Tech Careers, Turkish Culture, and Ecotourism with Mehmet Secilmis

Welcome back to Environmental Professionals Radio, Connecting the Environmental Professionals Community Through Conversation, with your hosts Laura Thorne and Nic Frederick! 

On today’s episode, we talk with Mehmet Secilmis, Global account manager with Esri's AEC & Environmental practice team, about Tech Careers, Turkish Culture, and Ecotourism.   Read his full bio below.

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Showtimes:
2:21  Nic & Laura talk about employees making  counteroffers during the hiring process
10:51  Interview with Mehmet Secilmis Starts
18:25  Ecotourism
20:29  Tech Careers
31:16 Turkish Culture
36:19  Field Notes

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This podcast is produced by the National Association of Environmental Professions (NAEP). Check out all the NAEP has to offer at NAEP.org.

Connect with Mehmet Secilmis at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehmetsecilmis/

Guest Bio:
Mehmet Secilmis is a global account manager for Esri, a leading geospatial software company. He is with Esri's AEC & environmental practice team and based in San Antonio, TX. He works with the engineering and environmental firms to discover the power of GIS and solve the real problems they have. He has over 20 years of diverse experience in environmental science/engineering and GIS. His educational background includes an MS degree in Environmental Technology and an MS degree in Management with a concentration in Management of Technology.

Music Credits
Intro: Givin Me Eyes by Grace Mesa
Outro: Never Ending Soul Groove by Mattijs Muller

Transcript

Transcripts are auto-transcribed

[Intro]

Nic  
Hello and welcome to EPR, your favorite environmental enthusiast Nic and Laura. On today's episode, Laura and I discuss counteroffers we talk to Mehmet Secilmis about technical career advice, Turkish culture and ecotourism. And finally, bananas are radioactive. Bananas have naturally high levels of potassium and a small fraction of all potassium is radioactive. Don't worry, though, you would need to eat about 100 bananas to receive the same amount of radiation exposure as you get in a typical day in the United States. So there you go.

Laura  
Things here if we I'm getting radio activeness in the US.

Nic  
Yeah, good, natural everybody. Every day. There's natural radiation in the environment. So you get radiation from like UV and all that stuff.

Laura 
Oh, so different than UV are the same. It's the same. Okay,

Nic 
well, I mean, radiation has radiation, just so you can get a different way as so if you eat 100 bananas. It's like you're outside for like eight hours or something. But I won't get tan. No, unfortunately. I don't get tan anyway. By the way, this is also a curse of mine. So that was bananas. Well, I can't I'm allergic to bananas. How about that everybody? You know,

Laura 
freak of nature. That was our real and finally today, Nic is a freak of nature.

Nic 
The only person on the planet electric two bananas here we go.

[NAEP Event News]

Laura 
NAEP's next advanced NEPA workshop will take place September 14 from 11 to 7pm. Eastern time. A series of workshops is intended to provide participants with practical tips and tools about how to refine preparation and review of environmental documents prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. These workshops introduce environmental professionals to best practices for NEPA compliance. The eight hour intensive workshop has been organized into six topics. Head on over to learn more and register at naep.org We appreciate all of our sponsors and they are what keep the show going. If you'd like to sponsor the show, please head on over to environmentalprofessional radio.com and check out the sponsor forum for details. Let's get to our segment

[Nick & Laura discuss Counteroffers]

Nic  
is that you know like the stuff happens, right? We've talked about on the show all the time where somebody you make an offer and a they accept but then get a counteroffer from their company and stay and so it's just this ring of emotions. Like we finally found the person we want. No we didn't. And it's interesting we were having a debate about that practice right where you're you decide to take the counteroffer from your existing company. It's what's known. It's maybe safer, but in you know, in my mind anyway somebody who's hiring I'm like, Okay, well, you didn't want to actually if you really wanted to be here you would be here it's kind of like my first thought But second, you know, if if I'm working with somebody who wants to leave, I know they want to leave, they had an offer. And I'm like okay, well this person is going to leave at some point. So now I need to think about how do we do this job without them. And some companies don't think that way some do. But it's kind of a weird dynamic. It's an interesting thing. Like I say you can't book I think we've talked about it you can make a practice of doing that right where you're like I'm leaving giving more money. I'm leaving give me more money I'm leaving giving him on. Sometimes it can be I guess it could be a really good dialogue, a way for you to talk to your employer about you know what the thing the issues that you actually have. It's just I don't as an employee, I love it. If someone's like, Hey, I'm about to leave. I haven't told you any reasons why I don't want to, but I'm gone. You're like wait a second what? So I don't know. That's a lot to unpack but go

Laura 
first of all for our agreements don't take it personally.

