For students, non-traditional careers can sometimes be your gateway to helping communities and people around the world to make better decisions !

Aswin, what were your initial years like?

I was born in Chennai, in the historically significant neighborhood of Mylapore where I also attended the famous Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School. Unlike most of my peers, I was drawn to different types of non-traditional subjects, including history and geography. I was fortunate to have two wonderful parents who gave me the freedom to pursue my interests. My father, Late Shri. Subanthore Vasudev was my role model. He was a Chemical Engineering graduate of the prestigious AC Tech (now Anna University) who went on to pursue an illustrious career in Corporate Finance. At a very young age, his adventures sparked curiosity in my mind. During his tenure at IDBI in the 1980s, his travels to Southeast Asia instilled in me a great sense of interest on the wonders of world cultures. At home, my mother’s strong willpower and unwavering love and affection fueled my soul and drove my passion to accomplish great things even to this day. Growing up, while my father inspired me to think outside the box, to question the status quo, and explore different opportunities to learn, my mother showed me how to treat others with respect and basic decency.  

What did you do for graduation/post graduation?

I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras and just before my 21st birthday, I was on a flight to the United States to pursue a Master’s in Industrial Engineering at Oklahoma State University. Most people advised me not to go to Oklahoma since all they had heard about Oklahoma was tornadoes. However, I took a less traveled path and Oklahoma became a part of my life for almost the next 20-plus years. Soon after I arrived in Oklahoma in August 2001, the terrible attacks of September 11 changed everything around me. Suddenly, people began to look at me differently and I was witnessing a lot of racism and problems due to my Indian roots since we were mistaken as terrorists. This changed my thinking, and in my mind I went through a transformation, and I decided to pursue a career in my first love—namely, geography. After I completed my first Master’s in Engineering, I decided to pursue a second Master’s in Geography from Oklahoma State University because I wanted to teach cultural geography in the middle of the United States where there was a lot of misunderstanding of cultures. 

What were some of the drivers that influenced me to pursue such an offbeat, unconventional and uncommon career?

I decided to pursue a career in cultural geography because I was always interested in geography and thanks to my parents, I remained curious and wanted to explore new ways of understanding the world around me. I was inspired by several people in my life. From my childhood, I had my father’s elder brother, Late Shri. Subanthore Venkoba Rao who always gave me time to talk to him about what I learned in school. Later at Oklahoma State University, I had Dr. William “Bill” Venable who was a mentor and a dear friend. Dr. Venable was a professor of Educational Studies and through him, I learned the wonderful world of research and how to teach and facilitate learning. Even though the September 11 attacks was a key turning point in my career and life, I took an off-beat path. Many of the people around me thought I was not making the right decision. But I followed my heart. When you know that you have the right instincts, do not let the voices of people who question you bring you down.

In my second Master’s degree, this time in Geography, I specialized in agricultural geography and my thesis focused on the effect of conservation programs to the attitudes of farmers in the Northwestern corner of Oklahoma. This place is literally called the “No man’s land” due to its sparse population. However, it is also the epicenter for the “Dust Bowl” disaster in the 1930s that wiped out the agricultural heartland of America and laid the foundation for protecting the country’s food security. I chose this topic to gain more insights into field research and explore an area of the world which was vastly unknown to many people. As I was finishing up my second Master’s degree, this time in Geography, I decided to pursue my deepest passion and interest, and that was teaching. I was always interested to share knowledge with others around me and I wanted to become an educator and a professor. For this reason, I started my PhD degree in Cultural Geography at Oklahoma State University. At first, I was not sure what I wanted to take up, but then I was fortunate to have a wonderful PhD advisor by the name of Dr. Rebecca Sheehan in the Geography Department at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Sheehan nurtured in me the art of research writing and more than a mentor, she became a friend and as important as a family member even to this day. Writing is a very important skill, and one cannot express great ideas, be it teaching or conducting research without knowing how to write. 

