From Geology Research to Cybersecurity Leadership: Aakin Patel | Ep052

Episode Information Show NotesSometimes the best careers are the ones you never planned. Aakin Patel went to school for geology. He spent years studying plate tectonics and doing computational modeling. The plan was academia. But grad school revealed something important. The academic life he imagined wasn’t the reality he wanted. So he pivoted. He took his Unix skills from graduate research and landed a job as a system administrator. Just temporary. Just while he figured out his next move. That temporary job turned into a 20+ year career in technology and cybersecurity. In This Episode: Aakin shares his journey from geology to becoming a cybersecurity consultant who advises governments and organizations on strategic implementation. He talks about working at Brookhaven National Labs, dealing with the unique security challenges of international scientific research, and building cybersecurity programs before the field had its current name. The conversation digs into the skills that matter most: problem-solving, communication, and the ability to bridge technical and business worlds. Aakin explains why being able to “dumb things down” is actually proof you understand something deeply, and why teaching others became crucial to his leadership success. You’ll also hear about the day his boss literally put him on a plane to management training, why he initially hated it, and how that moment changed his career trajectory. Key Takeaways: – Career pivots don’t have to be permanent disasters—they can become opportunities – Problem-solving skills transfer across completely different fields – Being the bridge between technical and business teams is a superpower – Learning to communicate complex ideas simply is a leadership essential – Technical burnout is real, and strategic roles can be the answer – Teaching others tests whether you truly understand something – Your ability to build and lead teams matters more than any single technical skill – Reputation and relationships open more doors than resumes About Aakin Patel: Aakin Patel is a cybersecurity consultant specializing in strategic implementation for governments and organizations. His background includes geology and geophysics research, Unix system administration, and cybersecurity leadership at national laboratories. He’s built security teams from scratch and helped organizations implement security programs at strategic levels. His mixed background gives him a unique ability to translate between technical complexity and business needs. TranscriptionManuel Martinez: Welcome everyone, my name is Manuel Martinez, and this is another episode of Career Downloads, where each episode I basically hit the refresh button and bring on a different guest to learn more about their background and their experiences, to help uncover any actionable advice that you can use as you’re managing your own career. So for today’s episode, I’m very excited. I have with me Aakin Patel, and he is a consultant in the cybersecurity space. We’ve had some conversations about, you know, some of the things he’s done earlier on, how he kind of got into, you know, this field, and just the things that he’s done along the way. So I’m interested to kind of get to know him and how he managed his career a little bit more. And with that, I’ll go ahead and introduce Aakin. I appreciate you coming on, Aakin. Aakin Patel: Thank you, it’s good to be here. Manuel Martinez: So one of the things that I kind of start with all the guests is if you don’t mind telling me just a little bit about where you grew up, and then eventually kind of what led you either into the technology field, some people, you know, they fall into it later on. So maybe you started in a different career field. So again, just kind of a little bit of that background about yourself. Aakin Patel: Oh, yeah, so I grew up in the Northeast US in the New York, New Jersey area.