Some prospective students have got in touch with me lately because Development and International Cooperation programme has been brought back for 2019-2021 with a brand new look and I am immensely happy. I am no longer a student ambassador but I do hope my answers to these questions will help you all make your decision on taking up your studies with the University of Jyväskylä.
When did you graduate
and what did you specialize in?
I graduated in 2015 and I majored in Political science while
attending Development and International Cooperation Master’s programme.
Why did you choose Finland, Jyväskylä, JYU and this specific
master’s degree programme?
Finland was an unusual choice for sure and until this day, I
still think that it was fate that brought me to Jyväskylä.
I graduated from my Bacherlor’s degree in International
Relations in 2010 and attempted to work for Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs but it did not turn out the way I had hoped it would be. So, I went along
different paths to explore and find out the one job that suited my
personalities best.
During a course of only two years, I jumped through four
jobs and finally landed a job with Oxfam Hong Kong based in Hanoi at
the time. My direct supervisor back then was truly a profound example of what
it meant to be a development worker in a country with complex context like that
of Vietnam’s. Observing her at work and assisting her daily in project
implementation, I was inspired to follow this path and decided that this was
the job that I would like to make my career.
Initially, I was preparing to apply for Fulbright
scholarship to study in the U.S. However, as I was researching about courses of
Development Studies, I discovered the programme of the University of Jyväskylä.
I looked into it and immediately fell in love with the scenery of the school’s
surrounding without much thought about Finland as a country that was far from
anything I had known until then.
I consulted a couple of friends about the content of the
programme itself and decided to go for it anyway. I spent a solid one month
solely on writing the online application.
I postponed my application for Fulbright scholarship at the
end when I was informed that I had been selected for a fellowship in the
Philippines. Even during my interview with a professor, I
expressed my concerns that I might go to the Philippines if the result could
not come before the deadline I had to decide.
Time passed by and when I had already settled in the Philippines, I received
an email with an offer to attend the programme and I read the email with a
heavy heart filled with disappointment that I would not be able to attend the
programme that year.
But then I decided to write a heartfelt email to the
programme personnel and they informed me that even though it was not preferred; I
could still enroll absent for a year. Looking back now, I think it was one of
those defining moments of my life.
So, after finishing up my fellowship as an environment
journalist in the Philippines, I returned to Vietnam and prepared for my
departure for Finland.
What is your
background: previous studies, work experience and interests?
I did my Bachelor’s degree in International Relations.
Afterward, I tried out with several different jobs such as branding and
television reporter before I started development works with Oxfam in Hanoi. My
time with Oxfam really helped me determine my focus in development works.
How was the study
experience (compared to bachelor’s studies for example): teaching, lecturers,
fellow students, student life, university facilities?
The truth is I really struggled during the first semester.
Everything was so much different from anything I had ever been familiar with:
the climate, the teaching and studying styles, the course register system,
reading materials, lecturers and fellow students speaking English with accents
from all over Europe. I was extremely overwhelmed.
Even though for the full two years before arriving in Jyväskylä,
I used English as a daily tool at work, I struggled greatly with the advanced
reading materials for assignments. The problem did not lie in comprehending the
wording or vocabulary per se but the concepts mentioned in those papers.
Frankly, the works in practice that I had been used to were quite far from the
theoretical concepts I read.
But at the end of the day, I told myself: “Isn’t this the
whole point of going abroad and attending courses like these so that I could
advance my knowledge?” So, every single time I came across a concept or
reference that I did not understand, I looked it up. Sometimes, I ended up
having to read a whole book just to understand one citation because the author
used the whole book as a citation in her/his paper. That was pretty cruel to
say the least! This took me so much time that I would normally spend double or triple
the time to understand one paper than others in my class. But fortunately, the
professors and lecturers were very generous with their deadlines for long
essays so as long as I started immediately with the assignments, I always finished
them in time with good quality.
Thanks to the intensive works I went through during the
first semester, I became more and more confident in my contribution to
discussions in class. Because I had to read a lot more materials to complete my
assignments, I gained sufficient knowledge on the basic development theories
and common references of popular authors in the field. I really skated through
the following semester much more easily.
I still remember what Professor Jeremy Gould said to me
during the one-on-one feedback session after the first semester: “You have
changed a lot in a good way. I think this is a good programme for you.” And I
could not agree more.
Reflecting on that, I think I would not have been able to achieve what I did without the state of art facilities always available at school. The main
library was like my fortress, while its books and data base were my weapons of
sorts. It might sound really weird and makes me appear like a complete nerd but
never in my life had I ever thought that there would be a day when I would love
to go to the library. But I did! I loved spending time in the main library.
During my last semester in Jyväskylä, I worked on my thesis every day in the
library from opening until closing hours. I developed the habit of bringing my
own tea in a thermostat and bought pastries from K-mart near by to snack on
together with my tea. Those were small but nice memories that I still carry
with me until now.
