Interview with SAS Graduate | Arseniy Osokin

Why did you apply to SAS?

I wanted to choose a direction related to computer science. And I considered all the universities that come to mind when you hear “computer science.” But I entered SAS because it positioned itself as a platform to try myself in different fields and, if I like something more than computer science, to change direction.

After two years of study, I still chose to major in IT. I realized that fr om a professional point of view, I would be able to realize myself in this direction. Besides, technology development is a very promising field, and I thought that getting into this stream would be the most profitable and interesting.

What is the IT direction in SAS?

For me, SAS is primarily about multidisciplinary and analytical thinking. The name of our major is “Information Technology and Systems Analysis.” Accordingly, two years into the major, we have a very strong emphasis on system's analysis. Exactly what is most important to me in my professional life and what I am doing right now. I can say that “I work in the major” that I got at SAS specifically in the context of the major.

IT is a more applied major relative to other majors at SAS. But not relative to other universities, for obvious reasons. Other universities provide four years of study in the specialization, here — two. But it is quite enough to start a career — I and my classmates proved it.

Is it important now to get a wide range of knowledge rather than a narrow specialization?

For me, the first two years of the nuclear program were very important because they shaped the qualities that will help me succeed in any professional field.

First, studying at SAS develops discipline. To study well here, you need to develop self-discipline and a certain psychological stability, because you have to do a lot of work with little rest. This is very useful if you want to succeed in the future. Secondly, the first two years allow you to broaden your horizons considerably and increase flexibility of thinking.

I think this all influenced my successful employment, so I can't call the first two years a waste of time in any way. Now, having multidisciplinary skills is a very big bonus. Things are changing so quickly that you need to be flexible. However, I believe that narrowly focused specialists will always be needed wh ere they cannot be replaced by new technologies. If a person studies a narrow speciality and becomes a professional in it, that is also good. But there will be fewer and fewer such areas.

You were in School X of DSTU, with whom the IT network program is now implemented?

Yes, we were pioneers who studied one module at School X. I really enjoyed it. It's a really applied study of computer science in cooperation with local industry. That is, specialists from the IT sphere give some knowledge and through practical tasks realize real projects with students. In a way, I envy those who got into this program. But we also managed to get a lot of useful things.

How did your parents feel about joining SAS?

They were in favor of me going to SAS because of the English language instruction, the foreign professors, and the very nice dorms. I really think we have one of the best dorms in Russia. It's cheap housing with fresh renovations, and even with cleaning. Besides, Tyumen is constantly on lists of the best cities to live in. All these factors contributed to my coming here. And my parents supported my decision, especially since I entered on a budget.

I like Tyumen very much in terms of infrastructure, but after finishing my studies here, I plan to move to a bigger city. Many of my classmates after school went to Moscow and St. Petersburg, and some SAS graduates also choose these cities to continue their studies, so I can be closer to my friends there.

Which professors and courses did you like the most?

It is difficult to single out one thing, because there were so many of them, and each was interesting and informative in its own way. I liked the course “Great Books: Literature” by Andrei Scherbenok. Probably because the books were really interesting, and we had matured by then and could perceive them more consciously.

I can name a few professors who impressed me very much. This is Professor Peter Jones. He is very pleasant in communication, teaches in a very informal, open and yet professional way. Another extraordinary professor with conservative views on life and on society is neurobiologist Ayla Arslan. I am interested in biology as a science, and if it were not for IT, I think I would like to connect my education and career with this area. Ayla taught subjects related to biopsychology and neurobiology.

What interesting projects did you do during your studies?

In the third year, we had projects related to the creation of web applications, and in the fourth year, we had a course that included the entire process of project development from communication with the customer to the presentation of the final product. Our team developed a demo of a program for generating and reading QR codes to register participants for events. The goal was to automate the process. So that registered participants would receive a QR code and could show it to the camera at the entrance to the event, and the lists of participants would be automatically updated in the system.

