Space, the Arctic and expeditions: Geography Teachers Forum explores how a school subject can help people find their vocation

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The "Compass of Vocation: Motivational Routes" session was held at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the Forum of Geography Teachers and Students of Specialised Universities. The discussion with schoolchildren, students and teachers featured cosmonaut, Hero of Russia and participant in the Arctic stage of the "Path of the Ancestors" expedition Ivan Vagner; civil aviation pilot and aircraft commander in the Arctic Valeria Minina; and extreme traveller and expedition tourism expert Dmitry Barabanov.

The participants explained how school geography had helped them find their professions, taught them to make decisions in challenging conditions and transformed childhood interests into lifelong pursuits. They also shared their success stories, inspiring guests to follow their dreams with confidence.

"At that time, almost no one dreamt of becoming a cosmonaut. Everyone wanted to be a lawyer or an economist. People laughed at me, to put it mildly. But the most important thing on the path towards your dream is to be genuinely passionate about it. When you care about what you do with all your heart, things begin to work out," Ivan Vagner said.

The cosmonaut noted the role of his school geography teacher. According to him, in a small rural class, it was the teacher who managed to spark an interest in the subject by combining strictness with genuine enthusiasm. Those who wanted to learn really did know geography well, even though they attended an ordinary school.

His practical interest in geography grew when he began applying his knowledge in real life: "My father was a long-distance lorry driver and took me with him on work trips. There were no gadgets or navigation systems, so you began finding your bearings with an atlas and following your route on a map. Then came hiking and water tourism. When you begin applying theoretical knowledge of geography in practice, it becomes more interesting and gradually draws you in."

Ivan Vagner admitted that the path to spaceflight was long and required him to give up some of the risks he had been accustomed to taking, but not the dream itself. He described taking small daily steps towards a goal and being able to stay the course over the long term as essential conditions.

Valeria Minina said that her father was the first person to tell her that women could fly and that there were female pilots in aviation. The subject immediately sparked a strong interest and became the starting point in choosing her future profession. Her parents noticed her enthusiasm and supported it, but decided not to rush to conclusions, giving her time to make sure that the decision was a conscious one. Several years later, when she was choosing the examinations required for admission, they asked her once again about her intentions and, after receiving a firm answer, fully supported their daughter’s choice.

"The path was not easy, but seeing geography lecturers and teachers here, I want to say that this science is extremely important. At school, I did not fully understand or realise how broad and fascinating it was. I have now worked as a pilot for nine years and as an aircraft commander in the North and the Arctic for five years, and every day I am reminded that geography is indispensable in our profession," Valeria Minina shared.

She emphasised that the ability to work with maps and coordinates is not an abstract skill for a pilot but part of everyday practice: "I can still use longitude and latitude to find the necessary point along a flight route. We calculate everything, and we need all of it in our actual work." 

Explaining how she progressed from an applicant to an aircraft commander, Valeria Minina quoted her favourite words by aviator Amelia Earhart: "If you are going into this profession, take an axe with you, because you will have to cut your way through."

"I think this phrase can be applied to any profession. Everyone has their own path and their own difficulties. You should not see them as a dead end: any difficult experience, when approached correctly, turns into three or four steps forward," Valeria Minina noted.

The pilot also addressed the teachers directly: she still keeps in touch with her school geography teacher and emphasised that it is schoolteachers who establish the very "beginning of the trajectory" without which no professional journey can succeed.

Extreme traveller and expedition organiser Dmitry Barabanov described his approach to geography as "practical": "I did not study it only from books. It all began for me in the fourth year of school, when we went on a school hike, I was put into a small kayak, and unexpectedly, I was good at it. That was the beginning of rafting trips, contests and hikes."

He recalled the school "round-the-world journeys" along northern rivers and lakes, during which the class covered hundreds of kilometres by water: "Every time we went somewhere, we had to find out which region we were travelling to, which river we would follow and what we would see along the way. We studied the routes on maps, and geography stopped being an abstract subject and became part of preparing for a real journey."

Speaking about extreme sports, Dmitry Barabanov emphasised that behind the apparent excitement lie considerable responsibility and serious geographical preparation: studying the terrain, water, weather, logistics and evacuation options. According to him, this knowledge makes it possible to approach nature consciously and make considered decisions in difficult situations rather than "playing with risk at random".

He also noted that Russia offers unique opportunities for active recreation and travel, from the northern seas to the mountains and lakes of the central part of the country. The important thing is to recognise how many fascinating places are located "close to home" and not to be afraid of moving beyond familiar routes.

Answering questions from the audience, the speakers advised schoolchildren and students not to be afraid of dreaming, to take small steps towards their goals, to seek practical applications for any theoretical knowledge and to "test geography with their own feet" through hiking, travel and expeditions. They encouraged teachers not to lose faith in their work and to remember that, for many children, the path to space, aviation, polar stations or expeditions to remote parts of the country begins in their lessons.

The Forum of Geography Teachers and Students of Specialised Universities was held at the National Centre RUSSIA on 25 June as one of the key events of the "Geography Lessons" exposition. The forum brought together more than 800 participants from all federal districts of Russia: schoolteachers, university lecturers, students, teaching methodology specialists, school heads and representatives of education authorities.