When I received my admission offer from the University of Jyväskylä, my first thought was: “How am I going to tell my wife?” We had imagined that I might study somewhere more familiar, such as Malaysia or Australia. Finland was never part of our original plan, but it became an opportunity that I was too excited to ignore.
Finding a passion through an online course
Before coming to JYU, I had spent many years managing businesses and working in education in Indonesia. My work included supporting students who wanted to study internationally and managing learning centers for children and young people.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational centres were forced to close temporarily. For the first time in years, I suddenly had much less to do. I decided to use the time to learn something new and enrolled in a HarvardX online course about education.
What started as simple curiosity became something much more important. Although I had already worked in education for years, the course introduced me to a different way of understanding the field. I became interested in questions about educational policy, leadership, equity, and how education systems shape the experiences of students and teachers.
After completing the course, I was hungry for more.
Programme at JYU welcomed my background
Because I worked with international students, I was already familiar with overseas study opportunities. I had explored different scholarships and programmes, but I had never seriously considered Finland.
I applied to several programmes related to education. However, some were very specialised, such as programmes focused entirely on digitalized education. I was worried that beginning with such a specific area might leave gaps in my fundamental understanding of education.
JYU stood out because its programme allowed someone with a business background like mine to enter the field of educational sciences. Instead of immediately limiting myself to one specialisation, I could first build a broader foundation and then explore my interests more deeply. This was one of the most important factors behind my decision.
Jyväskylä both excited and frightened me
I was excited when I received the admission offer, but the decision was not easy. Travelling from Lampung to Jyväskylä takes approximately 36–38 hours, and Finland was a completely unfamiliar country for both my wife and me.
I worried about leaving my businesses behind. Were they ready to operate without me? Would my wife be happy in Finland? Would we be able to adapt? Was I making the right decision, or should I postpone my studies for another year?
There was never a moment when all my uncertainties disappeared. Eventually, my excitement about learning became stronger than my fear of leaving.
Returning to university from working life
I do not regret choosing JYU. Beginning with the foundations of educational sciences has given me the concepts and knowledge to better understand what I had already experienced through my work.
Returning to university also showed me that becoming a student again did not mean discarding my previous career. My professional experience helps me connect theories and research with real situations, while my studies challenge me to reconsider some of my earlier assumptions.
I discovered that I could still do well as a student, and Finland has provided me with the support and environment I needed. The person who left Indonesia is not the same person writing this story today.
If I could speak to my younger self, I would say that a study journey does not need to follow a straight path. Sometimes the experiences you already have are exactly what lead you towards the questions you are finally ready to study.
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