Learnings from FITech’s battery technology courses to support knowledge in sociology and materials science
Johanna Valio
Towards the end of high school, Johanna dreamed of becoming a journalist. Unfortunately, Johanna was not accepted to journalism studies at that time. During the gap year, Johanna took sociology courses at a folk high school. This sparked the interest, leading Johanna to apply and get accepted to the then University of Joensuu to study sociology (currently part of the University of Eastern Finland). Already in high school, she had found the civics course among the history courses particularly interesting.
At the turn of the 2000s and 2010s, Johanna took online courses in environmental science at the University of Turku. During the studies, Johanna read several research papers and reports from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and became interested in VTT as a potential employer. Johanna wondered what background one needed to work there. Technical backgrounds were common at the time. Johanna discovered a special quota at TTK, now known as Aalto University, for students who had studied short mathematics in high school and wanted to apply for certain subjects. Johanna applied to study environmental technology and materials technology and soon started her studies in materials technology. The following year, Johanna took evening high school classes in long mathematics and physics to gain the necessary qualifications for the degree. Thus, Johanna began the studies in materials technology in 2011. The years 2015-2017 were spent working and completing master’s studies. During this time, Johanna also wrote the diploma thesis on recycling technologies for lithium-ion batteries.
In the previous job, Johanna had some project collaboration with Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, making the transition to project work at SAMK a natural continuation. Johanna has a versatile work background, having worked as a project manager, established new partnerships, conceptualised and applied for new projects, done some research work, and participated in internal development tasks.
FITech courses as a tool for updating knowledge
At the previous workplace, Johanna collaborated with a FITech coordinator and later heard especially about Ulla Lassi‘s FITech 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. I wanted to deepen my knowledge about new battery chemistries and get up-to-date information on the current state of the field,” Johanna explains.
“I have received valuable updates and support for my knowledge. 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. The studies have also supported my work, so I feel that my employer has benefited from the courses as well. I will certainly continue to follow the course offerings in the future,” Johanna continues.
Johanna’s motivation for studying is driven by the desire to expand the understanding and interest in various topics. “Overall, I am motivated by a better understanding of the surrounding world from different perspectives, which is why I often end up studying something. I also consider studying consciously and by choice to be a rewarding pastime.”
Be curious and keep your eyes and ears open to future needs
“I think the old advice to study what interests you is still good. People study for very different reasons. If your motivation for studying is to find a new job or to work at a specific company, then of course it’s worth asking what knowledge and skills the organisation you’re interested in needs and values. 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 that FITech offers the opportunity to combine free courses from different universities into unique entities or supplement your degree studies with courses offered by another university, and adds that FITech courses are also a safe way to test course-by-course what interests you. “At least in my experience, the courses are scheduled and divided in such a way that it is possible to complete them even alongside work.”
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