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Aalto graduates’ transition to working life and their experience of studies and careers are monitored annually through a career monitoring survey. The responses to the survey provide important information about the work life of graduates, both for current students and for young people considering their future studies. In addition, the information collected is used to develop Aalto University’s teaching and services. 

The importance of the career monitoring survey is reflected in the fact that, at the master's level, the results of survey are part of the Ministry of Education and Culture's university funding model, and therefore directly affect the state funding that universities receive. The survey is annually carried out at all Finnish universities. 

Master's graduates emphasise AI and social skills 

Thirty-nine per cent (39%) of Aalto master's graduates in 2019 responded to the career monitoring survey of autumn 2024. Master's graduates are well employed after graduation, with 94% either employed or self-employed at the time of response. Only 3% responded that they were unemployed at the time of the survey. The private sector is the largest employer of Aalto graduates. Overall, 73% of respondents worked in companies, including large, small and medium-sized companies. Seven per cent (7%) of respondents worked in universities and five per cent (5%) in state organisations. Five per cent of respondents were self-employed. Ninety-one per cent (91%) of master’s degree respondents were satisfied with their career so far.

Master's graduates who have moved into working life are satisfied with their studies and feel that their skills are also valued by employers. Eighty per cent (80%) of respondents felt that their studies prepared them well for work. Up to 92% would be willing to recommend their degree to others, and 94% of respondents felt that their employers valued their degree.

Master's graduates were also asked about the factors that they felt had most affected their employment after graduation. The most important factor was their ability to communicate their skills to others. Other important factors cited by respondents were internships and other work experience and the combination of subjects in their degree.

When asked to give tips to current students on the skills they will need in their future careers, graduates highlighted social skills such as presentation and communication skills, and the ability to work with people from different cultures. The ability to seek and assimilate new information and the ability to be critical of sources were also considered important. In terms of technical skills, examples of skills mentioned included artificial intelligence, programming, and the ability to combine practical experience with theoretical knowledge. Respondents also stressed the importance of self-awareness, recognising one's own professional value, self-management, and dealing with stress.    

Doctoral graduates are generally satisfied with their career opportunities

In the autumn of 2024, 43% of Aalto doctoral graduates from in the class of 2021 responded to the career monitoring survey. On average, respondents were satisfied with the career opportunities provided by obtaining a doctoral degree.  Over half of the respondents were employed in a company, and a quarter were working at a university. About ten per cent of the respondents worked in the public sector, and less than five per cent were entrepreneurs.

Three out of four doctoral graduates worked in expert roles, while 28% worked in research and a quarter in design and development. One-tenth of the respondents worked in management and supervisory positions.

Nearly 70 per cent of the respondents reported that their job responsibilities had become more demanding due to their degree, and 63 per cent said that the doctoral degree had provided them with more meaningful work assignments. Half of the respondents felt that their doctoral training had given them a better status both at their workplace and in the labour market. On average, respondents felt that they were able to put the knowledge gained from their doctoral education to good use in their current work. Respondents identified the most important attributes in their current roles as including, problem-solving skills, analytical and systematic thinking skills, and the ability to learn and adopt new information. . Respondents felt that the importance of thinking and knowledge-integration skills as well as social and self-regulation skills will increase over the next five years. In contrast, they felt that the significance of language and cultural skills would remain relatively unchanged.

Career monitoring has been going on for more than 20 years

The career monitoring survey is a research model developed by the Aarresaari network (the Finnish network of university career services) to survey the careers of graduates (master’s or doctoral degree) after graduation nationwide. The career monitoring of master's degree holders has been conducted for more than 20 years and more than 100 000 graduates have already responded to the survey. The first doctoral graduate career monitoring survey was carried out in 2007. The results of the career monitoring survey are published centrally on the education administration's reporting portal