Steven Van Der Walt

Technical Systems Engineer

SAS stood out to me because they improve everyday life by transforming data into intelligence through countless ways, whether it is preventing fraud, improving your shopping experience, or treating diseases.

What is your role, and what does it entail?

I work as a Customer Advisory Technical Systems Engineer Intern at SAS in the Brisbane office. As part of my role at SAS, in the first couple of months of my internship, I was responsible for conducting various training courses which helped developed my knowledge about SAS software, programming, data analytics, and presentations. In addition, I also connect with other interns and SAS experts and learn from their experiences. I utilized the knowledge I gained from my training to work on various projects using SAS software and open-source software where I support my team members on various opportunities. One of the projects I am working on is assisting law enforcement agencies and investigators speed up the investigation process using analytics.

What does a typical day look like for you? Or is every day different?

My days are different depending on the various meetings I have and the projects I am working on. Below I will share what my typical Wednesday looks like, with room for changes based on the projects I am working on.

6.15 AM

I just woke up. Still half-asleep I find my way to the bathroom where a shower quickly wakes me up and gets me ready for the day. As part of my morning routine, I have a coffee before I leave the house and cook myself lunch which usually consists of chicken, rice, and veggies.

7.10 AM

I get in the car with my dad who takes me to the train station. I get to catch up with him on my way there before I head off on the train to Brisbane City.

7.30 AM

The train arrives at my station. My hour-long journey starts with finding a seat. After I found a seat, I immediately put on my headphones, and start playing ambient music while I read an interesting book. I absolutely love reading self-development books. Today I am reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

8.30 AM

I arrive in Brisbane City and walk to the office. I am fascinated by the trees and small parks blending in with the city's concrete jungle.

day in the life Steven Van Der Walt SAS arrive at the Brisbane office

8.45 AM

I arrived at the office and was greeted with a warm welcoming smile from the concierge. I take the lift and set up my workstation. I open my emails and mentally sort through what tasks I need to get done today. I write the most important tasks in my diary and start tackling them first.

9.00 AM

I start working on one of my projects. I am in the process of finishing up a project where I am leading the redesign of assets for the fraud and security intelligence practice and documenting the process. I need to get my code working to ensure the successful automation of the asset redesign.

10.00 AM

I am delighted that my code works successfully. I share the document with my team who will review my work and provide feedback. I look outside the window and appreciate the beautiful view on a gloomy day.

day in the life Steven Van Der Walt SAS review view from the office window

10.30 AM

The Brisbane team have ‘Tea-m meetings’ on Wednesday mornings. Today our team is celebrating my birthday which happened over the weekend with cake. I enjoy the delicious doughnuts and chat with my colleagues.

day in the life Steven Van Der Walt SAS team meeting with foods

11.00 AM

It’s planning time. I am starting my work on analyzing data on a digital program designed to investigate the effects which target adolescent sleep on sleep outcomes and mental health. Before I start the analysis, I would like to have a clear plan in mind of what my objective is in analyzing the data. Time to dive into the planning stage of the analysis.

12.30 PM

Lunchtime. I brought my lunch from home. I head to the kitchen, warm up my lunch and sit in the common lunch area where I check the latest cricket highlights and social media posts.

1.30 PM

I continue my planning for the analysis I am doing on the sleeping app. I start writing codes using SAS software to collect the necessary data. I analyze the data and start planning the techniques I will use to clean and manipulate the data.

3.30 PM

Time for a meeting. I have a meeting with one of the senior system engineers in my team. We discuss a demo that he previously did. I get some ideas from him in presenting and demoing the solution to my team which helps develop my presentation skills.

4.10 PM

Back to work. I made steady progress in planning my analysis of the sleeping app and collecting the necessary data. Now I will continue cleaning the data following my structured plan.

day in the life Steven Van Der Walt SAS at the work station

5.00 PM

Time to head home. I make my way back to the train station. I listen to my favourite music on my commute back home.

6.30 PM

Time to hit the gym. Today I am doing a quick triceps, chest, and shoulder workout. I have dinner, spend quality time with my family and get ready to go to bed.

10.00 PM

Bedtime!

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