Student Profiles
Chris O’Connor
Senior Planning Officer (City of Belmont)
Bachelor of Arts (Urban & Regional Planning) (Hons.)
I chose to study at Curtin because it offered the only accredited Urban and Regional Planning (URP) course at that point in time, and it was closer to where I lived than other unis.
I really enjoyed my time at uni. Being a degree with a smaller number of students, the majority of units were with the same people, which meant you had the opportunity to get to know each other really well. The social aspects were the primary highlights – hanging at the Tav in between classes with classmates and other friends, end of semester bashes were always great times.
The staff in the URP Department were great. The URP course was fairly small compared to others, so you got the chance to work very closely with and get to know your lecturers and tutors. This added to the experience.
I commenced working in my profession during my studies, and my career path can be outlined as follows:
- Part time in 3rd Year (2005) with Whelans (consultancy)
- Full time in 4th year (2006) with City of Melville.
- Worked at City of Melville until early March 2008.
- Worked at Roberts Day (consultancy) until June 2009.
- Currently working at the City of Belmont as Senior Planning Officer since June 2009.
- Currently involved with the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) as the WA Representative on the National Young Planners special interest group.
- Have been appointed as the incoming Convenor of the PIA National Young Planners special interest group and will start role in Jan 2011.
Without my degree, I wouldn’t have the right theoretical background and skills to practice in the profession. Town planning is a very rewarding profession, which is demonstrated by the number of people who complete the postgraduate course when they see what the profession actually entails and the job opportunities for town planners. The Curtin URP degree is the longest-standing accredited degree.
