Studying is worth investing in your career

What are you currently doing:

UX Researcher at Qvantel, Entrepreneur, Managing Director of Kineso Oy

How did you find out about TAMK and what made you choose it for your studies?

I actually did work at TAMK in the R&D and Innovation unit in 2013. I got to meet lots of people and got to learn about this new programme on Business Management. At the time I was not really into management but after my contract with TAMK ended, we decided to have a spin-off company based on the project started at the university. After a few years not very successful of leading the start-up as a CEO, I realised that project management insight would be beneficial to me.

I heard about it through a friend who was in the first batch programme so I decided to apply to it. I also applied at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and I was accepted by both but I decided to stay in Tampere as it was more practical for me. In the meantime I also got the job I applied for a few weeks later.

What did you like most about Tampere and Finland?

Well I'm not a usual student. Actually, I first did my PHD in Psychology in Joensuu between 2003 and 2008 and moved to Tampere with my husband in 2006. I had several jobs in the region but after the decline of Nokia, it got harder for foreigners to find jobs, so I decided that studying International Business Management would be really good to validate and open up my skills and competences and become more interesting for a potential employer.

In what ways have your studies contributed to your professional and personal life?

Professionally, I think it really helped me to understand the idea of a company in a broader way. I look into my UX (my primary training) from a more business-orientated angle - in what way and how this knowledge is benefiting a product and a company, what is the ROI of applying human centred design and UX - things that I was not really focusing on prior to the business studies.

Family wise, it's a new challenge. When I applied to the MBA, I had no permanent job and now I have a fascinating and time consuming job, interesting studies, a lot of homework, and still raising small twins. I think studying is worth investing in.

How has TAMK supported your needs as a student?

I think Hanna Pihlajarinne has been an excellent programme leader. She is really listening to students and quickly helps them when needed. I am mostly happy about the content of the training and looking forward to start writing my thesis. I am also grateful that the recruiting staff looked beyond my primary training, as a psychologist and UX researcher. I really feel that this is completing my current knowledge and opened up new opportunities. I also like the group tasks, it allows you to meet people from different backgrounds and it's an enriching experience.

What would you say to anyone considering studying at TAMK?

I'd say go for it and be ready to spend time on it. It is totally worth it!

Read more about TAMK's Master's Degree Programme in International Business Management.