BSc Geoscience, Durham University
MSc Geographical Information Science, University of Manchester
Graduate Consultant at ESRI UK
Tell us a little about yourself. What degree did you do at university and where did you do it? How did you decide to study for that degree?
Hi! My name is Balqis and I’m currently a Graduate Consultant at Esri UK. I’m originally from Perak, Malaysia. I studied Geoscience at Durham University for my BSc degree. I’ve always enjoyed learning about the natural world. A definite core memory of mine was watching the BBC documentary ‘Walking with the Dinosaurs’ (6-year-old Balqis was convinced she was going to become a palaeontologist).
Although I love science and geography, I am also very passionate about art, and I was planning to pursue an arts program after secondary education. However, my GCSE geography teacher once offhandedly mentioned that I should consider studying Geology at university. My secondary school did not offer Geology as a subject, but after doing some research I became confident that studying Geology/Geoscience was right for me. Although I studied sciences, I still had plenty of opportunities to incorporate my love for drawing into my degree. My art skills became super handy when I needed to speedily draw outcrops for my fieldnotes whilst in the rain!
During my second year, I took a Geoinformatics module, which introduced me to GIS for the first time. At that point, I had a basic understanding of what GIS was but taking this module really opened my eyes to the different possibilities with this technology. This lead me to apply for a MSc in GIS at The University of Manchester.
What did you enjoy most about studying geosciences/geography?
What I love about geosciences is that the field is ever-evolving. We learn something new about our world every day, whether it be about deep earth processes or how climate will affect our future. It is a subject that we will never fully learn everything about. I also love how studying geosciences allowed me to travel to places that I would never have visited by myself!
What job/role do you have now and what does it involve?
Currently, I am part of the Graduate Program at Esri UK. Esri is the world-leading provider of GIS Software. As a part of the graduate scheme, I rotate through different parts of the business, such as Technical Support, Pre-Sales, Internal Sales, Professional Services, Marketing, etc.
Every day is different and my schedule depends on the rotation I am currently in. Some rotations are more technology-focused, such as Technical Support, while rotations such as Internal Sales help give me a deeper insight into the business. There are rotations such as Pre-Sales, which is a mix of a business and technical focus, where I get to demonstrate our software to a variety of our customers. Regardless of the rotation, my main job role is always to support the users of Esri software to help them achieve the best results in their work.
What skills from your degree do you use in the role you have now?
My MSc degree was in GIS, so I definitely use a lot of what I learned as a basis in my current role. However, the speaking and written communication skills that I acquired during my degree years have helped me a lot, especially since a lot of my work is customer-facing.
Are there any challenges you faced along the way?
I am often the only person in the room wearing a hijab and when I was younger this used to make me feel self-conscious. I was fortunate enough to never be a target of any islamophobia, but I had friends who experienced this. This would sometimes lead me to be anxious that people would have a negative view of me based on their prejudice.
However, with time I realised that other people’s negative perceptions are not my fault and it’s something that shouldn’t hold me back. Now, every time I am in an underrepresented space, I use this as an opportunity to show that people’s misconceptions are false. Muslim women like me, whether they wear the hijab or not, deserve to belong in these spaces.
What do you most enjoy about the job you do now?
What I enjoy most about my job is that every day is a learning opportunity. I get to learn from people who have been in the industry for 10-30+ years, who love their subject and are experts in their field. It is also amazing to see the wide variety of use cases of GIS in so many different fields. I am always in awe at the variety and quality of work that is being done!
Another thing I enjoy about my role is that I also have the opportunity to be creative. I love experimenting with different cartographic styles, from creating customised basemaps to making animated maps!
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of studying geosciences or geography?
Please, go for it! We are living in a time where the state of our planet’s future is uncertain. As the majority of data is associated with a location, we require geographers and geoscientists to make sense of it all.
If you’re unsure about your decision, my advice is to talk to someone within the field you are interested in. Visit an open day at university or become a student fellow of either the Royal Geographical Society/Geological Society of London.
If you think you and your peers would like the chance to explore GIS but don’t know how you can get access to the technology, Esri UK has offered to make ArcGIS Online free for UK schools. Talk to your teachers about it and show them the Teach with GIS website for further information. The best way to find out if you like something is to give it a go! Please forgive me for the cheesy advice, but take every opportunity you can and don’t be scared to leave your comfort zone!