What was the topic of
your thesis, were you involved in any other major projects? Did you find new
interests? What inspired you?
The topic of my thesis was “Those who bridge the gaps:
Brokers and translators within development practices in Nepal.” I was not
involved in any projects because the topics of available projects at the time
were not of my interests.
However, the greatest find I had from my study with DEVI has
to be Post-development school of thoughts and how it was often misunderstood by
the name “anti-development theory”. I was fascinated when I read about it after
an introduction in Development theories class. I eventually used this as the
theoretical framework for the entire thesis. After the struggle with
understanding theories that spoke very little to my previous experience with
development works, Post-development school of thoughts brought out the bitter
truth in the field that, I felt, people were neglecting in the academic world. My
observation during the internship in Nepal only confirmed the belief of
scholars of Post-development school of thoughts had claimed.
How was Finland and
Jyväskylä?
Finland was amazing on its own account. For two years in Jyväskylä,
I stayed in Roninmäki student housing which was by the woods overlooking the
beautiful lake of Myllyjärvi. I had never lived in a place as quiet and peaceful
as this area. In any given season, looking out the window from my room would always
give me such pleasant feelings because of the nature’s incredible charm. Leaving Finland
after two years, I became a much calmer person than I had been. And I am
absolutely delighted with the person I became after Finland.
Sometimes, when things get hectic around me, be it my work
or personal frustrations, I often reminisce about the absolute peace and
quietness in Roninmäki, the long walks home from the library or the restaurant
where I worked part-time, or the endless white nights. It was incredible!
Work experience after
graduation? How has this master’s degree helped you after graduating: personal
development (like analytical thinking etc…), working life?
After coming back to Vietnam, I started working for an NGO
as a project manager. I managed Public-Private-Partnership projects co-financed
by a private partner and a German government’s bank. The project I was assigned
to was being implemented in three countries simultaneously: Vietnam, Myanmar
and Indonesia.
The moment I found out that I was going to manage the 2 million
euro project with only one coordinator based in Myanmar and none in Indonesia,
I was truly going through a panic attack: How am I going to implement project
activities in places I had never stepped foot on or could not even speak the
language? And the project had been delayed to an alarming point that I had no
time to learn anything but jumping right into works.
But looking back now, I obviously underestimated the
knowledge and skills I had gained through my education in Jyväskylä. With the
intensive traveling that I had to do for the first 7 months on the job, I had
no time to think many things through; however, I was clearly subconsciously
applying project management knowledge that I had learned from the programme without
realizing it. I only realized this when the crisis of meeting deadlines and
finishing reports was overcome, the intensity of constant traveling had calmed
down and I was reflecting upon what had happened.
I found myself at another level of professionalism and
sharpness that, funny enough, scared my boss sometimes. This was the results of
the training of punctuality and taking works seriously during my study in Jyväskylä
.
After almost two years fighting deadlines, I finally closed
the said project and this led me to a whole new realm of how development
intervention had evolved to be in Vietnam’s context.
As of now, I am exploring the possibilities of Inclusive
Business, maybe a more sustainable way of conducting development intervention
in the new context of Vietnam as a low-middle income country.
Do you still keep in
touch with other students or teachers from the programme?
I only keep in touch with a couple of classmates that I was
particularly close with during our study.
What are your future
plans and dreams?
The Public-Private-Partnership project that I managed for
almost 2 years after coming back to Vietnam provided me the opportunity to see
how climate change affected the livelihood of small-scale farmers in
Vietnam. So, my plan is to obtain another Master’s Degree in Climate Change and
Development, but this time, I hope to conduct my study in the Institute of Development
Studies, Sussex, United Kingdom. And later on, I hope to contribute to building
the resilience of our people in the adaptation process to climate change.
Do you have any words
of advice for people who consider applying to the programme?
Go ahead and apply without a second thought! I guarantee you
that if you are the type of person who goes heads-on with obstacles instead of
backing away from them, you will love Finland and its education. No one will
lecture you this directly but you will gradually learn that being defeated is
not a bad thing as long as you remember to stand back up, learn from it and
move forward, by which, you’ll grow, tremendously, I might add.
The freedom given to students in Finnish schools is
incredible! This also means that you have to work on your own most of the time
but help is always around the corner when you need it.
The programme will give you a glimpse into what you might
encounter later in your career and prepare you the skills and knowledge to cope
with what might come. If you decide to stay in Europe or somewhere nice and
easy to manage a fund or something along that line for an international NGO or
foundation, good for you, you do not have to think too much. But if you decide to
join the development battles heads-on in developing countries, take all the
knowledge from the programme with you however keep an absolutely open mind and
learn to think in the shoes of those in need, not of those giving aid.
And do check out Post-development school of thoughts, you
will be amazed!