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path.

My first job was that of a Teaching Assistant nearly twenty years ago. In this role, I was responsible to teach and maintain the highest level of expectations to educate young college students the beauty of geography. In the subsequent years, as I moved along in my own educational levels, I developed a deep sense of appreciation on why teaching is not only the art of educating young students but also inspiring the next generation to lead the world. I went on to teach in over 4 universities across America to more than 3,000 students over a span of 15 years. Through this experience, I learned so much about not only teaching but also how to be a facilitator of knowledge. I taught numerous courses during this teaching tenure, touching thousands of lives, giving them their first taste of how to appreciate their world. My friend Dr. Venable used to tell me that teaching is a two-way street. A good teacher learns from the students as much as the student expects to learn from the teacher. At the end of my Master’s in Geography degree program, I had a great opportunity to be a part of an international team of researchers to investigate the effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. We went to Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and spent a month interviewing and researching. Our research was funded by the National Science Foundation and spearheaded by Dr. Brenda Phillips, Dr. Dave Neal, Dr. Tom Wikle, and along with graduate student Shireen Hyrapiet, I was one of the researchers to help our team with mapping as well as translation from Tamil to English. It was a humbling experience to help researchers to help my own country. This was a powerful experience that helped me launch an interest to pursue my PhD. 

During my doctoral degree work, I was also responsible for conducting research within Indian communities in Oklahoma. My PHD research was titled “Negotiating Indian-ness: Transnational Identities of Indians in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area”. In this research, I investigated the effects of the September 11 attacks on everyday immigrant life in Oklahoma. Specifically, I researched the case of Indian immigrants in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area (OKC metro) to explore the meanings associated within their transnational identities on what it means to be an Indian in America. For my PhD work, I was awarded the Gamma Theta Upsilon Geography Honor Society scholarship as well as several publishing and conference presentation opportunities. During my PhD tenure, I even served as a Geo-political Consultant for visiting geography scholars from Kazakhstan in the United States. In this position, I helped them to learn advanced geographical concepts to help their efforts to undertake geo-political research.  

During this time, I began to understand that the responsibility of someone who is pursuing a PhD in geography is very important because educators are respected and with great responsibility comes the opportunity to learn about other cultures. These soft skills are very important because it is not just about getting good grades or high marks but also about being a good person and building relationships and new friends while staying open to acquiring new knowledge. During this time, I got married and I was lucky to find someone who believed in my abilities and inspired me to always seek what I love.

After I finished my PhD, I was on the lookout for new opportunities that were nontraditional and outside the regular academic setting. I reconnected with an old friend who had started a new company and he was looking for someone who can conduct research and train clients. His name is Jim Sisco and is currently the President and Founder of ENODO Global. Jim is also a distinguished U.S. military veteran of over 23 years proudly serving his nation at the highest level as a former special forces combat soldier and a military intelligence officer. Through him, I learned the art of leadership, trust, loyalty, and so many other life skills that I did not learn even after acquiring two master’s degrees and a PhD. This is very important for youngsters to learn because who you associate with is sometimes more important than what you learn in school. 

The biggest career advice I can give is to be very careful about who you surround yourself with. At ENODO, I was a Vice President and Chief Data Scientist where I created a data analytics platform. I was not an expert in Data Science but in a newly created startup company, I was excited to learn new skills to build something new. We were successful as a company and attracted numerous clients who wanted us to help resolve Social Risk – the risk that emerges from population. ENODO Global is a risk advisory company that uses data analytics to predict and mitigate risk that threatens companies, governments, and even educational institutions. I was responsible for using an all-source approach to provide custom solutions to clients who wanted to better understand their customers. I used my experience gained from PhD research and writing, to create analytical reports that were used by clients to prevent any unforeseen events such as protests and strikes from occurring. 

