News

Alumni advised International students: Invest in Relationships and Learn Finnish

ELEC Career Café brought six Aalto University alumni back on campus to meet international students at the School of Electrical Engineering.
careercafe1_en_en.jpg

Invest in Relationships

All alumni underlined the importance of networks and relationships. You can find a job, your future spouse or a home through your network. CEO and Founder of Callstats.io Varun Singh encouraged students to invest in meeting people and building networks.

"People think that a great business idea makes a start-up successful. In reality, success lies in its people", pondered Singh.

Get Experience in the Industry
 

Alumni reminded that it is essential to get experience from the industry already during your studies.

"It is recommendable to get work experience in the industry, for example, by completing a summer internship", advised Athul Prasad who works as Head of 5G Business Modelling and Analysis at Nokia Networks.

It is difficult to get your first job after graduation without any work experience.

"You can get experience also through study projects", advised Mert Ocak, who works as IoT Developer with Ericsson.

Learn Finnish

Although English is used more and more in workplaces in Finland, it is recommendable to learn Finnish. Angela Bartel  works a as Quality Engineer at ABB and speaks Finnish fluently.

"After moving to Finland, I took intensive Finnish language courses. Learning the language has helped me a lot not only professionally, but also in social life", concluded Bartel.

Finnish Workplace has Low-hierachy Structure
 

Alumni also talked about the low-hierarchy in Finnish companies. In Finland, it is easy to talk to managers.

"You don’t have to call anyone “Sir” in Finland", advised Osman Yilmaz, who is leading a global 5G research and standardization team at Ericsson.

Jouni Tervaskanto has worked with ABB both in Finland and abroad. He noted that Finland is a good and safe place to work and build a life.

"It is easy to combine family and career in Finland", Tervaskanto underlined.

The event was organized by ELEC Career Services and Alumni Relations.

More information, Kaisa Paasivirta, kaisa.paasivirta@aalto.fi

  • Updated:
  • Published:
Share
URL copied!

Read more news

Kaksi opiskelijaa Aalto-yliopiston kirjastossa
Studies Published:

Teachers: Refer your students to a guidance session for information searches, bookable via MyStudies

MyStudies now gives students an easy way to book a time for a personalised guidance session on information searches.
Nainen ottamassa kirjaa kirjatson hyllystä.
Studies Published:

Students: Book a personal guidance session for information searches through MyStudies

Do you want help with finding information, using source literature or starting your thesis? Library Services provides personalised guidance sessions for information searches. You can now conveniently book a guidance session through MyStudies.
Two students outside a brick building, one using a silver laptop while talking with the other on a red bench
Studies Published:

Changes will be made to the School of Business’s bachelor’s programme offering starting in the autumn of 2027

In addition to the Finnish-language Bachelor’s Programme in Business, there are four programmes offered in English
Student Guide news, illustration
Studies Published:

Enrolment of doctoral students for the 2026-2027 academic year

The enrolment period for the 2026-2027 academic year ends on 28 August 2026. All doctoral students must enroll annually.