Doing my dissertation helped me identify my strengths
I have been very surprised by how enjoyable my entire study journey has been. As a child, I had no interest in school, and it was not until I started in engineering that I became interested in studying. I noticed how motivating it can be, particularly from the perspective of self-development. Some years later, I completed my doctoral degree in biomechanics.
It was hard to imagine as a child that one day I would have a PhD. I didn’t find comprehensive school particularly easy, nor was I interested in studying. I was more intrigued by sports and exercise. The university world seemed completely foreign to me when I was young, partly because it seemed unattainable.
I didn’t really get the urge to study until I was studying engineering at a university of applied sciences: I simply noticed how motivating studying can be, especially from the perspective of individual development. Eventually, through various stages, I completed my doctoral degree in sport and health sciences the end of 2023 with a major in biomechanics.
From a double master’s degree to doctoral studies
After finishing my engineering studies, I decided to switch to the field of exercise and well-being, so I started my physiotherapy studies in 2016. After graduation, I almost immediately started in the master’s degree programme in physiotherapy at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ and later continued to the University’s Sports Technology Unit in Vuokatti, where I majored in biomechanics.
I completed a master’s degree in health sciences as well as one in sport and health sciences in 2020. At the end of my studies, the supervisors of my master’s thesis recommended me a position as a doctoral researcher. The position was co-funded by KU Leuven in Belgium and JYU’s Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. The international double degree was an interesting option also because I had already been to KU Leuven as an exchange student during my master’s studies. Thanks to the support and inspiration received from my thesis supervisors, I applied for the position and was selected.
For the doctoral dissertation, more freedom means more responsibility
From the beginning, the dissertation work at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences was extremely fascinating. It involved international cooperation, and I was able to significantly influence what I was working on. I chose the topic of my doctoral dissertation mainly based on my own interests, but my dissertation supervisor’s suggested line of research and available materials impacted my dissertation plan.
I was able to draw on my extensive educational background during my dissertation by combining perspectives of technology and health. I genuinely felt I had a unique opportunity to bring together the different subjects I had studied along my varied educational path.
The dissertation work suited me perfectly because I was able to determine the content of my work as well as pace it in a way that the whole process remained motivating. I also enjoy working with people, and even though the work of a researcher can be considered quite independent, it can be really rewarding teamwork at its finest.
A thick skin and perseverance are needed for carrying out dissertation work as critiquing and assessing the dissertations of others is an essential part of the academic world. In addition, working as a doctoral researcher requires excellent self-management skills, because the nature of the work is very unrestricted but also includes a lot of deadlines and goals that must be reached.
The university community and academia are a unique environment for developing competence
I find the university community a safe and inspiring working environment. It offers unique opportunities to realise your own interests in research, teaching, exchanging knowledge and developing your expertise.
Currently, I am pursuing an academic career and strive to create my own line of research, which I promote with the help of publications and research funding applications. I am dreaming of a bigger research project and group in the future. At the same time, I don’t view academia as my only option, but I’m also keeping an eye out for opportunities in the public sector and the corporate world.
Doctoral studies improved my self-knowledge
At this point in my career, I can honestly say that I was very surprised by how enjoyable my entire study journey has been and how seamlessly I was able to combine things I had previously learned in my dissertation. In a way, my dissertation brought together all my previous degrees and, surprisingly, helped me identify my own key strengths, which I have been able to use in the national and international academic community.
However, the main thing hasn’t been the destination, that is, the doctoral degree, but the long and enjoyable journey there, which was crowned with the doctoral dissertation.
