Letâs get this straight. Youâve read all about what itâs like studying a Bachelor of Construction Management at WSU and now youâre hoping for a real studentâs real opinion on the course?
Well, weâve got you covered. We got to chat to Stefan, a Bachelor of Construction Management graduate who told us everything there is to know about the course. The good and the bad, the positives and the negatives, and the ups and the downs. You name it, weâve got it!Â
If youâre keen to learn more, all you have to do is scroll!
Why should you study a Construction Management degree at WSU?
Top 3 Pros of a Construction Management Degree
Top 3 Cons of a Construction Management Degree
Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make
Things to Know Before Starting WSU Construction Management
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying WSU Construction Management
Potential Career Paths
Why should you study a Construction Management degree at WSU?
The Bachelor of Construction Management at WSU is the perfect course for anyone envisioning themselves as a future construction manager or building surveyor.
If youâre someone keen on designing and creating useful sites and facilities, Construction Management at WSU may be the way to go. Think of it as your one way ticket to the building industry.Â
Youâll get to develop your design skills and solidify your career within the industry with the 4-year undergraduate degree at WSU. Youâll get to know topics like construction technology, construction economics, construction lay and construction project management.
You can basically think of any aspect of life, add âconstructionâ to the front of it, and the chances are, youâll learn about it in this degree!
Top 3 Pros of a Construction Management degree
#1: Range of subject materialÂ
As weâve mentioned earlier, this degree isnât just focussed on construction. Youâll gain a range of valuable and transferable skills from taking subjects across a range of disciplines.
Youâll be dipping your toes into business law, getting a taster for economics, trying a bit of design and of course, developing your managerial skills.Â
âI guess the biggest pro for me was the range of subjects they give you. Because youâre not just sticking to construction engineering or youâre just sticking to a business course, you get to experience a large range of subjects and of course a lot of disciplines,â Stefan said.Â
Another great feature of this extensive study plan is that youâll be collaborating with students who are solely studying subjects like design or economics, so youâll have access to not only some new pals but students who know all about the other subjects that youâll get to know.Â
Stefan explained, âItâs not like youâre just sitting in on a class, you actually sit in a room with other law students or business students or structural engineering students.âÂ
#2: Youâre practically guaranteed a job by the end of it
The Bachelor of Construction Management at WSU is no stranger to practical and professional experience. The people behind the degree know all about the significance of graduating with a resume that goes on for miles.
In fact, once you finish Construction Management, youâll have a whopping 1200 hours of practical work experience to brag about with potential employers or clients. While it sounds like a daunting amount of time, itâll be smoothly integrated into your course plan so you wonât even notice the hours flying by.Â
âBecause the degree forces you to work and itâs a part of the degree, everyone gets a kick in the butt and gets out of it with a job. So, itâs good encouragement to get a job and they do facilitate that. There are nights where companies come in to hire students, which is good,â Stefan said.Â
Additionally, all of your Construction Management units are accredited by the Australian Institute of Building, which is a pretty big deal in the construction world.Â
#3: Youâll develop essential interpersonal skillsÂ
Tradespeople are great conversationalists. Itâs a fact of life for the managers of construction projects to have the skills to coordinate plans, liaise with clients and collaborate on projects.
If youâre someone that isnât the most confident in public speaking or general chatting, donât fear, itâs definitely a skill that youâll learn to cultivate with a good few years of experience. Still, Stefan explained that now his job practically revolved around conversing.Â
He said, âIâve gotten about 3000 contacts on my phone over the past 5 or 6 years, which is crazy. Iâm on the phone like everyday making telephone calls for at least two or three hours a day.âÂ
Another positive of Stefanâs job is the kinds of people he gets to work with. He gets to work with all sorts of different clients: âYou may deal with people that barely speak english to people whoâve just gotten out of prison. Then youâll deal with structural engineers worth a billion dolls, so itâs definitely a good experience.âÂ
Top 3 Cons of a Construction Management degree
#1: Four years is longer than other construction coursesÂ
This con is a bit of a negative mixed with a positive. While Stefan told us that some people may view the length of the degree as a con, it does include the business license that you would normally have to get at TAFE after the undergraduate degree anyway. Still, Stefan admitted that this feature may be a tad off putting.Â
âIf you never intend on getting a builderâs license then I wouldnât say thereâs much purpose of coming over to Western Sydney, I would go to UNSW and do it in 3 years. Like a year is a long time and you know itâs another 8 to 10 grand, so itâs something to think about,â Stefan explained.Â
#2: Thereâs a lot of compulsory work experienceÂ
Again, this one is a mixture of pros and cons! A minimum of 1200 work experience hours is an awful lot but it saves you from gaining that experience later on, so while it can come across as quite daunting, it would be totally worth it.
