”I have a lot of family and friends already working as engineers”, Gianna shares, explaining what drew her to engineering. ”My uncle works in supply and travels a lot for work and I thought ’Hey, I enjoy travelling!’ So in a sense, my love of travelling brought me into the field”, she laughs.
Her uncle recommended her to look into purchasing and logistics as a study option and she did. But most of the programmes with a focus in purchasing were in the field of business, not engineering. “Jamk’s programme is a perfect mix of topic and degree, of business and engineering. Economics was one of my favourite subjects in high school, and my studies have given me a new perspective into that. I’ve moved from thinking about the markets and theory of economies to a more operational perspective, how things work day to day, and I love that.”
Hands-on studies and projects in co-operation with actual companies
Gianna is almost done with her studies, with only final checks to her thesis remaining. But when she looks back to her studies, into what made the biggest impression and impact, the answer comes easy. “The SAP course we had. It’s very beneficial, to get that type of hands-on experience with a software that’s actually used in real life. I realized that it might be something I’d be interested working with later in my working life”, she concludes.
Another thing she’s enjoyed and made use of, are the project and course opportunities (such as Jamk’s Future Factory) to work together with companies as well as other Jamk students from different degree programmes. “We had, for example, a B2B Marketing project for a local media corporation Keskisuomalainen, and then a project conceptualising and designing a ‘test object’ for a pressing-based manufacturing process for Valmet. I even got to travel to Romania in one project!” she shares, still excited.
Multicultural study group and exchange studies have widened her perspectives
Logistics is an international field, where experience working with people with different cultural backgrounds is a benefit. For Gianna, studying in a multicultural group feels like a strength she’s taking with her into the working life. “I came to appreciate the different cultures and how we work together. We often work differently – for example, one time in a groupwork one of my teammates wanted to get the work done before the deadline, it was really important to them. It gave me insight into the ways that cultures might affect the way we work and approach group projects, it was a real eye opener”, she summarizes.
When Gianna was looking for potential degree programmes to study in, she didn’t know that Jamk offers exchange opportunities. If she had known it, the decision to choose Jamk would have been even easier. The exchange, of course, was an opportunity to travel she couldn’t miss, and she ended having her exchange in Amsterdam, Netherlands: “It was one of the highlights of my studies.”
Psst! You can find more about Jamk’s internationalisation through study opportunities and principles in here.
What’s next – and who should follow her path?
When asked where she sees herself in three years, Gianna is not quite sure yet: “I hope I’m either working in the field or furthering my studies – I’m currently wrapping up my thesis and studies as a whole.” Gianna highlights, that the Purchasing and Logistics Engineering programme offers a lot of specialization opportunities for student, offering a wide set of options to choose from. And Gianna has clearly found her own interest within the field: “Sustainability procurement or optimizing the supply chain, those are my main two interests. If I’m not furthering my studies, I hope I’ll be working together with experts in the field to make a sustainable impact!”
Now, as she’s about to close her last chapter with Jamk (for now), we ask her who would she recommend the programme to, and the answer comes to her easy: “Someone who enjoys applying themselves and solving stuff – because I feel like in the process of all logistics, you need to apply problem solving thinking. I think the programme fits someone who is open to working in a multicultural environment and wants to experience different cultures. And Jamk offers many options, for international projects, for exchange etc. If you want to get a solid base in the global supply chain, purchasing and logistics, you should choose Jamk. Because this programme gives you a solid base for that.”
Bonus – This is Jyväskylä!
Gianna is from Botswana’s capital city, Gaberone – compared to which Jyväskylä is relatively small. But Gianna likes how cozy and easy to operate the city is: “I like that Jyväskylä is a student city, that every third person you meet is a student. It offers a lot of activities for students. Even completely new experiences. "I went ice fishing with Jamk Talent Boost and it was a nice experience, even though it was really cold!”
You can read more about Jamk’s Talent Boost, their activities on bringing internship and work opportunities closer to international Jamk students, and the activities they organize throughout the year on Jamk Talent Boost’s webpage.
