Our ‘day in the life’ blog series is all about celebrating the people who make our work possible. This month, we caught up with Blas Zlatar, a Digital Engineer in our BRS Sydney office, to gain a closer look at what his role involves. From career highlights to the rhythm of a typical workday, Blas shares insights into his journey and what continues to inspire his work in the engineering field.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what interested you in Digital/Civil Engineering
I was born and raised in the distant land of Chile, across the Pacific Ocean. Since a young age I have always been curious and liked solving puzzles, so rather than it seeming like a good career, I decided to go into Civil Engineering more with the purpose of answering questions in my head like “How do you make buildings not fall during earthquakes?” or “How do you protect coastal infrastructure from rough tides?”. Yeah, nature in Chile can be a bit rough.
To be honest, I’d never heard of Digital Engineering until I arrived in Australia. I have always been a bit of a nerd about data and programming, and Digital Engineering seemed like a perfect combination of that and my engineering skills. So, when I saw the position, I applied, and the rest is history. I feel pretty lucky to have found something like this.
What does a typical workday look like for you and what brings you the most enjoyment in your role?
I find it a bit hard to define a typical workday, as a Digital Engineer each project seems to be different and requires something different, which in my opinion makes the job more fun at the end of the day.
I think one of the things I enjoy the most is creating a new tool or workflow to solve a problem. Knowing you have A and you need to get to B, sitting down and trying to figure out what the most efficient path is. Those are the days I enjoy work the most, for sure.
What’s it like being part of the BRS/Digitise Digital Engineering team? Are there any standout projects you’re currently working on?
Being part of the team is one of the highlights of the job, professionalism while working, but keeping it light and fun in between.
A standout must be the M12 Motorway. Even though our job is mostly finished, the magnitude and size of the project made it a great challenge.
What’s been the most memorable aspect of working at BRS/Digitise so far?
I do love going around Sydney and finding roads I have worked on. Seeing it go from screen to real life makes the work feel more real in a way.
My partner and friends can testify to the number of times I’ve taken a detour just to go through a particular road because I worked on it.
Looking back at your career, is there anything that has surprised you about working in Digital Engineering?
I think the magnitude of its usage and how much Digital Engineering impacts projects has been surprising.
Finally, what advice do you have for anyone considering a career in Digital Engineering?
Like with every job related to technology, things change fast. So, the most important skill is not necessarily knowing how to do something but knowing how to learn.
