© J. Kesti
Like I’ve already mentioned, the FM studies have a lot of hands-on-work. Most courses include presentations, and every year we make some sort of projects. This year we, the 3rd year students, are arranging a national Facility Management seminar. Last autumn all tasks were divided between a group of students, and ever since we’ve been working on creating the seminar. Finally the program is getting finalized and all pieces are coming together, but at the same time the list of small details to consider is growing daily. The program is proving to be perfect practice for the field of event management.
Also other FMs have their own projects, and the picture is from the Asian Food Culture Day which was arranged on our campus today.
As the courses have lots of presentations, we don’t have that many exam books to read. And not nearly every course even has exams. For me this is perfect because I learn better from applying the information to use than I would if I spent time alone with a book. The group works also help prepare us to work in multicultural teams, which is most likely what FMs will be doing after graduation.
Since there have been some questions about the entrance exams, I suppose I should explain a little about them. Like it was mentioned in the comments, there are no pre-assignments or materials for the exam. The written exam itself has sections on logical thinking, English and an essay. The essay topics are related to FM, so it’s a good idea to read some materials about the field beforehand. There’s also an interview, usually done in pairs – two applicants and two interviewers. The best advice I can give for the interview is to be yourself. Don’t over practice your answers because then you’ll just get lost if the questions aren’t exactly what you had thought they’d be. 
But as today is the first party arranged by our International Club, it’s time for me to say goodbye early. More information will be available again tomorrow.
BR,
Johanna
They say that change is good. So it’s time for a little change around here: a new campus, a new degree program and a new writer. In other words, it’s time to move on to the next degree program conducted in English.
© J. Kesti
To start off, let me introduce myself. I’m Johanna, a third year student in the degree programme in Facility Management. Especially for those from Finland, Facility Management might not mean anything. Or it might sound like something in the field of cleaning (thanks to ISS being the only company in Finland that actually uses “Facility services” on their ads) but it’s so much more. At JAMK we, the future FMs, can find our own path from the jungle of maintenance, security, real estate, tourism, event management and many more. Finding your own path is one of your first challenges in the studies. For some this comes easily, others try out different ways and hope to end up in the right direction.
I’ve also taken a small detour in my studies. When I entered JAMK for the first time 2.5 years ago, I was sure I wanted to become a hotel manager. It felt like a perfect job for me. Well, that’s not the case anymore. See, last January I left from the secure arms of JAMK, and went on exchange – to a hotel management program. And last August I came back, with a new dream: Event management. Luckily being in a degree programme that includes so many different areas from hospitality management, I didn’t need to change programs. All I needed was to check our list of optional courses all over again, and I was back on track.
Our studies include lots of hands-on work with local companies and many projects bring new color to our semesters. At the moment a small group of us are arranging a national FM seminar for this spring, but I’ll write more about that tomorrow. Now it’s time to hit the sack.
In case anybody has questions about Facility Management, feel free to send email to johanna.kesti.mfa@jamk.fi, or just ask through the comments.
BR,
Johanna
P.S. If you’re interested in reading about my experiences during the exchange period, blog Managing myself in Turkey is the perfect place to do that. 
