Amanda Kinley
Meet Vinod Balasubramanian, Industry Support & Escalation Lead, AutoCAD. Vinod is the latest to be interviewed for our Student Group Hub Careers Month. Visit today to catch up on all of the great interviews and meet some very interesting people!
Vinod Balasubramanian has been with Autodesk for over 14 years in a variety of roles, learning new skills throughout his tenure. You may have seen him starring in Answer Days on the Autodesk Forums, helping out on the AutoCAD + Verticals with over 1,300 posts and 139 solutions. The Community Team isn’t the only team that thinks Vinod is a rockstar—he’s also been the recipient of many awards during his tenure at Autodesk.
Question: What degree did you graduate with, and how has it affected your career? Or, what education / training do you have that has helped with your role?
Vinod: I have a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering in India and a Master’s in Mechatronics in Germany. Schooling and university education were crucial to my success at Autodesk and life in general. I learnt to be self-sufficient and how to engage and work with people in a multicultural environment. Two key elements that I learnt during my university days are discipline and work ethics. These skills have helped shape my career in later stages of my work at Autodesk.
Question: How would you describe your role at Autodesk? What does a typical workday look like? Which skills and qualities are important to be successful in your role?
Vinod: My current role is an exciting one. I am responsible for Voice of the Customer within the company for AutoCAD products. My day to day life starts with answering emails on multiple escalations and enablement requests, preparing for stakeholder calls with enterprise accounts, working through process/policy documentations for cross-organizational collaboration, preparing leadership updates for key initiatives, connecting with stakeholders to address project roadblocks, and meeting with support teams to understand the daily challenges that our customers face in their businesses.
I value three main qualities that are essential to be successful in this role—or any type of job within Autodesk. My saying I bring into every day is: “Try to be inclusive when involving people, always take accountability on what you do, and be humble with everyone you connect with.” I also love the Spiderman quote: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Question: What do you find interesting about your role? What are the challenges? What do you find satisfying about your work?
Vinod: One big satisfaction that I get is when a job gets done and a customer, support engineer, or developer says, “Thank you for all your help”. There is no reward that can replace these words. It fills your adrenaline to do more for people who depend on your work. Every job will have some obstacles to cross and in my role, there are challenges, like identifying which issues get prioritized first and how we can deliver better outcomes to our customers. Another challenge is time. We live in a world that is fast moving and urgent. How fast you can deliver quality work while keeping your work/life balance intact makes you successful in both personal and professional life.
Question: What advice would you give to a student who is interested in pursuing a role like yours?
Vinod: It’s very important to learn your basics well while studying. Identify your strengths and focus on growing them when you are a student, as you may have fewer constraints and plenty of time to learn and achieve the skills you want to possess for future. If your passion is around helping people to be successful, you may one day lead customer success teams at Autodesk or any great company around the world. Whatever you like to learn, don’t forget to have fun along with your passion and interest. Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it”. Hope to see a promising generation that can lead the world to greatness.