Nic  
I ever do its business. Yeah. You know,

Laura 
but it is hard not to take it personally though because it not like personally like they did it to you but just like Gosh, this sucks.

Nic 
Yeah, that's exactly.

Laura 
But I don't know what's kind of the name of the game right now. So I think you just have to be prepared for it in some sense. And I think no personally so this the two sides like you mentioned, there's the employee who is leaving their company or pretending to and then there is the company that thinks they're getting a new hire who goes back to where they were. So for the company. Now they're coming back and saying, Oh, I got an offer for a job. Do you want me to stay here? You know, how many times are you gonna let somebody do this? I know one, another friend of mine. Who works in a consulting firm and they've had an employee do this multiple times. And then you're setting expectations right? You're like the how many times can this person get away with it? And are they going to just keep and then you have the culture thing how how are other people perceiving this? Now you're working with someone who's been your less time than everyone else, but they've finagle their way into a raise or promotion. And you're like, Well, gee, should I be doing this too? You know, and then you're also saying like, making somebody feel maybe more valuable than they actually are? And that might cause some ego issues. Not necessary in all cases, but it happens. There's a lot of things to consider on the company side that brings them back. But for your side, you know, I think just in the hiring practice looking for an A and a B, you know, who's our backup plan? Really, nothing is set in stone until that person walks in the door and even then I have a lot of career coaches right now who are you know, when it rains, it pours, people be looking for a job for six months, and then all of a sudden they get three offers in one week. You know, they're like, I'm never gonna get a job. This is depressing, blah, blah, blah, and then all of a sudden, like, oh, three people want me, right? And they literally like, do I start one and then what if the other one comes in because there's always another one that they want more like, but what if this other one calls me? Yeah,

Nic 
I mean, I had somebody literally this week, say, Hey, can you be a reference for my job? I'm like, Yeah, but also you should work for me. So outside of that, and I would hire you immediately. So you're right. You're right. I didn't even know they were looking. So yeah, it's kind of funny. Yeah, I don't know. Like I said, I don't take it personally. It just stinks. That's kind of the way that it's like we have a plan. It would have been helpful would have been really helpful this week. I've had a really crazy busy month but you know it's just back to the drawing board. Really?

Laura 
Yeah. I think the other thing too, is just like, Well, I always look for the messages from the universe. This wasn't the right person. You know, you think Oh, it'd be great to have somebody but maybe they would have been a nightmare or maybe they would have left them five weeks instead of before they started. So you know, think of it the flip side of like this, maybe they saved you some trouble you you can't even imagine. Didn't happen, you know?

Nic  
Yeah, I think it's another way to think about it too. And you're totally right. And I think it also maybe it's just not the right time. Maybe the timing doesn't work at this time, but it may in the future. You know, our business is pretty small, right? Like we have we know people that work, you know, in different companies all over the place that they you know, they change companies and then all of a sudden you're working for them or with them again. So it's just kind of funny.

Laura 
Maybe your company will buy their company, and you're like, hey, this is awkward

Nic  
time that you didn't want to work. I haven't I forgotten you know, water under the bridge.

Laura  
This isn't terrible, but relatable example like if you meet someone you kind of like them. And I've told him before don't relate this to dating, but here I'm doing it. The person you're like, Oh, you cheated on someone before but I'm gonna try dating you and then they cheat on you too. You're like crap, you know, it's in your nature. So maybe you hire somebody who does beat who's you know, like this person comes back to you a year later and applies again. Hmm. Do we offer you the job? I'm not sure sure. So I think that people doing it need to realize too that this is part of your becomes part of your reputation. So yes, maybe once if it's really the right decision, but if you keep pulling this all the time, people will start to notice.

