Short bio

I am a master’s degree student at the University of Tampere, majoring in lifelong learning. At the moment, I am conducting an internship at the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI). In my opinion, learning happens everywhere, all the time. Before my current studies, I worked in childhood education and care and in social services. In these workplaces, learning, growth, and development have been present in working with both clients and colleagues and with other parties.

My story

I think it is challenging to say when I learned something for the first time. From elementary school, I remember clear moments when I practiced writing the alphabet or when the teacher conducted reading tests for the entire class. I don’t believe I experienced learning then as I do today. As a child, it was important to learn to behave like the other kids, so that one wouldn’t miss out on the circle of friends. In other words, learning took place early for different purposes in life.

I have always been interested in social phenomena. After basic education, I felt lost for a while and searched for a way forward. In the end, I decided to study social sciences, and there I conducted my first courses on human growth, learning, and development. After these studies, I worked as an early childhood educator and noticed how children have a unique way of getting excited and facing the world with open eyes. This worldview was something I wanted to have. At this point in life, I also started understanding that, in the future, I want to support others in their path toward growth, learning, and development.

Further on, I got more excited about the education sector. I decided to read more courses on education in an open university, and somewhat irradicably, ended up in new master’s studies at the University of Tampere. Now when I think back on this path, I have ended up in the right place. My opinion is that we education professionals have a highly central role in this world. Perhaps our skills are not yet acknowledged as widely as they could be. If you ask me, these skills could be utilised in a variety of places. For some time after my first studies, I also worked as a social worker for young adults. My tasks there were about supporting young adults in practicing new routines to support their well-being. As I simultaneously studied education, I saw how the educational perspective supported my work as a social worker. I believe the themes of growth, learning, and development are always present when we aim to change or develop something in ourselves or in our communities.

Why then are education scientists often absent? Naturally, there are other professional fields as well with crucial expertise, so I am all for cross-sectoral cooperation! Further, I believe that especially adult education professionals have a lot of key competences related to the education system, its assessment, the impact of political questions to education, social interaction, and agency.

We can all increase our understanding of issues that interest us the most. Lately, I have been reading different educational philosophical themes and questions on values, agency, social phenomena, and themes of social interaction. My studies have provided great tools for cross-sectoral work, leading by knowledge, and efficient and high-quality information processing.

During my internship at EDUFI, it has been interesting to learn how a central national actor operates in the field. It has been my pleasure to be part of developing new centralised digital services for continuous learning. My tasks have been highly interesting and educative, and I have had the feeling of being genuinely included in the team. The internship has further clarified that continuous learning has an urgent need for education professionals! I have learned to better recognise my own prior skills and competences from my studies and my previous work experience.

My path and everyone’s path consist of accumulative learning experiences in different spheres of life. We learn new things, and we give up on other things without stopping. In my opinion, this is fundamental to being human.