Steve Tough is a Mortgage & Protection Adviser at Strike. Having chosen Kent for the quality of its research and a love for the campus, he studied History and graduated in 2013.
Alongside everything his course taught him, he credits his time at Kent for teaching him life skills such as independence, time management and how to look after his money.
After meeting students at Kent w
ho had participated in the Camp America programme, he applied himself and spent the following five summers as a counsellor at the camp in Massachusetts, USA, affording valuable opportunities in leadership and organisation.
After graduating, Steve gained experience in real estate and insurance before taking a role at The New Homes Group as a Mortgage Helpline Adviser, and then moving on to become a Protection Adviser within the same company.
After two years with The New Homes Group, Steve took his current position as Mortgage & Protection Adviser at Strike. He particularly enjoys being able to help people make sensible and effective financial decisions and believes that educating people on financial advice is just as essential for the business as it is for the clients he helps.
How did your degree/experience at uni help lead you into your current career? – e.g. skills you learned, experiences you had, people you met
“At the University of Kent I studied History, but it wasn’t necessarily specifically the degree which lead me to where I am today. Going off to uni helped me to grow as a person. I met several people early in my second year who had participated in the Camp America programme. I then applied to the programme myself which lead towards me spending the following 5 summers in the USA, living and working at a kids’ summer camp. UKC provided me with the social experience that lead to that opportunity. University teaches people a whole host of life skills, not just the content of the course your studying, but also how to be independent, money management, time management and a whole host of other life skills that you will inevitably carry with you and expand on through the rest of your professional life.”
What drew you to Kent? Or is there anything striking about Kent that you remember – e.g. exciting societies, good lecturer/student relations, nice facilities
“For me, I had two major factors to determine which Universities I would be considering. The quality of the course and I wanted to be on a campus university rather than spread out in a city. At the time in 2009/2010, the University of Kent was top in the country for quality of research. The School of History was well renowned across the country and I was really impressed with the introductory lecture on the open day. My decision was pretty much made for me after visiting the campus.
“When I enrolled at Kent, it was 28th in The Times University League tables and when I graduated in 2013 I think it had gotten to 22nd/23rd. So it was definitely trending in the right direction. I loved my time at Kent and am proud to be an alumni of the University.”
What is your favourite thing about the work you do for Strike?
“I am afforded the opportunity to pass on knowledge and advice to people. I place huge importance on financial advice and people making educated and accurate financial decisions, the work we do as a team is not just crucial to the business but also to the clients that we speak to, many of whom will be making their first property purchase.
“Whether it is someone’s first or firth purchase, it is extremely rewarding to assist them through that process and help them to secure their future home.”
Please visit the Strike website!