Alumni Talk – “You can only plan your career path so much.”

Federico Puscar

Degree: Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering

Grad year: 2017

Program: Transportation Engineering

Campus: Vancouver

Current Company: WSP Canada

Current Area of Work: Federico is licensed as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) by Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia and certified as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE) by the Transportation Professional Certification Board. At WSP, he works as a Senior Transportation Planning Engineer on traffic modelling and analysis, conceptual road design, transportation planning, road safety assessments, and project management.

What has been your favourite project you’ve worked on so far, and why?

I have done many transportation studies in my career, but my most rewarding project was the Lansdowne Downtown District Transportation Master Plan, from my time at Bunt & Associates. When built, this new development will help redefine transportation in Richmond City Centre and bring new housing and commercial opportunities within a transit-oriented community. I started working on this project right after graduation, and it took five years to complete. I can look back at the many deliverables throughout the project and see how my role has evolved. From being on technical support to project manager, and being able to sign and seal the final documents upon getting my certification as a Professional Engineer, this project represents career progression during my first years in Vancouver through commitment and hard work.

Are there specific skills or knowledge from your education/work experience that have been particularly valuable in this project? 

During my time at UBC, I worked as a researcher on topics such as road safety and active transportation. This experience has enhanced my critical thinking skills, encouraged me to become more open minded, and instilled confidence in my ability to tackle challenges, all of which have greatly contributed to my professional growth. When analyzing traffic and developing solutions for this Transportation Master Plan, I made sure to use the skills and knowledge developed throughout my education. I believe my time at UBC played a key role in helping me become the professional I am today.

What was the biggest challenge you faced during this project and what did you learn from it?

The biggest challenge was putting all the pieces together. I see engineering projects like a puzzle that needs to be put together piece by piece. Seeing how every engineering discipline interacts with one another and slowly converges into a cohesive product is a fascinating process to be a part of. The project required to accurately estimate how thousands of site residents, employees, and visitors would travel to and from the proposed development, and how travel patterns in Richmond City Centre would change once the proposed upgrades to the road network are implemented. When working with long-term traffic forecasts, even the tiniest of assumptions can have material impacts on our calculations. Thus, making sure my assumptions and methodology were solid was one of the biggest challenges with this project.

What motivated you to pursue a Master’s Degree in Transportation Engineering?

I started getting interested in road safety during the later years of my undergraduate degree. My professors inspired me to see road safety as more than another statistic or metric. Every road safety casualty is someone’s family or friend that could have been prevented. When designing infrastructure, engineers must keep road safety as the highest of priorities. After graduation, I wanted to keep studying road safety and specialize in it. A friend at the time suggested I apply for graduate programs in Canada, and I was lucky enough to get accepted. I am truly grateful for having had the opportunity to continue my studies at UBC with a renowned road safety research program, faculty staff, and fellow students.

Is your current career path as you originally intended?

Not at all. I got into civil engineering thinking it would be like architecture but with more math. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Life is full of surprises! It took me a few years to discover my passion for transportation engineering and a few years more to realize I wanted to continue my education at a superior institution like UBC. You can only plan your career path so much. Many things can happen along the way, and we need to be flexible and resilient to handle whatever life throws at us, at both personal and professional levels. Even if my career path is not what I envisioned when I was younger, I am very happy with how things turned out. I have had amazing experiences and made a lot of great friends along the way.

In your early years after graduation, what were some of the key steps you took that greatly helped you move your career forward?

1) Push yourself outside of your comfort zone and keep finding ways to be challenged by your work.

2) Get involved with the professional industry. There are many great institutions out there to stay in touch with other professionals and help advance the profession.

3) Networking is everything. In such a small industry like transportation engineering, building relationships with other industry members is fundamental (and fun, too).

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates who are considering pursuing a Master’s in Transportation Engineering or starting a career in the field?

Getting a master’s degree can be very rewarding and a fantastic way to expand your knowledge on something you are truly passionate about. Even if it takes additional time and effort to get it, it can help you get ahead in your career and be another step toward becoming an expert in a specific discipline. Without a doubt, doing my master’s at UBC changed my life, and I think of it as one of the most important times of my professional career. For anyone considering pursuing a Master’s in Transportation Engineering, I strongly recommend you do so. However, keep in mind that degrees and certifications alone do not define us as professionals. Everybody has their path to follow, and what works for some doesn’t have to work for all.