Nic 
Yeah, and I think we've mentioned it too. Like the thing is, though, like like if you go back to the company that you're already working, you have issues with the company. Those don't go away just because you get more money. Like usually it's like if that's usually what it is. Right? It's usually like, oh, well, we'll pay you more to do the same thing. And if you want more responsibility, the more money will help for a little while, but it won't help long term. And so maybe you are looking again at six months, maybe you are looking to get in a year.

Laura  
But that's a good point. I think the person making the switch needs to take the opportunity to really address not just the money, but maybe if it's the boss that they're working for is is not working out, right. Can I be in a different division or, you know, like change the situation so that you aren't back in the same situation six months later with a little bit more money in your pocket, but still just as miserable. And yeah,

Nic  
that's a really good point, actually. Because a lot of times people think that this is what I've been doing, so I can't do anything else. Right? This is where I am in this group. So I can't do anything else. And you know, saying things like, oh, it'd be nice to do something else in the company. But what you really mean is I want to do something else. So you have to say that part first because I have that happen. Sometimes we're like, oh, it'd be nice to work with the team. Okay, what do you want to work with them? Or you just think it'd be neat, because those are two different things. Anyone you might not know, but you get to a point in your career where you're like, Okay, I need to do something different. How to your bosses, you know, it's like, if they're good bosses. They're not going to be furious with you for wanting to do something different. That's okay. People change, you start to understand that when you're younger, you felt like this is what I actually like, you know, okay, I don't really like this part of the job. I like that. How can I do that? And that's a whole

Laura 
conversation for another day. Like accepting that we are supposed to grow and change, where we have this perception like, oh my god, someone's changing what's wrong with them or

Nic  
growth over time? Ridiculous. Yeah.

Laura 
Yeah, so you know, so what did you do? Did you start the hiring process all over again? Did you ask your second choice?

Nic  
Well, you know, it's funny, the applications we've been getting, we're not going to just take our second choice if they're not actually going to work. And so our second choice right now, it's just not really our choice. So it's kind of back to the drawing board. Like almost literally, but it'll happen you know, I'm I'm not stressing about it too much. It would be nice if it was now but it's also nice to in our industry. It's the this is the Blitz. So this is where everybody's super swamped and super busy. So it probably won't happen again. We won't be really looking to move until after September. So you know, it's not the end of the world on our end, but it would have been nice. But yeah, it's all good. All right,

Laura 
well, you heard Dawson's hiring. Let's get to our interview.

[Interview with Mehmet Secilmis Starts]

Unknown Speaker 
Cool. Thank you for inviting me to speak here. I work with as Reese architecture, engineering and construction environmental

____________
Laura 
Come on the show. Matt is global account manager with ESeries architecture engineering construction. Great to have you here and we are just happy to have ESRI supporting sciences the way that they do and especially environmental sciences. So why don't you start off by telling us a little bit about your role with ESRI.

Mehmet Secilmis 
Thank you for inviting me to speak here. I work with ESeries architecture, engineering and construction environmental practice within the business development, and it's been almost six years that as we I work as a global account manager, I work with engineering and environmental firms. As you may know, ESRI is Environmental Systems Research Institute. So it started as a research company in environmental field. So that's why as these products and solutions are helping environmental challenges and providing solutions, they're

Laura 
awesome. And you work in the AEC division which we talked about what kind of work do they do there? So

Mehmet Secilmis  
as we we have business development, and account management, working with the customers, and we have professional services we have product management, product engineering, software development, tech support and training, so multiple divisions. So within the business development division, we have different sectors and federal government, local state, commercial multiple sectors, one of the commercial sectors called ADC architecture, engineering and construction, which includes environmental. So we focus on the companies, organizations within that sector. So our focus is working with engineering, construction and environment companies. They're supporting them with their use of GIS geospatial technology, helping them solve their problems with this technology in efficient and productive companies.

