Soon my time at JAMK will be over. After about one year I should be heading out to the real world, and into the irregular hours of event planning. I can still remember my first day clearly and it’s hard to believe so much time has passed since then. The FM studies have offered so much knowledge and I’m eager to get to use them in practice, but it still feels like a scary thought.
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The possibilities for Facility Managers are wide and versatile. I guess the first decision I have to make is whether I want to work in Finland or somewhere abroad. Having studied 6 languages in addition to Finnish, I’m not restricted to just a few countries, and the international education also opens the world for me. After spending a few years in a multicultural group I feel more ready to work with people from different backgrounds. Understanding different working methods has become easier and adapting myself to new situations doesn’t take as long as it used to.
As I’ve spent time on studying tourism and hotel management, I don’t want to completely forget them after graduation. And I also like the international side of the hotel industry. At the moment I’m playing with the thought of combining event planning and hotel business, so a conference hotel could be a perfect place for me. Or perhaps I could work in the conference services of cruise ship somewhere far away from Finland – in other words, somewhere warm. Obviously my future is still a bit unclear, but luckily I still have time to think about the bits and pieces. In the meantime, while applying for practical training, I can fantasize about what awaits me in the real world.
It has been great sharing my thoughts and experiences with you this week. If any questions come up, please feel free to email me at johanna.kesti.mfa@jamk.fi. I’ve already received some questions during this week, but more are always welcome.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope to see many of you this spring at the entrance exams and next autumn on campus!
BR,
Johanna
In the beginning of your studies, you’re going to have a wide support system helping you around. This especially means student tutors who are older students from your degree programme. The Finnish students (or those living in Finland) will meet their tutors at the entrance exams and again during orientation in the autumn. But the students coming from abroad will get to know at least one tutor during the summer. This is because the tutors will be helping you with the arrival. Coming to a new culture might be difficult, especially if you don’t know anyone, but the tutors are here to help you with the first steps. So if – and hopefully when – you’re accepted to study Facility Management, don’t be surprised when you get an email from a tutor during the summer. 
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To recognize your tutors on your first day, you need to look for a few things around campus. The first step is to look for T-shirts with “TUTOR” written on their back. At the moment the shirts are black but the color might change at some point. The FM tutors might also be wearing blue student overalls, which have a special meaning among Finnish students. The color shows what the person is studying – so all blue JAMK overalls are for students of hospitality management – and most tutors wear them throughout the orientation week. They are also usually worn in student events.
Even though the tutors will be there helping you around, it’s still really important that you are active, and take part in events. Even more important is approaching people from different cultures. If you stay with students who all come from your own country, you will end up with nothing new. So do yourself a favor, and spend as much time as you can with people from other cultures. Spending time with people from your own country and background would definitely be easier but you gain nothing from it. With a little work you can truly become international, even if it does take a little time to get used to new methods and habits. But believe me, it’s definitely worth it.
As it’s again –strangely – getting late, it’s time for me to stop writing. But I’ll be back tomorrow.
BR,
Johanna
What is internationality without language skills and international lecturers? Nothing if you ask me. JAMK offers good possibilities for language studies. The wide speck of languages – Finnish (for foreigners), Russian, French, Spanish and Chinese just to name a few – offer something for everyone. Also all the language courses are held in the afternoons to make sure all students can participate. That is to say, you can meet students from other units while learning new languages. The other teaching facilities of Jyväskylä also add their contribution to the range of possible languages.
The FM studies include some compulsory language studies, but in my opinion there could be a lot more. All Finnish students need to take one Swedish course – which is a lot less than in the degree programmes conducted in Finnish. And all foreign students are required to take some Finnish. Our language might not be the easiest in the world, but it definitely will help your everyday life if you learn some basics. Most people in Finland understand English, but they might feel a bit too shy to say anything back – but of course this is not the case among students in our degree programmes.