With that said, if youâre hoping to develop skills from the more managerial side of things, perhaps a different degree may be the way to go!Â
Stefan gave us a rundown of the practice hours, âI think it equates to about six months of full time work over the 4 years, thatâs a requirement and thatâs why they fast track you to get your building license.â
#3: That was all Stefan could think of
There werenât many cons that Stefan could think of. It sounds like it was the perfect degree for what he was looking for. If youâre wanting a sign to apply to WSUâs Bachelor of Construction Management, let this be it!Â
Any regrets?Â
âNot really. Obviously, if I couldâve, I would’ve done it in 4 years. Because I was working full-time at the time but it was alright. But overall, not really any regrets,â Stefan shared.Â
Despite the cons that Stefan mentioned above, he told us that he doesnât regret studying the Bachelor of Construction Management at WSU. Though this would be a good chance to mention that everyone has a different experience at uni.
You may not be a fan of the pros that Stefan mentioned or you may love the cons. It all comes down to personal preference!Â
What do you wish you had known before starting the degree?Â
#1: Network, network, network
Did we mention that you should network? In an industry like construction, where youâll get a major portion of clients from word of mouth, itâs a great idea to gain connections, get to know the others in your industry and leave a likeable first impression for potential clients.Â
âProbably my biggest regret is that I didnât network that much because I see everyone out in the industry now, and itâs a small industry so theyâre all guys I went to uni with, so I think I should have networked a bit more while I was actually at uni,â Stefan said.Â
You could network at uni events, union events for construction workers or across applications like LinkedIn. LinkedIn could be a great place to start if youâre wanting to build a solid connection and start promoting your skills!Â
#2: Remember that studying part time is an optionÂ
Stefan studied with the best of both worlds as a student in the Bachelor of Construction Management program. He completed 2 years full-time and then transitioned to part time where he studied for another 3 years. Still, Stefan told us that he wished he had known of this option earlier.Â
âNo one told me about the possibility of part time study until I asked the coordinator. Thatâs something that they donât really advertise and they should advertise it because itâs very flexible. They donât really advertise that you can study at night,â Stefan said.Â
If youâre wanting to get straight into the industry, you can totally do that by working and studying simultaneously. When Stefan shifted to full-time work and part time study, he managed to complete his degree at nighttime, so it was a lot but he said that it was definitely manageable.Â
âSo, itâs definitely something to consider if youâre wanting to get out there and work and study at the same time. You can do the degree in 4 years, you can take 6 years to do it, you can work at the same time. So thatâs something I wish I had been aware of from the get-go.âÂ
What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities?Â
WSUâs major point of difference is the in-built building license which, according to Stefan, isnât offered at any other university.Â
âIf you do 4 years at WSU, it fast tracks your studies so that you can get your building license. Whereas if you do it at UTS or UNSW, you donât get your building license. Youâll have to go to TAFE and do an additional course. So, thatâs the main reason why I went to Western Sydney,â Stefan explained.Â
So, if youâre looking for a one stop shop for all of your Construction Management needs, the Bachelor of Construction Management at WSU may be perfect for you. You can study, gain experience and graduate with your building license all from the one institution.Â
What inspired you to choose this degree?
Stefan explained that a major motivating factor to study Construction Management when he did was a result of the construction boom in Sydney. If youâre a Sydneysider, youâve likely noticed the seemingly endless construction projects going on. Thereâs been the Sydney Metros, Light Rails, WestConnex and new Western Sydney Airport.Â
âAt the time, say between 2012 all the way to 2019, there was a big boom in the construction industry in Sydney. It does make up a large part of the market in pretty much any state in Australia,â said Stefan.Â
If youâre needing any more encouragement to study at WSU, take a look at the expected construction boom unique to Western Sydney. Thereâs going to be significant growth and development in and around Western Sydney, and itâs pretty safe to assume that WSU students will get some work experience in those projects.Â
Stefan added, âItâs also a good way to make money without dealing with a lot of the roadblocks that youâd find in the corporate world. If you are good, it doesnât matter your age or who you are, doesnât matter what your gender is â as long as youâre good, people will hire you.âÂ
What are the possible career paths?
Once you graduate and step out of WSUâs doors for the last time, youâre almost guaranteed to find a job in the construction world. Not only have you spent the last 4 years gaining all the necessary knowledge to make that next step possible, but the 1200 hours of industry experience that youâll have under your belt will be so worth it.
Thereâll be heaps of construction-related positions waiting for you, some of these include:
-
- Construction managerÂ
- Project managerÂ
- Site managerÂ
- Quantity surveyorÂ
- Building surveyorÂ
- EstimatorÂ
- Facilities managerÂ
- Building economistÂ
- Property manager or developerÂ
- Building consultantÂ
If you need any more surety, Stefan told us, âI donât know anyone that was in the degree that didnât get a job in construction. Itâs very much like by the time everyone was finished, everyone had a job. So, youâre guaranteed to get a job quickly because construction is just massive in Sydney.âÂ
Gemma Billington is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and an undergraduate student at the University of Technology Sydney. While studying Journalism and Social and Political Sciences, Gemma enjoys spending her time at the gym or reading about Britainâs medieval monarchy â ideally not at the same time. She currently creates and administers social media posts for Central News and writes for the student publication, The Comma. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to study a Masters of Medieval History and is very excited about the prospect!Â