Laura 
Awesome. And then so you got your Master's of Science and Environmental Technology, which I didn't really even know was a thing in the late 90s. How did you get into that so early on, and then what did you hope to do with that degree?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Yeah, good question there. I got my bachelor's degree in chemistry from Turkey. So I was born and raised in Turkey, got a degree in chemistry graduated, moved to us, my father used to live in us in New York. So when I came to us, I wanted to study something for my master's degree, but I did not want to work in the lab, as a chemist, but I said let me do something different, but I didn't want to lose my science background. I wanted to use it. For my degree. I was looking for degrees, which one I should pick and I found environmental fields, very attractive, indeed more people in the field and I was looking for degrees and I found Environmental Engineering, environment, science and medical studies, and I found this degree environmental technology and I liked it I love technology, use of technology. And this degree included some engineering, some science and some technology. So I love this I said this is practical, it will have be get the work and learn the profession. So I applied and accepted and then we do the digging. I love that.

Laura 
Awesome, very cool, what kind of classes were they teaching you back then?

Mehmet Secilmis 
So it was some typical engineering, a water wastewater treatment plant design, to environmental science contamination. remediation, ecology and Natural Resources type. Interestingly, one of the courses I took was introduction to GIS geographic information, where I started my career built on that so it included different types of classes from different areas. So in me abroad, experience and perspective.

Laura 
Cool. And then how did you walk us from how you got from your degree and your entry to GIS to working at ESRI?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Yeah, it's been a long journey, almost 20 years. So when I was doing my master's degree, I was working for an engineering services company, as an engineering inspector doing inspections, soil, concrete, asphalt inspections, three and a half years in the field all day in the field. I was doing my master's in the time I was doing that job. And I graduated with a degree in environmental technology I applied for jobs. I got a job offer from an engineering firm as an environmental engineer. And I started doing environmental engineering work. Typically that new graduates did like phase one, phase two environmental site assessments, report writing, data collection sampling, and I worked on transportation projects, helping with report writing and also field work. Then I worked for that company for 11 years. And what I did is I interesting, one day, within my first two years, I was talking to my boss, I told him to do this technology, called GIS in which we'll be using more and more and I was like, Okay, here you go. You started going nice. I started using it started growing it learning more and more. I went back school to additional courses of GIS, and within my career there, like the first half was more environmental IV the second half was more jazz heavy, so more GIS work projects. And I had started visiting other offices talking about how they can be GIS, environmental and civil projects. So GIS became my expertise. Later I became certified GIS, I got my JSP certification. And then I wanted to study more and I wanted to understand the business side of things. So I went back to school studied management with a concentration of management of technology, with GIS in mind so this has been my second master's 10 years after my first so I liked that program. I learned a lot from there. And then I did other things and I finally got sick in Turkey. I moved there for a couple years. So I worked on research projects, and I was working for distributor of Azeri in Turkey. And then I found out about this being formed at ESRI the AEC sector group. And I applied and they offered me a job and I moved back to us to Texas in San Antonio, Texas. So in six years, working for ESRI happily

Laura 
awesome. Sounds like you were just made for that career. Tell us a little bit more about the GISP. What did that involve out of someone get that doing a lot of experience first or is there a in training version at the time?

Mehmet Secilmis 
There was no exam requirements. They would review your experience education, the background condition based on your profile, they would approve you. So I saw that and I applied they qualified me with my background and I got certified and since then I've been renewing it. So I think it's becoming more popular last maybe five years, 10 years, because more people are looking for a certification and I think it's been a good certification to have.

[Ecotourism]

Laura 
Great and then I appreciate you summarizing almost 20 years of experience in just a few seconds. But you also spent some time doing ecotourism. That's Yes. What did you do?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Yeah, interesting career right. So switching from chemistry, materials inspection to environmental engineering, GIS ecotourism. So when I completed my degree in Management, so I said I should use this degree to do it the business so real business, and at the time, I had a friend in Turkey from a tour company traveled to a company and and we started the business tour. Business. And since I do come from environmental background, I wanted to start in Eco tourism, nature tourism, not just typical historical or, or beach tourism. So I started that and I loved that I was visiting places in the US presenting attending travel fairs, travel shows and and visiting different places in Turkey and taking groups with me sometimes and organizing tours and even mapping where they should be going. So it's been a journey for me. Then, things started getting bad in the Middle East with the uprising with the Arab Spring and it started impacting turkeys tourism. So things started going bad and I and my father got sick running to Turkey, and I stopped the Eco tourism business and I went back to environmental and GIS work.

