Through the eyes of a BBA student

When people think about studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, they may first picture a fairly straightforward path: upper secondary school or vocational school, followed by a degree at a university of applied sciences and then a direct transition into working life. In reality, BBA students come from a wide range of backgrounds and have very different goals and study paths. One person may move to Finland from the other side of the world to study, another may discover business studies later in life, while a third may combine their BBA studies with expertise from an entirely different field.

More than twenty different BBA degree programmes can be studied at Finnish universities of applied sciences. We wanted to find out what BBA studies look like from the students’ own perspective. We interviewed four students from different parts of Finland and with different backgrounds. Their stories highlight internationality, student activities, pride in their field and the many different paths that can lead to BBA studies.

The importance of a student city lies in its community

The city where you study has a significant impact on what your years as a student will be like. In the experiences of our interviewees, two things stand out in particular: people and community.

Phuc Quach is a third-year Business Information Technology student at LAB University of Applied Sciences in Lahti. Originally from Vietnam, Phuc came to Finland after changing his plans to study nuclear engineering. Alongside his studies, he is actively involved in the activities of the local BBA student association.

Phuc is drawn to Lahti’s developing student culture. Although it is still relatively young compared to many nearby cities, the opportunity to be part of building something new is exactly what makes it interesting. Through different events, Phuc has met other active students, made new friends and built networks.

Grace Mwangome is a second-year BBA student at Savonia University of Applied Sciences in Kuopio. Originally from Kenya, Grace became interested in business studies because she wants to build her own business in the future and use it to make an impact on society.

In Kuopio, Grace is particularly interested in the international and multicultural study environment and community. Kuopio has a long academic history, which means there are many students and a lively event culture. At the university of applied sciences, interdisciplinary interaction is a natural part of student life. Grace also highlights the city’s international atmosphere and enjoys meeting people from many different countries and backgrounds in her everyday school life.

Salli Sarvela and Leevi Päivärinta are both studying for BBA degrees at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. Salli studies Business Administration, while Leevi specialises in Library and Information Services. Leevi’s studies have taken him around Finland over the past ten years, and he came to Seinäjoki to pursue a second BBA degree, this time to qualify for a career in the library sector. Through student life, he has discovered the importance of a close-knit community. Salli’s path to BBA studies was not straightforward either. After starting engineering studies straight after upper secondary school, she moved into a new field through working life. Today, she is building a career in the tourism industry.

For Leevi, Seinäjoki’s small size is actually one of its strengths. In a close-knit student community, people get to know each other easily, and friendships form across different fields of study. Salli also ended up in Seinäjoki somewhat by chance. Originally, she planned to apply for a transfer to Tampere, but the close student community and the opportunity to influence local student culture convinced her to stay. During Salli’s time as a student, student culture in Seinäjoki has gained new momentum after the pandemic years. Seeing events grow and new traditions emerge feels especially meaningful when you know that you have played a part in building them.

Is a BBA degree unnecessary?

A BBA degree can sometimes be seen as too broad or vague, but the experiences of our interviewees tell a different story. The degree does not lead to just one profession. Instead, it provides a broad foundation that can be combined with your own interests and goals.

According to Phuc, a BBA degree opens doors to a wide range of jobs and companies. Among the people he knows, BBA graduates have found work at several major companies in the Lahti region, while career opportunities can also be found across Finland. Phuc sees the degree as something that creates opportunities: skills can be used in many different ways, and the degree does not define one particular direction.

Phuc’s biggest preconception was related to how the degree is valued. During his studies, however, he has met people who started from the same place but have gone on to work in very different roles. He mentions Waltteri Kolkka, the Executive Director of the Students of Business and Technology, as an example. Getting to know him has made it more concrete for Phuc just how many different kinds of careers a BBA degree can lead to.

Grace, meanwhile, highlights the knowledge and skills needed to run a business. A good business idea is only the beginning. For a company to remain successful and profitable, you need an understanding of areas such as leadership, customers and the different aspects of running a business. In her view, BBA studies provide a strong foundation for this knowledge.

