Student Highlights
A smart investment

From a passion for cooking, to owning several restaurants, Timothy knows something about running a business. But a desire to get smart about his future investments led him to study a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Newcastle, a decision that’s already paying dividends.

“I did not go straight to University from school, in fact I didn’t complete my HSC. I loved cooking and the idea of developing my own thing. So, I started a catering company and owned a few restaurants. With increasing cashflows, I became interested in investing.

“I sent an email to a finance lecturer at the University of Newcastle asking if I could do a single course that taught me how to determine the value of a business for investing purposes. His detailed response not only sold me on the idea of studying a degree in commerce, but that the University of Newcastle is a top-notch institution,” Timothy said.

With no initial plans to work in the commerce industry, Timothy discovered he wanted a deeper understanding of business and in particular, valuing businesses for the purposes of investing.

“A Commerce degree ensures you have a basic understanding of management, accounting, economics, marketing, statistics and business law,” Timothy said.

But it was being able to draw on the vast real-world knowledge and experience of his lecturers that had the biggest impact.

“The lecturers are incredibly well informed. They either have all the answers, or can assist me in getting the answers I want. I love that even the foundation courses are so thoroughly taught that I can learn amounts of new information from topics I thought I was well across,” Timothy said.

Alongside his studies, Timothy has had the opportunity to travel to China for a language study tour.

“Studying a Commerce degree has allowed me to choose electives from just about any topic. I chose to study Mandarin Chinese. I went on a fully funded trip to Shanghai for two weeks.

“I met a lot of other students who had similar interests to me on this trip and we still stay in touch. Networking is too often overlooked by younger students but is critically important. You never know what might come of it,” Timothy said.

Studying a Bachelor of Commerce has given Timothy a solid foundation from which to advance his investment portfolio.

“I am currently going through the interview process with a number of federal government departments, where I will apply principles learned in my Commerce degree,” Timothy said.

Study a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Newcastle

Timothy Stevenson

A desire to get smart about his future investments led Timothy to study a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Newcastle.