Teaching innovation: Steven Hansen shares his experiences studying a Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

There’s more to entrepreneurship than just starting your own business. Master’s student Steven Hansen saw studying entrepreneurship as a pathway to business education, passing on his knowledge and experience to the next generation.

With a wealth of experience in global hospitality including operating his own business, Steven Hansen was ready for his next career move. Cumulating over 30 years of entrepreneurial and commerce experience, Steven wanted to share his business knowledge and pursue a career in teaching. The only thing standing in his way was one technicality – he didn’t have a degree, a prerequisite for many teachers.

This is what primarily drew Steven to the Master of Applied Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MAIE). Known as a nested degree, the MAIE included an alternate entry pathway via a graduate certificate. Steven chose the University of Adelaide based on its excellent reputation and quality of teaching, but also was inspired to study in a picturesque environment,

Call me superficial but I also love the delightful environment of the Barr Smith library reading room where I spent many hours soaking up the knowledge. Just sitting there in that gorgeous room for a while makes you feel more enlightened… it was like therapy for me.Steven Hansen

Adding to his positive experience, Steven was given the chance to undertake two intensive project based subjects with our ThincLab Global Learning Partner in France.

“It allowed me to live and study for 3 months in Chalons-en-Champagne, a beautiful region of the country to the East of Paris. My supervisors were wonderful and made the educational experience so very enjoyable and rewarding. I made some terrific new friends through networking whilst there which have since lead to positive employment outcomes for several people.”

While Steven immensely enjoyed his projects abroad, it was the domestic based course Advanced Venture Planning and Communications, delivered by Dr Manjula Dissanayake that was his favourite overall course,

“I’m not a religious person but if a God did create us, it was surely so that Manju (sic) could teach us!”

With a clear career goal in mind, it wasn’t long after graduation until Steven was able to realise his dreams of becoming a teacher,

“Three months after I graduated I applied and was interviewed for a position in education. The phone call I got one week after the interview validated my entire study journey. I got the job! I’m now teaching International Business with RMIT University School of VBE and I love it!”

Entrepreneurship is often only considered a pathway to opening your own business, but for Steven, his degree was so much more,

“My study related directly to my career by enriching my understanding of what I had previously “just got on with and done” in the business world instinctively and without the deeper knowledge of the theory of practice… It also taught me how to correctly structure the learning of the professional knowledge that I now pass on to my students.”

Steven’s career journey is just one of the many success stories from our entrepreneurial alumni. If you are interested in exploring your potential to innovate and create value, speak to our team to find the perfect entrepreneurship program for your needs. 

Steven’s career journey is just one of the many success stories from our entrepreneurial alumni. If you are interested in exploring your potential to innovate and create value, speak to our team to find the perfect entrepreneurship program for your needs.