At first, Grace had the preconception that a BBA degree was mainly for people who wanted to start their own business. Her studies have shown her that entrepreneurship is only one option among many. BBA skills can just as well be used within an existing organisation, and business knowledge is valuable in a wide range of roles.

For Leevi, the biggest misconception relates to his own field. Libraries may still bring to mind quiet spaces, books being returned to shelves and reminders to keep your voice down. The reality is much more diverse. Libraries have developed into cultural centres where concerts and other events can be organised. The work of library professionals can range from organising language cafés for immigrants to putting on puppet theatre performances for children. The field of Library and Information Services therefore offers a unique perspective on business expertise.

Salli also admits that she used to be one of the people who had preconceptions about BBA studies. During her earlier studies, she thought the degree was essentially a conveyor belt leading to a job at a supermarket checkout. That idea has now completely changed. Through her studies, she has become familiar with a wide range of career stories as well as business concepts. There is also a touch of self-irony in Salli’s story: when she started both engineering studies and later BBA studies, she did not really have a clear idea of what either profession actually involved. She still does not know what an engineer does when they grow up. But she now has a fairly clear idea of what a BBA professional can do – even though that role is anything but straightforward.

Perhaps the question is not what would happen if BBAs did not exist, but how many places already need their expertise. Research shows that there is demand for BBA graduates, and that demand is expected to grow alongside the economy. Companies need professionals who understand customers, develop operations, manage finances and find new ways of doing things. The experiences of these four students show just how many different directions the same degree can lead to.

When your studies start to feel like your own

Not every student has one big moment when everything suddenly falls into place. Often, studies begin to feel meaningful when something you have learned connects with your own life, work or future goals. For our interviewees, these moments of realisation have happened in very different situations.

For Phuc, one such moment came through photography. He enjoys photography and realised that he needed his own website where he could showcase and sell his services. Suddenly, the skills he had learned in his studies no longer felt like mere school assignments – they had a concrete purpose. Building a website and learning how to market his own skills brought his hobby and his BIT studies together.

For Grace, the realisation came during a marketing and branding course. The basic idea of marketing, knowing and understanding your customers’ needs, opened up in a new way when she saw how the combination of product, price, place and promotion works as a whole. What makes studying interesting is not always the theory itself, but seeing that theory come to life in practice. Grace sees these principles as important knowledge that she needs to achieve her future goals.

For Leevi, the realisation came through being a student active. He noticed how much community-based activity is part of student life, and how much of it may no longer exist in working life in quite the same way. It is not just about student parties, but also sports sessions, theme days and different activities. For Leevi, this has made student life feel even more meaningful. Events and other activities organised by student associations give people opportunities to spend time together and try new things without having to organise everything themselves from scratch.

Salli has increasingly noticed the impact of her studies in working life. When she started her current job, she had little understanding of things such as how product prices are formed or how staff management works, and many decisions made by her supervisor seemed illogical. As her studies have progressed, however, her skills and confidence at work have grown, and decisions that once seemed strange have started to make sense from a business perspective.

Pride in your field

In the end, everyone has different reasons to be proud of their BBA studies and that is exactly how it should be. For Phuc and Salli, it is the opportunity to apply what they have learned in working life and gain practical experience. For Grace, it is the opportunity to use her knowledge to help build a better world. Leevi, meanwhile, highlights a community that extends from his own student city all the way to the national level.

These different experiences are what make the BBA field strong. A BBA is not one profession, one industry or one predetermined career path. It is a broad foundation of knowledge and skills that can be combined with your own interests, strengths and goals – whether your path leads to the business world, tourism, technology, entrepreneurship or somewhere completely different.

And that is something to be proud of. Proud to belong to a field that does not fit into a single mould. Proud of the skills, the community and the fact that there are so many different ways to find your own place. Being a BBA is about more than a degree – it is about identity, community and a future that each of us has the opportunity to build in our own way.