Sorry what? I know, sounds pretty weird to be honest. But wait for the story…
My story
Where did it all start? In 2018, I graduated from my high school, being 1000% sure that I would want to be a journalist. I had studied lots of courses on that and I really felt that it would be my dream job. I loved to write (as you might notice when you read this text) and especially in English. I wrote novels, reports and basically everything! However, I went to the entrance exams but just felt something wasn’t right about it. So I decided to wait for a year and see what happens.
In the summer, I started my summer job, which I found by accident. One international fashion brand needed a summer assistant. I applied for it and happily, I got the job. I spent my whole summer and autumn in that store. Some days I had my hands full of things to do, which I liked very much. Sometimes, a bit less. In one of those days, I started to read the company’s huge book of different ways to produce clothing and garments. It included their sustainable strategies, new innovations and lots of other cool stuff.
I was overwhelmed. All of the things I read about were 2000% me. All the innovative and sustainable thinking. All of it. Then I got my business idea out of nowhere and that’s why I am here now. To learn how to be the best I can be!
School starts
Luckily, only about one year later after I found my real dream job, I got into Häme University of Applied Sciences to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Design. I was so nervous but so excited to start something that I felt totally mine! I moved out from my childhood home to my own apartment and started to travel by train to school almost everyday!
At first, if I was being totally honest, the exercises were a bit difficult for me. Almost everything was very new and I needed to learn it from the basics. But I didn’t let it weigh me down, I just tried harder and harder until I succeeded. Here I would like to say something that is really important for everyone; “Failing is not a bad thing, it is where you truly learn things.” So my advice for you all; fail faster, succeed sooner!
As an example, we painted out t-shirts as a one of the first assignments. Mine was going perfectly until I took off the sablonas and noticed that all my work was ruined. The sablonas didn’t work at all and they let all the paint through them. So my t-shirt became a mess, a very messy mess. I wanted to stop doing it for a second but I realised that I could turn it into something new. Something a bit different from the first idea but still something funny! Now I am even happier with the final result than my first idea.
And finally the part why some of you might be reading this, sorry guys! You might notice writing is one of my talents. Maybe I should still write a book someday?
Straight to big boots
We had a visit at the new Design Factory building in early autumn. I was so curious and it is really one of the coolest places to be! So many possibilities.
After the visit, I contacted the people at the Design Factory to ask if they had something where I could join in this autumn. Even so, I had just started and didn’t have any specific professional skills yet. They answered, “Yes we have”. I asked again if it´s ok that I´m a first year student. It was. One week later (if I remember right!) I was in Aalto University Design Factory in Otaniemi Espoo. This course is in English and there can be people who are studying for a Bachelor’s or even Master´s.
The Product Development Project (known as PDP) had their second meeting and it was time for mix and mingle! As I sat in the front row, all by myself of course, I thought: “Where did I put myself again??” But I decided to take ALL of my courage and do the job! It went amazingly well! We managed to form a team and started to get to know each other.
In the course, there´s many kinds of companies with diverse projects. My team got the nose cone satellite project with a company called AURORA. We are now doing our almost final prototypes of the satellites and their mechanics.
And the rest of it, is history! I have studied and travelled to both places almost a year now and couldn’t be happier with my choices! Totally worth it and I have learned so much! More than I could ever have thought!
So the reason why I wrote this blog text and on this specific topic is that believing in yourself might be hard sometimes but always totally worth it!
Because nothing cool can happen if you don’t take the chance!
Yours, Janna
PS. Feel free to contact me via Instagram, Email or LinkedIn if you have some questions or just to get to know me! Thank you!
Email: janna19101@student.hamk.fi
Instagram: NOOTHERJANNA
LinkedIn : Janna Puljujärvi