Laura 
Awesome. Do you still go on like, eco vacations?

Mehmet Secilmis 
I do actually. So after doing that work, ecotourism work for two years, so I gotta have enough visiting actual places, taking lots of photos. Videos and hiking, biking and sharing with my my friends and connections.

[Tech Careers]

Laura  
Nice. All of those years of going back and forth and you didn't realize that it's not like you went back and forth necessarily, but just exploring different opportunities. What kind of advice do you have for young professionals who are looking to get into technical environmental positions, whether they're GIS or other technical fields?

Mehmet Secilmis  
Good question, so I've changed careers, jobs and multiple times. I think there are a few things I would recommend. So one is be open to change. So things are changing. Fast, technology's changing requirements and policies are changing. The open to change will help in the career and learning is important aspect. Always be learning because you need to show that you are learning and implying in your job, and then be successful. In your career. And taking the initiatives like I did at the time and using GIS in projects and using it more, more more. So taking initiatives out. It could be technical perspective, taking initiatives on a technical subject or software or technology or new initiative. And seeing opportunities in difficulties is important because you know, the pessimists see, the difficulty in opportunity and optimist see the opportunity in difficulty. So there's always opportunities in difficulties challenging positions and projects. So I think we should see the opportunity there. Yep. So one other thing is like volunteering and getting involved in professional organizations. You learn a lot from others in from volunteering, like any up National Association of environmental professionals and GIS organizations. You research used to have detailed G ITA and others and local organizations. I was a member of city environmental commission in my city environment Commission member so learning there using your experience helps a lot and using social media actually helps a lot you learn from others you share your experiences. And that's been very helpful for me and me. Lastly, focusing on transferable skills instead of only technical skills. Transferable skills will help you become more successful and also switch from one career to the other. So including communications, teamwork, project management, report writing, and things like that will help you leverage your experience and use it in a different career in a different position.

Laura 
Awesome that is all really good advice and thinking about transferable skills. I find that young people have a hard time identifying what their transferable skills skills are even though you just listed listed them. They still have a hard time like saying I have because they don't necessarily have project management skills, but maybe they have actually been doing that they just don't know that that's what project management technically. Is it looking back at your career. And I know I'm putting you on the spot here. Are there some activities or experiences you were having that you would have learned after the fact that those were transferable skills?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Yes, actually, no, I look back and think about it. So in environmental engineering and size data is important to have data analysis, understanding data is important. I think data analysis can be even called like, that's variable scope. You need to analyze data in an engineering science and other professions. And also presenting your ideas like I don't want to call a selling but selling your ideas, presenting it convincing. I think those are important skills to have, even if you're a technical person. So you should always be talking about your project, what you did and selling what you've done, and maybe promoting what you've done. I think those skills are important. And I think there are some articles about it like seven transferable skills 10 transferable skills, I think they list them I think we can maybe even discuss that like which ones are transferrable skills, which ones aren't.

Laura 
Right. Excellent. That's all really good advice. And so I'm glad to hear that you are also a mentor and you're part of the uresa Vanguard Cabnet young professionals mentoring program, what is their mission and why do you work with them?

Mehmet Secilmis 
So I've seen others in my network, the mentors, I noticed them they're helping young professionals especially in GIS profession. In my early career, I had mentors helped me in my career. So from a company I worked for, to outside of that company in other places. So I've seen the impact in my career. So I decided to give back. So giving back to me includes volunteering, getting involved in professional organizations, and also mentoring others. So I see young professionals, especially on social media, on LinkedIn, they're reaching out to me to others to get advice, what should I do, how do I move? Where do I go for my master's or my certification? So I've been helping, but not formally. So I saw this new research program, which is organized and effective. So I said, Okay, let me join and they accepted me and I started being a mentor there. So and I think this program is effective in anybody interested in getting help, they should reach out to this program.

Laura 
Fantastic. Let's switch gears a little bit and talk about your work. I know that even when Nick isn't here, he wants to hear about your work too. So always try to do our best to make him jealous when he can't make it. What is one of the most memorable projects you've ever worked on?

