Communications career kick-started by hands-on experience at a student organisation

How has your career developed after the programme?

My career journey already started during my studies at JYU. As a student I did four internships in the communication and marketing field at different kinds of organisations, including a Finnish university. Through those internships, I developed practical skills in areas such as content creation, visual communication, campaign planning, social media management, and event marketing. 

After graduating, these experiences helped me take the next step in my career. In February 2025, I started my current role as a Communications Assistant at an independent nonprofit organisation in Jyväskylä. Today, I work in an international environment, which was something I had hoped for while studying intercultural communication at JYU.

Because communications is such a broad field, it took me some time to discover which areas I wanted to pursue professionally. Meeting people from different backgrounds and gaining hands-on experience through internships encouraged me to keep exploring.

Which part of your studies or student life has helped you the most in your career?

Being part of a student organisation and gaining hands-on experience in communications helped me visualize myself pursuing communications as a career.

In the second year of my programme, I became a Social Media and Communications Coordinator at LANKA, a subject association for exchange, minor, master’s and PhD students of LAGIC. I created social media content to promote events and gatherings and communicated with students and other student organisations.

This was one of my first opportunities to experience what working in communications could actually look like. I realised that I enjoyed creating content, thinking about how to reach different audiences, and using communication to bring people together. That experience encouraged me to apply for internships in content marketing and communications, where I could develop these skills further.

What are your ambitions for the future?

Ultimately, I hope to build a career that combines creativity, communication and my international background.

In the future, I would like to move into a more creative and strategic communications role where I can take responsibility for developing ideas and coordinating projects. At the same time, I would like to continue creating content myself. I especially enjoy visual communication and finding engaging ways to make complex or technical topics easier for people to understand.

In my current work, I communicate about hydrogen and clean energy. These topics can sometimes feel technical or unfamiliar to the general public. I enjoy finding creative ways to make them easier to understand and more relevant to everyday life through social media posts, visuals and short videos. I would like to continue developing in this direction and become someone colleagues can rely on for creative content and campaigns.

I would also like to continue working in an international environment where I can use different languages and collaborate with people from different cultural backgrounds. As someone with experience of both Finland and Japan, one of my longer-term ambitions is to use my understanding of both cultures and languages to serve as a bridge between the two countries.

Do you have any advice for students interested in pursuing a career in this field?

Communications is a broad field, so finding an area that genuinely interests you is important. In my case, it was visual communication through content creation and marketing, and internships helped me discover that interest. Since communications connects with so many different fields, I would encourage students to actively explore different possibilities and stay curious. You don't necessarily need to know exactly what you want to specialise in from the beginning.

Another important lesson I've learned is not to underestimate your own knowledge, skills and experience. In other words, I think it's important to trust the skills and experience you already have and give yourself the chance to discover what you can do. Before coming to Finland, whenever someone complimented my skills or encouraged me to take a new step, my first thought was often, “I’m not good enough.” Nowadays, I have more confidence in myself and in the skills and experience I have built over the years. Taking opportunities even when I wasn't completely sure of myself has helped me recognise the value of the skills and experience I already have.