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Keeping his eyes on the road

Mr Chiang’s job involves monitoring the country’s road network to identify and resolve traffic problems.
PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

BE PASSIONATE about serving the people and doing something for your country if you would like to join the public sector, says Mr Alvin Chiang, an executive engineer at the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

If you are looking for a highflying job and making lots of money in the process, then the public sector is not for you, he adds.

The 27-year-old says that more than half of his junior college friends opted for the financial sector, as it was glamorous to do so at that time.

He cannot help but wonder how they feel now that the financial industry's image has gone down in the public eye.

Mr Chiang was set on studying engineering even before he finished his A levels at Raffles Junior College in 1999.

"I like engineering because it provides a holistic approach to problem-solving and tackles problems looking at each issue from various different angles," he says.

This approach to problem-solving is something he enjoys in his current job at LTA.

Mr Chiang started planning for his career by scrutinising options available for his university education. He decided on studying in Britain as it offered a degree in three years compared to four years in the United States.

He also found that professional degree courses were more focused in Britain compared to those in the US, which were broad-based.

As he wanted to be financially independent and not burden his parents, he opted for the LTA scholarship to study at Imperial College London.

He says his LTA overseas scholarship bond is five years instead of the usual six years as with other similar scholarships.

In 2005, armed with a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical and electronics, he started working at LTA.

The organisation gave him the opportunity to work in five different areas to give him good exposure to the various facets of its operations.

He says: "Interestingly, after joining LTA, I found that more than 80 per cent of what one studied is not really applied on the job and that a lot of learning actually goes on all the time on the job."

"But the engineering study and its rigour really teach you how to analyse and tackle problems."

The main focus of LTA's work is to improve Singapore's public transport system and make it more efficient so that its usage goes up over time.

While most of the time the approach is towards problem-solving, there are elements of innovation in the work as new technology is tapped, he says.

The Intelligent Transport Systems Centre, where Mr Chiang is currently based, is a 24-hour beehive of activity monitoring the country’s entire road network, identifying bottlenecks and problems, and then resolving them.

In fact, the centre constantly rides on technology to make the transportation system more efficient.

"You have to look into the future, identify the needs and create frameworks for things to happen the way you would like it to be in 20 years."

"We have to lay the seeds now for future transport needs and requirements," he explains.

"Here at LTA, we have a lot of things to balance in our work and approach. We have to consider the needs of the various users; when you do something for one group, you may offend another"

"I take public transport all the time and ask myself, 'Can I help to do something to make it better?'"

"Although I will finish my five-year bond with LTA in July next year, the desire to do public service will keep me rooted in LTA."

"I feel that those who are lucky to get public sector scholarships should serve the bond and give back as much as they can," he says.