Students can learn about marketing and earn credits during studies by taking part in HAMK’s marketing efforts. This participation may include students acting as presenters at fairs, taking part in school visits, describing their education to various groups, taking part in photo shoots, blogging or video blogging, or using other social media channels. Students’ own marketing projects are also one possibility for carrying out these studies. By participating in marketing students can practice and improve their public speaking and interaction skills as well as describing and marketing their education and competence. These skills are crucial when looking for a job.
Sonja Kauppi has been a member of students’ marketing team in DP in ICT, Bioeconomy from the beginning of her studies.
– On second school day we visited Elonkierto in Jokioinen and I had my camera with me. Having seen me with the camera, our tutor asked me if I was interested in marketing, because there was a need for a photographer. I approach new things open-mindedly – so here I am, Sonja tells with a laugh.
At that point, she already had a lot of experience she could put to good use – she had worked as a festival promoter, written her own blog, and been interested in photographing for a long time. She started blog when she was 12 years old and she has grown up seeing new social media platforms develop alongside Facebook.
– I used to write about my days and show my photos in my blog. It was like a diary and, in a way, the content was quite like what I share in social media nowadays. It’s natural for me to communicate in social media, because my generation is so used to using mobile phone, Sonja says.
Even though Sonja takes actively part in marketing at fairs and school visits, the social media is what she is strongly interested in.
– In social media it is easy to see the effect of your actions immediately and the ways of communicating with the target group are different in comparison with traditional print media. You get feed back right away through likes and comments and you can develop your work based on that, she states.
– Marketing has offered nice variety to studies. I have always liked to work with visuals and I’m sociable by nature, so marketing my education is a relaxing counterbalance to other studies for me. It was surprising to be able to develop and make use of this side of me in engineering studies though, Sonja says.
Sonja’s interests in visuals and marketing can be seen in her other studies as well. For the second year of engineering studies in ICT, Bioeconomy, students form their own engineering offices. In her team, Sonja oversees visuals and documentation for their office. She has also carried out a social media project for Envor Group and is going to make another similar project for Kotipizza restaurant in Forssa during summertime.
Sonja is interested in technology and it is easy for her to familiarize herself with new devices. She is used to spending time on computer – exploring different things and issues online, playing games and talking with her friends. After graduation, she would like to work in an environmental company either as an expert on social media or with projects related to data analytics. In her opinion, being able to combine these interests of her at work would be great.
Ms. Katja Pouta, Business Cooperation Assistant, DP in ICT, Bioeconomy, Forssa
Translation in English: Ms. Satu Alatalo, Study Advisor, DP in ICT Bioeconomy, Forssa