After nearly eight years working with Jim, I wanted to enter the workforce of technical training. I got an opportunity to work for the largest geospatial company in the world where I currently work. At Esri, I am a senior instructor and also responsible for developing curriculum to help customers learn geographical information systems which is a set of software tools to make maps. 

How did you get your first break?

My first biggest break was in 2004 when an instructor who was teaching geography suddenly decided that she was not able to teach anymore. The Department Chair in Oklahoma State University was looking for a replacement. When I volunteered and since I always wanted to teach geography, I was given my first opportunity to teach a full classroom of students who were just a few years older than me. Even though I was anxious at first, my love and passion for geography and the desire to teach overcame all fears and doubts and I have taught ever since. The biggest moral of this story is that once you have a strong desire to do anything in life, nothing else will come in your way and you will find that your passion will strengthen you and help find your career. 

I was able to secure my current position as a Senior Instructor at Esri by noticing and applying for the position on the LinkedIn website and after reviewing their job description which was a great fit given my experience in teaching and writing.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

Challenge 1: When I had a lot of students who did not fully understand the knowledge I was imparting to them because they did not have any prior information on different cultures around the world. I addressed this challenge by informing the students that different cultures around the world ultimately are very similar to them because they also have families, jobs, and an everyday life that they try to build for themselves.

Challenge 2: When I shifted my career focus from engineering to geography, I was not accepted by my own friends and even some family friends who doubted if I could make a career out of geography. However, my parents always encouraged me to pursue what I love and they defended me and my interests to those who were opposing it. So I was able to address the challenge of not being accepted by my community with the strength and the support of my own parents.

Challenge 3: I faced several challenges over the years linked to my race and nationality. This is a huge problem for many immigrants who pursue education in other countries. Over the years, I have addressed these challenges by constantly reinforcing the values of kindness and empathy to the people around me.

Where do you work now? 

I currently work for Esri, the world’s largest geospatial company. I work as a senior instructor and a part time author where I teach instructor-led courses as well as create web courses. My company is responsible for delivering training to almost any public or private sector client who uses maps and mapping services in their company. Through my work, I help people to solve problems using maps in their own line of work. 

For example, I help emergency disaster professionals to map hazard areas to help them make important decisions. The most important skill needed for my job is to work well with people and have creative ways to implement my skills. Most of the skills I have acquired for my job have been due to years of working with different types of people, learning from them, applying to my own line of work. My typical day involves working with my team to create and deliver instructions to our clients. The most important thing I enjoy about my job is the ability to collaborate with professionals who are smarter than me.

Esri is the world’s largest Geographical Information Systems (GIS) company. Esri is headquartered in California but with 27 offices worldwide with over 5000 employees. Esri is also the most prestigious mapping company in the world. Esri’s “ArcGIS” line of products are industry standard for creating analytical solutions with maps to analyze our Earth. At Esri, my responsibilities include training Esri’s clients with instructor-led courses to help customers learn ArcGIS products. 

How does your work benefit society? 

My work, in a very small way, helps communities and people around the world to make better decisions using maps. Maps are not only central to our lives but also used constantly to make our lives easier. Maps can save lives and I love to teach how creating maps and mapping can be easily accomplished.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

An example of a specific memorable work I did that was very close to me was that one time when I taught a class full of students who had taken their first ever geography class. The wonder and the amazement that the students displayed as I taught about different cultures is still one of the most satisfying experiences of my professional career.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

My biggest advice to students based on my own experience is to always keep learning! This means that one must be open to ideas and information that we may not necessarily have. The hallmark of a great learner and an ideal student is one who always remains open to learning and is never afraid of acquiring new information. Our world is a very vast place with over 8 billion people and so we cannot afford to limit ourselves with ideas that we have been told to remember. We should discover new ways to explore the limits of our mind.

Future Plans?

One of my sincere future plans is to start a school in India that will provide nontraditional teaching and off topic subjects in an attempt to encourage students to pursue unconventional career paths.