Student Profiles

Andrew Cole

Current Job: Senior Contracts Officer
Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) (Construction Management and Economics)

Why did you choose to come to Curtin?
Primarily the availability of the Construction Management and Economics degree. I was also aware that Curtin is a well-regarded university.

What did you think of your time at Curtin?
It was time well spent. It was enjoyable and memorable. There was excellent rapport within the class, and between the students and faculty.

What was the highlight of your degree? What did you enjoy most?
I enjoyed most things about the CME course but particularly enjoyed some of the presentation sessions we had. There were some good talkers in my class. Graduating was also a highlight. After five years of mostly full-time study, graduating was definitely a highlight. The lecturers� jokes could be categorised as both highlights and lowlights.

Please detail your career path since you graduated...
I continued in construction contracting for a short time after graduating, then accepted a position with a large mining company where I have worked on several projects and contracts for capital works, and now focus on contract management in IT and other technology systems projects.

Do you think your degree helped you in your career path?
Most certainly. CME equipped me with valuable skills and knowledge. I actually recall some of the things I learned and apply them sometimes - Who would have thought? Doing an honours project allowed me to specialise slightly in a field of interest and that has been quite helpful.

My CME degree has apparently been well received in construction and resources sectors, and out of my team of 6, 2 of us are CME graduates.

What did you think of the staff at Curtin?
My impression is that their industry backgrounds and experience were a great benefit to the quality of the teaching. I generally found them to be approachable and helpful.

Would you recommend the degree to others?
Yes I would, especially to someone who is interested in a commercial career in construction or a related industry.