Mehmet Secilmis 
So throughout my career, last 20 years, I worked on multiple projects. The one I did the research work on a research project in Turkey, it's called desertification risk map of Turkey. So when you think about Turkey, not in the desert area, it's not in Sahara or anything, so you wouldn't think that desertification is happening, but it is happening and it was a research project, which professors, environmental engineers, professionals, the team we worked on for two years, almost three years there and came up with a risk map using GIS technology, and mainly ArcGIS technology of ESRI. So it was an interesting project we did modeling with it, work on assessments, analysis and field verification going into the field. It's been very good project for me and I learned a lot about different aspects of climate change and land degradation and desertification. I learned a lot from the professors. I work with any colleagues, other professionals I work with. It was an interesting project in I was also doing some studies, Graduate Studies and one of the courses I was taking was decision support, expert tools, expert tools. And I used as a survey 1234 gas as a tool to come up with desertification survey expert tool. So it was a simple tool using a model so you can go anywhere and start entering data and find the risk of that site from desertification perspective. So I think this project has been the most memorable, I remember, and I had other projects that I worked on, and it was a New Jersey. Maybe I would say the Trebek transportation projects include lots of environmental aspects, lots of alternatives in one project. There were 26 alternatives to an highway interchange. So reducing it to five and really studying it reducing it to one was challenging, and we worked on that project and with the help of GIS technology so it's been almost a 10 years. It took that project but it really it was a big project where so much technology used and there were so many disciplines so I love those complex projects that actually

Laura 
awesome when you're working now in your current division with ESRI and advising companies on implementing their GIS, what do you see is their biggest challenges and obstacles?

Mehmet Secilmis 
When I started when I started learning was map or maps mapping. Yeah, so simple. It was desktop mapping. So we were map guys, map people. It was okay, we're on when they need a map. Beautiful map, they would come to us, Hey, can you make this map? He showed us on the map, like similar to like CAD people, they would draw either we're like GIS people, but then it evolved a lot changed a lot. So from desktop mapping to online mapping, server and enterprise mapping, organization wide. And so many extensions came on board and also so many solutions apps. So they're now solutions apps for field data collection. So field map surveillance, quick capture and others. There are maps for desktop analysis, every maps, but there are apps for other things. So for many professionals, there are solutions so it evolved. So it has become like a big technology and very important for engineering and environmental firms. But some engineering and environmental firms they still see GIS as Oh maps map make mapping software, simple mapping software, which is used like tiny in every project report, use couple figures, couple maps. So it went beyond it's used everywhere now integrated with so many things, including CAD BIM, including project scheduling, project management software, so integration has been critical. So it's everywhere. Sometimes you don't even see that as GIS it's their solution. Right?

Laura 
So I guess you're saying one of the biggest challenges is really just even seeing how this software can come in and solve your problems in different

Mehmet Secilmis 
definitely how it can help you how it will show the value. So that's why as a team what we do is like we have solution engineer solution. Architects, let's come and help you. Let's talk about it. Not selling it's talking about your challenges your new needs. Let's talk about how GIS geospatial technology can help you.

Laura  
Right so you've become not a mapping company but a solutions company right

Mehmet Secilmis 
correct. So now more using geospatial, like bigger umbrella geospatial location intelligence, location analytics. Yeah, solution company. definitely

[Turkish Culture]

Laura 
exciting. And you've talked about living in a bunch of different places. And so Nick and I love to travel and are always interested in to know what are your favorite places you've lived or traveled to?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Question. So I lived until I graduated college in Turkey, two different cities, and then moved to New York there for five years in New Jersey for 12 years. And then, Texas Antonio, Texas for almost six years. Turkeys, climate and weather. In New York, New Jersey is a little bit similar even though humidity is high in New Jersey area because of the ocean, but it's almost over you see four seasons. So fall, winter, fall summer, but in Texas, you don't see the winter you skip the winter almost. And like it's mostly like summer, spring and fall. So I you still miss wintertime snow, but not three, four months I would say so that's the part I love about Texas is good weather throughout the year. Sometimes it's too hot in the summer, but you don't worry about the bad weather the snow shoveling over your driveway and in getting stuck on the road and things like that but still miss playing with the snow and snowman.

Laura  
You're welcome to come visit me in Syracuse for six months of the year to get your fix on that personal question visiting Turkey and uh my uncle actually lived there for a little while. But say I was going to visit for my first time where would I go?

