Our alumni story - Project Management

Possibilities to open new doors and to boost your career

The studies helped Elina in her career development. The support from the fellow students was very important as was the expertise and mentoring from the teachers.

“The Master’s programme in Project Management really helped me in my career – most importantly I gained courage to look forward and take the next steps. Pretty much right after I got my Master’s degree I started in a new job as a quality manager. Now I’m working at Uponor Infra as a product manager. Loving it!”

Elina, who is originally from Rauma, studied a Bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering at Vaasa University of Applied Sciencies. During her studies she gained relevant working experience and graduated in 2008. After graduation Elina worked at different municipal water and sewage system related positions – and raised a little family during those years as well.

In 2016 Elina decided to start studying for a Master’s degree. She chose VAMK Master School partly because she couldn’t travel too far to study because of her kids and because the Master’s degree in Project Management at VAMK felt like the right thing for her needs.

“I’m a restless soul with an urge to search and find new paths, and that combined with a personal life crisis at that time made me want to change. I thought, and I still do, that education is the way to open new doors. Working life is shifting towards project-like thinking, and I thought that these studies would benefit me”, Elina explains.

Support from fellow students and from great teachers

Since Elina didn’t have a background in corporate world, she feels she really had to put on a “corporate helmet” in order to understand and grasp the study objectives.

“As other students were mainly from big companies, I guess they had it easier”, Elina says.

Elina feels she gained a lot of knowledge and a sort of basic data on how to operate more effectively and project-wise. She found the lectures about working life in other cultures and countries especially interesting. The studies really helped Elina’s career because soon after graduation she started in a new job as a quality manager.

The support from fellow students was very important to Elina and she feels lucky to have gotten such amazing support for her studies from the group. Elina also appreciated the expertise of the teachers in the programme.

“The enthusiasm and expertise of the teachers was clear from the get-go. They really wanted us to bloom! They were always willing to help and advise us forward. I guess, since we were all adults, the teachers were more like mentors and not teachers”, Elina explains.

A tip for those considering studying: Planning your time is the key!

Working and studying can be hard sometimes. Especially is you have a family with kids. Elina found planning and sticking to the plan important.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it took a lot of effort to balance between family, work and studies. An old-fashioned paper calendar and an engineer-like thinking helps when finding a time slot for everything”, Elina laughs.

Keeping regular daily rhythm was essential according to Elina. Getting enough sleep, remembering to eat regularly, and doing some exercise to keep the energy levels up helped in coping with a busy calendar.

“Be flexible to other people’s schedules but don’t be a doormat. If you have a family, reach out to your support network for occasional help. And give yourself credit for the courses you pass”, Elina concludes.