Meet Nectar Costadopoulos

IT Lecturer
The CSU Study Centre Sydney

How long have you worked at CSU Study Centre Sydney?

I have worked at CSU as a lecturer since 1999, when the campus was only few years old.  Since then the place has grown tremendously.

Tell me about yourself and what drives you

I operate my own IT consultancy, Cybernaut Consulting in which I help ordinary business people to apply IT in their operations without the need to get lost in jargon or spend big bucks on things they don’t need. This sums up my approach, I share knowledge with people in a way which helps them.

Tell me an interesting story about an experience you’ve had at the CSU Study Centre

After working here for many years it is hard to focus on one type of story. There are many happy stories which always involve students who found it hard during the initial subjects and then managed to be the top of their graduating class. 

These stories are always about dedication to their studies and the rewards of hard work.

How did you get to where you are today? E.g. if you are a teacher, what inspired you to teach?

My teaching logically reflects my personality therefore, I find it very easy to take complex facts/theories and communicate them to students in a way they can understand. 

In your opinion, why should students choose to study at the CSU Study Centres?

Personally, if I was a student I would want to study here, I am not saying this because I happen to work here but from experience of studying at a ‘normal’ University.  Most of my undergraduate years were spent rushing to a lecture theatre to get a seat close enough to see and hear the lecturer. I really don’t understand how people can learn with lecture theatres housing 300 people! 

At the CSU Study Centre, classes are small and I manage to speak to all the students individually.

What do you love the most about working for the CSU Study Centres?

The classes are small and there are no large lecture halls where I have to wear microphones. The students are very good natured too.

What are your hobbies? What do you do in the weekends?

I am interested in digital photography and enjoy taking photos of natural and urban landscapes. I can’t get away from computers even when I relax!

What is the most interesting place you’ve ever been to and why?

Just returned from the Italian island of Sicily, that was the most incredible place in my opinion. I stayed at a city called Catania, which if you look up on Google earth, you will notice that the city is like pimple on a volcano called Etna, one of the largest/active volcanoes in Europe. 

Amazingly all the locals don’t care, they sit on a time bomb and get on with their life. 

Their motto in Latin is ‘carpe diem’ which translates to ‘seize the day’.  I think we can all learn from that approach to life.

What advice would you give students who are planning to come to Australia? What should they be prepared for?

Good weather, relaxed people and lots of things to see and do!

Qualifications

• BA Com (UTS)
• MTech ISE (UTS)
• CertIV AWT

Teaching Experience

Expertise in a number of discipline areas including web technologies (e-business/multimedia), management of information systems and cyber ethics. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from UTS and a Masters of Technology in Information Systems Engineering from UTS. In addition to teaching, he is an active consultant in his areas of expertise (www.cybernaut.com.au) and is also involved in operating several e-business websites.

This ‘hands on’ expertise is incorporated in his overall teaching strategy to encourage student learning.