Mehmet Secilmis 
All right now you are taking me back to my two years of tourism. So depending on how much time you have, how much time will you have?

Laura 
I usually have two to three weeks. Okay, so

Mehmet Secilmis 
three weeks is a good time. Long time to visit places. So depending on what you like, you like historical places, like cities or natural areas or if you want a combination,

Laura 
like go for three weeks. So three weeks you

Mehmet Secilmis 
can include a lot so if I would provide you a travel plan for three weeks, so I would start with a stumble like about four days. So these are in historical sites, both tour visiting Bosphorus visiting the Anatolian and European side, Asian and European side, spend at least four, maybe five days there a minimum. Then you start traveling if you if you remember the map of Turkey traveling south and visiting the cities along the way, like the city of Warsaw in the middle and visiting the historical sites there and then going to each summer and visiting historical city called FSS engineering city there and there's some natural lens there. And if you've heard the name FSS

Laura 
I haven't before

Mehmet Secilmis  
actually before they're actually there's another place called Troy. Did you watched the movie down?

Laura 
Yeah. Okay, so

Mehmet Secilmis 
you go there first. And you see that horse the wooden horse

Laura 
Yep. Okay.

Mehmet Secilmis 
Then you go go go south Izmir, Ephesus area and along the Aegean Sea, you see so many ancient sites, ancient cities, you visit them and you visit a natural place called Pamuk colic coffin castle. So you visit that that's a natural wonder Turkey and Antalya in the south, and then I recommend going to the central Turkey, where the region called cap had okiya. So the fairy chimneys underground cities natural formation rock formations. So at one point 1000s of people lived underground. So six levels of underground cities Yeah, you don't have fear going down. So you should visit those underground cities in natural rock formations. Then, if you were into some spiritual you would visit the city of Konya where Sufism that there were missionaries and Rumi were started and you can go to the capital city Ankara. And then I would suggest for natural areas, I would suggest going to the Black Sea region. So beautiful green in high plateaus, nice natural areas. actually have a video we took a group for four days. They love that they like hiking in the woods and those natural areas. I think if you have more time left, you can someplace in the East.

Laura 
I love it. That sounds like a wonderful trip.

Mehmet Secilmis 
I don't know I can I can put together a map for you. All right,

[Field Notes]

Laura 
I we have this on record. We're going to make this happen. Sounds great. Now it's time for field notes where we ask our guests for memorable moments in the field and used to be an asbestosis inspector. So tell us a little bit about that and any special experiences you had doing that?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Yes. So when I said be open to change, so I meant it like so. Even though I started working as an environmental engineer during phase one, phase two, assessments, field work report writing. So we have projects that required certified asbestos inspectors and lead paint inspectors. So mold inspector sometimes so I didn't get into mold yet at the time, but those are the areas like project requires that you have somebody certified so I got training, I got certified inspect. asbestos containing materials in sampling. So I was doing it for projects. And then what we did is we sample it. We collected we inspected sample that Senator lab and put together and write a report. And we had one project in New York City. It was a subway renovation project, where they were renovating some buildings above subway on the ground level. And we're inspecting buildings below floor low grade, and like three four floors down, and with a team of asbestos inspectors were visiting everywhere and you know, those buildings had restaurants in the past. So you would see so some small animals there. It's interesting he was like, even though we had masks like strong for asbestos and purify air purifying masks, we would see a lot of animals like creatures and rats. Remember at one point, so we had a team of inspectors and we heard a screaming about hey, healthy rats. That was an interesting moment of my field experience.

Laura 
How did you get him on quartered or her on cornered from rats?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Well, we just helped them went there and move this move the rats. That's due to him actually.

