From 1991 until 1992, he became one of the first Czechoslovak students to use the opportunity to study abroad and graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with the first MBA program for managers in Central and Eastern Europe.

Among many reputable professors, Štefanec was taught by Douglas North who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1993.

Štefanec started working as a researcher and later as a project manager at the engineering plant Považské Strojárne, Považská Bystrica in 1983.

His priority topics are the Digital Single Market, SMEs, employment, and red tape reduction.

In addition, Štefanec holds the position of the President of SME Europe and is the European Investment Fund Programming Committee Co-chair.