Our alumnus Jannaten Nayem: I was almost Finnish even before I moved to Finland

When Jannaten Nayem was still living in his home country of Bangladesh, he often longed for peace and quiet.

– I lived alone and only kept in touch with a few good friends. I didn’t like the noise and often wanted to hide even from my neighbours. I was almost Finnish even before I moved to Finland!

Now Nayem has lived in Finland for seven years and is enjoying it here. He has a job, some good friends and a place to study here, and soon he will also become a Finnish citizen.

One important milestone was reached in January, when Nayem passed the language test required for Finnish citizenship. He has even sung “Olen Suomalainen” and many other songs in clear Finnish at karaoke.

However, we will conduct the interview in English, because it makes it easier for him to explain things fast and clear.

– I hope I learn to speak Finnish more naturally in the future, but right now I’m fully employed with work and university studies, he says.

Homesick and studying hard

Jannaten Nayem moved to Tampere, Finland in 2018 to start studying software engineering at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. He was motivated to come here by her older sister, who had already lived in southern Finland for several years. 

– I studied mathematics at the University of Barisal in Bangladesh, but I felt the studies were not for me. I wanted to continue my higher education studies in technical field abroad, and my sister encouraged me to apply for a study place in Finland. 

However, Nayem did not know anyone in Tampere. He felt homesick and missed his family and friends. He also worried about his own livelihood, because as an international student he didn't receive any student aid or loans.

– At first, I was frustrated and didn't know what to do. Then I made a plan: I would study hard and build good relationships with my teachers. That’s what I did, and gradually everything started to feel easier.

Nayem had received an Early Bird scholarship for his studies, which covered half of the tuition fees. Continuing the scholarship required completing 55 out of 60 credits in the first academic year. He eventually completed 87 of them with very good grades.

Nayem also completed a hygiene passport and started working as a dishwasher in a restaurant kitchen.

– Working in the kitchen, I met Finns who are still good friends of mine, he says.

Software developer, teacher or traveller?

After applying for many jobs, Nayem got the first one in his field at the software company Eduix. It was in January 2020, at the beginning of the fourth semester.

– I’m really happy I got there, because it laid the foundation for my journey as a software engineer. I also did my thesis at TAMK in a project of Eduix. I’m grateful to Rami Heinisuo, the Founder and CEO of Eduix, who trusted me and my work.

Nayem also wants to thank his teachers at TAMK for all their support: Mirja Onduso, Esa Kunnari, Petteri Jekunen, Emmanuel Abruquah, Erkki Hietalahti, Kari Naakka, Hannu Kivilinna, Hanna Kinnari-Korpela, Kirsi Popova, Juha Ikonen and Tony Torp.

Nayem graduated from TAMK as a software engineer in 2022. In January 2024, he started working as a Cloud Front-End Developer at John Deere Forestry, and since July 2024, he has been working in his current job as a Senior Backend Developer at Kora. There he is developing an application for tracking peoples carbon footprint and motivating them to choose mobility choices which are environmentally sustainable.

In addition to his work, Nayem is studying for a Master’s degree in Software, Web and Cloud Computing Sciences at Tampere University, currently finishing his thesis. After graduating, he plans to complete teacher pedagogical studies so that he can also work as a teacher of software engineering in the future. 

Nayem loves to travel and has already visited 46 different countries. His most recent trip was to Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

– My dream is to travel all over the world. I am torn between becoming a software developer, a teacher or a traveller in the future, he says with a smile.