Laura 
That sounds like the stuff of nightmares. We also like to ask our guests what they do for fun and we just talked about Turkey for so long. You also play the stringed instrument called us SAS. Is that right?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Yes. So it's a SAS as easy but SAS is a name for many instruments, stringed instruments, and in Turkey. It's also called balama balama is a specific size that we play. In Central turkey. A lot of people play this. I used to hear it My father used to play my uncle plays many of my relatives play this instrument. And I always wanted to play but I didn't have time. So when I moved to Texas, I had some time to practice it. And I ordered one from Turkey and I got it and I started learning. I took some online courses but not a lot and it was mostly self learning. And when you said recommend what is your recommendations? Actually, I also recommend playing an instrument being involved in music. Environmental Engineers, professionals because it helps a lot spiritually and getting away from your stress and refreshing yourself. It helps a lot so I've been playing this I'm not professional, but I like playing as long as I like. So it's been helpful. I've been I've been meeting a few friends with friends who play other instruments, like UHD and canon and others. So I sometimes join groups to play together. Cool, and actually I encourage my son who's 15 to learn, and he's been taking sans classes in now. He's doing better than I do. So learning of young age, you learn faster and you do better. So we love it.

Laura 
That's awesome. Do you play well enough to let us hear what sounds like?

Mehmet Secilmis 
I can try. Let me get out of here.
_____________
Mehmet Secilmis 
I can try to hear so if you hear the sound on here, yes love

it. Alright, so I'll play a short version of song called Leyland lay. So it's famous, interrogates I'll just play a part of that.

Laura 
That was awesome. I love the sound of that. Thank you Oh, it's so awesome though. I love that sound.

Mehmet Secilmis 
And you'll hear this a lot when you visit.

Laura 
But I listened to a I don't know if they're a punk band. They're called Golub Gogol bordello, bordello. They play instruments kind of like that. There's sometimes Okay, so second hobby and important follow up. Do you have names for your chickens?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Yes. Interestingly, I. I love chickens, because they're environmental animals. So the reason that I say is you know, there's a lot of waste food waste, and a typical home and chickens love food, any food, vegetables, meat, anything they eat. So, I would say I started with six chickens and my food waste went down quite a bit and barbital animals and in return, they provide eggs, and also our fertilizer manure. So they provide things in return valuable to so we had six chickens and two of them died and we have three now. We named them all. I have three kids, me and my wife and my mother lives with me. And one for each family member. We had chickens and we gave them names and on two of them made it after the first year. But yeah, we do. have names for chickens. What are they interesting names? No one we've searched names or we call it like an English soil. One also. What is it named star because the color of the feather is like like the shiny like light yellow. So we call that you can start another one my daughter named it my love. Very nice checking like playing nice and he called it my love

Laura 
awesome. I love that. It has been great chatting with you and getting to know you a little better. But we are getting towards the end of our time. Is there anything else you want us to chat about before we let you go?

Mehmet Secilmis 
Yes. So for young professionals, environmental or technical professionals I emphasize the importance of learning. So have you heard about 720 10 rule like or model for learning and development? It is like individuals people learn of their knowledge 70% from their job related experience when you present interactions, learning from others, and 10% from formal education. So I emphasize that 20% learning from others because you are doing your job you should be learning. You're not doing your job. You shouldn't be there right. So 10% is formal your formal education and training. He can do those but 20% learning from others important. So platforms like any PII organization and other organizations provide that platform. Conferences provide that platform webinars, different events, and also social media networking with people and learning from their experiences even just asking a simple question How which way should I go in this situation? So learning from others important within your organization or an outside? I think we should focus on that to learn more from others. So that's why mentoring helps their mentors out there. So I think learning from others is important. And I would say like that using social media has been very helpful in we should be connected. So not just the professionals, the professionals within your focus in your environment. Scientists don't just meet in network with environmental scientists, meet with others connect with other professionals. Policymakers, maybe planners, technology, gurus, and others. So make yourself open to change to learn different things from others.

Laura 
Awesome. That is great. final advice. And tell us where can people find you?

Mehmet Secilmis 
I'm a heavy LinkedIn user. So I have over 4000 followers than me you can request to connect with me on LinkedIn. Then I'm using Twitter. You can find me at my met my name, underscore GIS there at Twitter, and LinkedIn. Just Google I mean LinkedIn search, my name and NASA summers. It's there. You'll find me there.

Laura 
Awesome. Thank you so much. This has been great. And we'll see you soon.

Unknown Speaker 
Thank you. And that's our show.

[Outro]

Nic 
Thank you for joining us today. Please be sure to check us out each and every Friday. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. See you everybody.

Laura
Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai