The blog is based on a student story written by Johanna Valio, M.Soc.Sc, M.Sc (Technology), who has studied sociology at the University of Joensuu (currently part of the University of Eastern Finland) and materials science at Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering. At the moment, Johanna works as a project manager and researcher at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. According to her own words, she has received valuable updates and support for her skills from FITech courses.

Explore Johanna’s inspiring story, studies in battery technology, and the importance of continuous learning in the blog!

FITech studies help with managing a massive amount of information

Johanna Valio has a diverse work and educational background based on continuous learning and following their own interests. As a high school student, Johanna dreamed of becoming a journalist but eventually studied sociology, environmental science, and materials science, and has worked, for example, as a project manager and researcher. Her work has included establishing partnerships, project applications, internal development tasks, and collaboration with a FITech coordinator. Johanna started taking FITech courses after hearing especially about Ulla Lassi‘s energy storage courses from a partner.

“Even though I actively follow developments in battery recycling, I wanted to systematically update my knowledge through a course taught by an expert that I respect. There’s a lot of information available, and it’s ultimately hard to choose alone which to focus on and invest in,” Johanna notes. Johanna added that the motivation was particularly to deepen the understanding of new battery chemistries and get up-to-date information on the current advancements in the field.

Johanna feels that studying has also supported in the current job, which has benefited the employer as well. Johanna plans to continue following the course offerings in the future.

“I have received valuable updates and support for my knowledge,” Johanna says. “In the Battery recycling and ecosystems course, I appreciated the diverse content and numerous guest lectures from companies. From the Emerging battery technologies course, I gained a lot of valuable updates for my knowledge.”

Johanna is motivated by a desire to understand the surrounding world better and from different perspectives, which is why Johanna often ends up studying something new. “I also consider deliberate and consciously chosen studying as a rewarding leisure activity.”

Curiosity pays off – keep your eyes and ears open for future needs

“I think the old advice to study what interests you is still good. People study for very different reasons,” Johanna explains. For example, if one studies to find a new job or to work in a particular organisation, it’s worth inquiring and researching what knowledge and skills the desired organisation values and needs.

“It’s also good to keep your eyes and ears open to the world to see what’s relevant and what you want to contribute to solving. I think the world is now in such a major transition that ultimately nothing is certain. I’ve thought that a certain kind of agility, curiosity, and openness is always beneficial, and not being overly trapped by existing structures. There’s always room for new thinking and creativity.”

Johanna suggests to others interested in studies that FITech courses are a safe way to see what interests you, one course at a time, as the offerings allow you to mix free courses into unique combinations or complement your degree studies with courses from another university. “At least in my experience, the courses are scheduled and segmented in a way that it’s possible to complete them even while working,” she notes.

Explore Johanna’s full student story here.

Rewarding leisure activity: study flexible courses free-of-charge while working

Discover the free energy storage courses on FITech’s website. You can browse the courses by, for example, completion method or language.