This is a demo of the program now running, and potentially can be implemented both in SAS and in any building of the university. Such a system always has nuances with security issues. But we took into account during development that no outside sources can get data from the university.

Where did you do your internship?

As of April 2022, I was already officially working as an intern at Schlumberger, so I did my internship at the same company. Interns essentially perform the same functions as employees. The division I worked in develops applications to automate the company's internal business processes. The company has many structural subdivisions, so we received a lot of “orders” from them.

Was the diploma project workplace-related, too?

Yes. And that's a plus. Our major leader is committed to the idea that a diploma should be like a real project or a startup. That's why most of the theses in our major are either finished projects or blanks for projects, but in any case, it's something practice-oriented.

For eight months, I worked alone on a major project, developing an application on housing management for the company's staff. The company rents housing all over Russia, which is used by employees as part of their business trips or transfers. But until now, there was no centralized approach to managing this housing. I was asked to develop an application so that it would be possible to see the utilization of all accommodation across the country.

I have such a website with houses. On which you can additionally generate reports for analysis in the form of tables with financial and statistical data, as well as graphs to demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of houses. For example, to see the ratio of the number of days the home was utilized to the maximum rate. Previously, it was very difficult to collect statistics on all such houses, because the company has many segments and such houses within the country. It took a lot of time for a Russian general manager to look at the overall statistics, and the data was no longer relevant by the time it was put together. With the new site, you can get a report with up-to-date information in a couple of minutes and decide, for example, which houses to abandon and which ones are worth offering to employees.

Do you plan to continue working in this field?

Yes, but in another company. I wasn't looking for vacancies on purpose. It was just that my classmate and I decided to assess our chances of further career development. I came across an offer for a remote job in Russia and decided that it wouldn't hurt anyone to send a response. I specialize in low-code development, and there are few vacancies in this area in Russia, as well as few specialists who do it. Such an opportunity could not be missed. Thanks to this response, I received an offer and changed my jobs.

Now I am engaged in business analysis. That is, I analyze what business processes there are and how they can be automated. Thanks to the skills of system analysis and business analytics that I acquired in SAS and the development skills that I got at my previous job, I can act as a multidisciplinary specialist. Our market is Eastern Europe. The company is not very small yet, but we are growing.

What is SAS to you?

I associate SAS with overcoming difficulties and fears. I used to be a very closed person, I found public events and speeches very difficult. But I consciously took this risk and overcame my fear, which I am very happy about now. I wouldn't be doing this interview or giving this speech at our graduation if I hadn't gone all the way. I've really evolved.

And that's a leitmotif that runs through the whole education. You do a lot of assignments, sometimes you sleep very little, especially if you have poor time management, you really get tired. But after passing all the tests and achieving success, you get a very big boost of energy and a feeling of euphoria. It builds your character. So the main thing that SAS training has taught me is to be ready to overcome your fears and any difficulties.

For me now, personal development, building myself and my skills is much more important than anything else. At the same time, I am not studying, and I work twenty-four hours, seven days a week. I go out with friends and we have a good time. Yes, maybe less often than others. But as long as you have the strength and opportunity to build yourself into a person who is comfortable in society, you should use it.

I'm convinced that youth is when you need to find people with the same values as you. If you care about partying, you look for people like you, if your goals are to work and develop, you meet like-minded people who are really the friends you made when you were a student, and you follow a common path, develop together and support each other.

Can you give any advice to other SAS students and applicants?

I have felt from personal experience that the most important thing is your environment. If you don't have people with whom you can share your joy, doubts and worries, it will be very difficult to keep yourself productive. I have been fortunate to find such people with whom I have developed a very good relationship. We have travelled the road for four years, and I am sure we will be friends after graduation. Without them, it would have been hard for me to go through this journey and become the person I ended up being. So even if you are a uptight person like I was, still try to find people who are willing to support you and who will be supported by you. This is one of the most important contributions you can make to your life - to find people who are close in views and interests, who will be a support and encouragement.