From Study Secretary to Student Services Planner
A career change brought the opportunity to work at Humak
“I found Humak while looking for a new direction after changing fields—right in the middle of the pandemic. I had moved away from social work and had just graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Still, I felt that my place wasn’t in HR management, which I had been focusing on. I decided to look at job opportunities from a different perspective and confidently applied for secretary positions in various organizations, including Humak,” Maiju explains.
Maiju started at Humak as a temporary Study secretary, a role that combined customer service skills with her interest in working with new systems. Soon, the title changed to planner to better reflect the diversity of her responsibilities. After moving into the role of Student services planner, Maiju has worked across a wide range of student and applicant services. Highlights of her work include organizing the annual AMK entrance exams, participating in student orientation visits, and mentoring interns.
“I like it when I get to do a little bit of everything,” Maiju says, adding that she often amuses her colleagues by getting excited about tasks that others might find tedious. “It’s fun when sometimes you get to do the same thing all day and just click through it. Not everything has to be about constant brainstorming—there’s a charm in routines too.”
Maiju appreciates the small size of Humak, as it allows for a real impact on her work and fosters a close-knit work community. Managers know each employee’s strengths and weaknesses, which helps make the best use of everyone’s skills. Daily life is communal: the principal, lecturers, and interns often meet in the same break room.
“It makes the community genuinely close. It feels like you know almost everyone, and everyone has an important role. Humak’s work community is a source of strength for me, and here I feel valued both as an employee and as a person,” Maiju describes.
Meaningful work with students
Maiju’s organizational skills and attention to detail shine when she takes on the responsibility of arranging the annual AMK entrance exams.
“Organizing the exams is a big deal for me. Managing the entire process from start to finish is always exciting— from scheduling staff and exam supervisors to ensuring there’s enough space and handling the national system. And yes, I’ve even oiled the squeaky doors of the exam rooms to make sure the exam day runs smoothly for the applicants!” she explains.
One of the most rewarding aspects of Maiju’s work is seeing students’ journeys from start to finish. Having worked at Humak for almost four years, she enjoys seeing the same names at different stages: from applicants to entrance exams, from orientation to becoming students, and finally to graduation. This continuity feels meaningful and allows her to support students throughout their path.
The cyclical and repetitive nature of the work doesn’t bother Maiju – on the contrary:
“It’s wonderful that each year brings the same structure, but with new people and new opportunities to grow. If something doesn’t go perfectly one year, the next year you can do even better. You constantly become wiser and more skilled in your work.”