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Jyväskylä also has great free time activity possibilities. The city is known for two things among young people: sports and student life. As every third person in the city is a student, student activities come in great numbers. Many different organizations organize activities, and you can also create your own programs. For example, our Asian students put together a cricket team, and a group of African immigrants offer traditional dance and drum classes. Finding things to do in addition to your studies depends on your own activity, but you will also have tutors here to help you with that.
But what do we actually mean by tutors? That’s something I’ll write more about tomorrow.
BR,
Johanna
Even though many parts of the students’ life for FMs are similar than for MMMs, I thought that it would be a good idea to mention some things about our studies. However, it is a good idea to read also Mona’s posts to know more about life in Jyväskylä.
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The FMs are mainly studying at JAMK’s Lutakko campus which has just about a perfect location. We are just a short walk from the city center, right next to Jyväskylä’s travel center, harbor and conference center. The campus is a blend of old and new, as the Dynamo building is modern looking and Turbine building is actually an old factory with red brick walls. Finding the campus is rather easy as there’s a tall, red chimney between the two buildings. And the chimney even has a small sauna inside it.
Some courses, including language studies, are held at the main campus about a 20 minute walk away. The compulsory courses have lots of business, research & development, and management studies. As for the elective studies, FMs are free to select courses from all degree programmes but you are expected to focus on at least one field of FM. However, you are allowed to do some courses on subjects that have nothing to do with FM. Yes, bird watching is one of those options, but you can also select courses on first aid, business clothing or photography – or something completely different. The choice is yours. If you are interested on going to student exchange, it is the perfect time to put your personal study plan to use, and do as many electives as possible on your field of interest.
Like Mona has already told you, JAMKO is our student union. But the study field organization for hospitality management students is called MatkaRaTa Ry (which translates to travel lane, but actually comes from the Finnish names of the three study fields that are in the Tourism and Services Management). All FMs have the possibility to participate in their operations, and the MatkaRaTa events are a perfect way to meet other hospitality management students – some of whom are studying in Finnish. In order to get to know Jyväskylä and other students of JAMK, the freshman event Tursajaiset is something you will not want to miss. The event will take place in September and more information will be available in the beginning of the autumn semester. 
BR,
Johanna
P.S. As my lovely internet connection decided to stop working, this entry was posted even later than the previous ones. Sorry about that.
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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
OK, I know I said (or wrote) that I’d write more about the seminar project today. But as we had an info-session about practical training this morning – and we will have a seminar meeting tomorrow, it feels like a reverse order would make more sense. So today something about the studies and practical training, FM seminar coming tomorrow.
As I’m nearly finished with my courses – the last compulsory course is now on – it’s time to really think about practical training and my thesis. I want to split my training to two parts, and hopefully go abroad this summer for the first training. And I’m hoping to combine my second training and thesis. Most of FMs make their thesis for a company, and for me it feels like a good option. At least I might get some ideas from the company itself instead of having to come up with it all on my own. At the moment I have a general idea of what I’m interested in and how I would like to do my thesis. Now I just need to look for suitable companies and start contacting them.
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FM students have really good opportunities to go abroad during the studies. And I guess we should have good opportunities since a year abroad is compulsory in the studies. Now when I say compulsory, I mean “compulsory”. Nobody’s forced to go anywhere but it’s highly recommended. And of course it makes sense because we’re studying in an international degree programme. Usually the classes are international on their own – 60 % of my classmates aren’t Finnish, our class consists of 8 nationalities – so we don’t need to go looking for other cultures. Many of them are blending into the Finnish culture, creating a unique study environment. Every year is different as new students bring their own culture to the mix. However, for us that want more international experiences, JAMK provides good contacts around the globe. Exchange studies and practical training abroad both have their own grants, and because of that money shouldn’t be an obstacle for going abroad. All you need is will and bravery.
But as the time is yet again not my friend, it’s time to head to sleep. BTW, in case somebody is worried, the late hours of my posts have nothing to do with the studies, I’m just a night person who has a strong habit to procrastinate. But I’ll try to post something a little earlier tomorrow. I promise – to try.
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.
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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.
