Dhaksayan Shanmuganayagam (@dhaksayan.s) is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Toronto Transit Commission (@takethettc).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss watching "Law & Order" with his family nurtured his love for the legal industry, using the approach of thinking of yourself as a product to progress in his career, teaching himself how to program and code (developing computer games as a hobby and selling it to his friends), the importance of delivering on time and maintaining a good reputation, being raised in a risk-averse family, the power of continually investing in yourself, and so much more.
Follow Dhaksayan:
- Instagram (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhaksayan-shanmuganayagam-415b3a1a/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara mispronounces another name while introducing Dhaksayan Shanmuganayagam
01:04 - Dhaksayan speaks on how his formative years developed his interest in technology
04:49 - Doing three internships with the TTC; why he was drawn to working there
07:56 - Dhaksayan’s advice to excel in your career; thinking of yourself as a product
11:16 - Does he regret anything; sacrificing time
12:22 - His day-to-day responsibilities as a CIO
14:14 - How he developed his people management skills; an eye-opening experience
16:09 - Using TikTok and other mediums as learning resources
17:04 - Driving innovation as a publicly funded organization
18:38 - Dhaksayan’s opinion on the future of education and how it will impact hiring
21:09 - His favourite projects while working at the TTC for the past 15 years
23:03 - Misconceptions his friends/family have about the work he does
23:54 - Where he sees himself in the next three years
25:45 - His thoughts on ChatGPT and AI in general
27:05 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
28:49 - Preparing his son for the future world
29:53 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by his friends/family
31:01 - Does Dhaksayan feel connected to the tamil community?
32:37 - Creator Confessions
35:04 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan