Vitaly Olekhnovich: "SPbGASU is a brand"
Vitaly Olekhnovich
Vitaly P. Olekhnovich is Deputy Director of the St. Petersburg State Government Institution “Center for Integrated Improvement” (SPb SBI CII), a 2004 graduate of SPbGASU. We asked him to tell us about how he entered the university and whether the acquired knowledge helps in his career.
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– In 1999 I took part in the University Olympiad for high school students. I remember, while completing a math task, I asked my teacher if it was possible to solve an equation with a parameter graphically. At school, they always indicated the method to use. Nothing like this was here, but I saw two possible solutions. The graphical was preferable for me – both from the point of view of time costs and the risks of making a mistake. The teacher replied: "In general, we did not set tasks that can be solved graphically, but you can try." I tried it and it worked out great. I was admitted to SPbGASU before I even finished school!
I had only one problem – the choice of the faculty. With my passing score, I could choose any area. At that time, the economy, the organization of transportation, and traffic were most popular, and to enter those faculties the highest passing scores were needed. But I chose the "Roads and Airfields" area. Then I saw it as the most understandable and relevant. The passing score there was lower, and expected that the higher the passing score, the more difficult it would be to study, and vice versa. Only over time, I realized that it was not the score that determines the difficulty of study and the success of a future career.
– What defines a successful career?
– Honesty, industriousness, diligence, respect for others, responsibility, desire to learn and teach. In my opinion, a career should start with a job in the chosen profession. The position at the beginning of professional activity is not principal: on the contrary, it is perfect when in ten-fifteen years you become a big boss and you can say: "I started from the bottom, passed through and understood all levels. So, I know how and what to change for the better, how to build a team, how to achieve results, how to solve complex tasks."
– Please, tell us about your studies at St. Petersburg State University.
– I studied at the Automobile and Road Building Faculty, Department of Roads and Airfields. I graduated from SPbGASU with honors. Almost all exams I passed ahead of schedule. Not because it was easy, but because I liked to get knowledge. I was a group leader and platoon leader at the Military Department.
Military training during training at the military department (V. Olekhnovich – second from left)
My teachers are great people. They were demanding, fair, with a great sense of humor, fond of their subject. Undoubtedly, the main role in my formation both as a specialist and as a person played Boris N. Karpov, at that time the head of the Department of Highways. I still maintain a good relationship with him.
In my graduation year, I created a design project for the construction of a road section. Absolutely all knowledge from all courses proved to be useful to me. Nothing was in vain. I remember that a part of the project was the development of an operational quality control scheme for road works. I still use this scheme in my work!
– What did you do after graduation?
– After graduating from SPbGASU, I had many proposals. But I did full-time postgraduate school and went to work as a part-timer in a road construction laboratory. About six months later, in the same organization, I was offered the position of head of a department with the possibility of taking off for study.
After defending the graduation project at SPbGASU, 2004 (V. Olekhnovich – right)
Currently, I am Deputy Director of the St. Petersburg State Institution "Center for Integrated Improvement" (an institution subordinate to the Committee for the Improvement of St. Petersburg). All my work is related to road activities. Since 2005, I have been holding managerial positions. I worked in many structures and looked at the organization of road activities from different angles; I always managed to build good and constructive relationships with teams that were different both in terms of qualifications and personal characteristics. This allowed me to gain a lot of experience, which still helps to successfully solve problems of any complexity. Therefore, if we talk about whether I am satisfied with my accomplishments, yes, I am.
– What does the Integrated Improvement Center do?
– We carry out work in the field of maintenance of highways in St. Petersburg, maintenance and repair of green spaces, diagnostics of highways, approval of works and design documentation, quality control of works. I am subordinate to the department of green spaces and the department of quality control and innovative technologies, as well as the department of road maintenance. We are looking for new, innovative methods for diagnosing and assessing road conditions; improving digital approaches to road maintenance; we ensure the preservation of green spaces, an increase in the green fund of the city in conditions of high recreational load and a developed underground engineering infrastructure, which imposes certain restrictions on the planting of new green spaces.
✔ We solve all these problems together with the Committee for the Improvement of St. Petersburg, road and gardening enterprises, and leading specialized higher education institutions, including SPbGASU.
In September, our organization continued to participate in the implementation of research work on the "Development of GOST R ‘General use automobile roads. Methodology for assessing the strength of non-rigid road pavements’.” We also invited specialists from SPbGASU to participate in field research.
– Please tell us about your future plans.
– In professional terms, I’m going to continue to work on solving the above mentioned problems, to train young specialists, to continue to form a reliable and professional team capable of solving the most responsible and complex tasks in modern conditions. And personally, I have two beautiful daughters to raise!
– What can you advise applicants and students?
– When choosing a university, you need to listen to your desires, to the advice of loved ones. I listened and did not regret it. And while studying, you need to get a maximum of knowledge, professional competencies.
Study with full dedication: not for a degree, but for your successful future.
– If you could return to the past, would you go to SPbGASU again?
– I can answer right away – yes! SPbGASU is a brand, a big friendly family. Our stream from the graduating department is still meeting and maintains good relations. I have chosen a university and a specialty just well. Even years after admission, I am ready, without hesitation, to answer "yes" to this question.
Text: Tatyana Petrova
Photos provided by V. P. Olekhnovich
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