When CUAS graduate Stefan Grđan talks about his time at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, he quickly goes into raptures. „I wholeheartedly recommend studying Geoinformation at the University of Applied Sciences in Villach, because it is primarily well designed and imparts a great deal of technical knowledge about the current and future job market,“ says Grđan in positive words about his studies on the Villach campus.
It was above all the study conditions, the new technologies and the teaching methods that fascinated Grđan. He particularly liked the human aspect of the university: „Of course, people are the key to success: a motivating and supportive professorial style and a good relationship with my colleagues. I will never forget them. They have guided and strongly influenced my professional and personal life“. From 2004-2008, the Croatian-born student studied at the Villach campus for a Bachelor’s degree in Geoinformation. It was a great challenge for him to decide to study abroad, but it was his „best decision.
However, the start of his studies was not exactly the easiest. „I did not speak German very well. That makes it difficult for me to follow the lectures. Besides, it was the first time I was away from home and my family,“ remembers Grđan. Grđans However, his will to complete his studies was unrestrained and so he made constant progress in language learning.
Although he completed a very instructive practical semester in Salzburg, where he also tackled his Diplom thesis, the time in Austria felt like an intensive semester abroad.
In general, Grđan has a lot in common with his country of education. „Austria is for me – the country of my youth, a country where I have developed as a person. In life it is crucial to find one’s career path on the basis of one’s own interests and motives – I got this basis through my studies in Villach. I went to Austria as a confused and insecure young man and returned after four years full of knowledge, new experiences and life skills“.
After graduating in 2008, he started a Master’s degree in Geodesy and Geoinformation at the University of Zagreb, which he completed in 2010 with a Master of Engineering in Geodesy and Geoinformation. Since 2010 Grđan has been working for IGEA Ltd. in Varazdin (Croatia), where he currently holds the position of Business Unit Manager. As project manager for the Digital Geodetic Elaborate System (SDGE) project he was recently awarded the PMI Award.