Code, Culture, Curry and Coffee: Satyam’s journey in Finland
At 18, I packed my bags, left the comfort of my home in India, and stepped into the snowy unknown of Finland.
I came to study Computer Applications at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) in August of 2019. I came to HAMK not just to study Computer Applications, but to reinvent myself — to trade fear for curiosity, and uncertainty for growth. I had big dreams and very little idea of what to expect. This is the story of my transformation — from a curious student to a working software engineer in a foreign land.
In India, the path was familiar, but something in me craved the unfamiliar. Having read on the internet about how Finland has the best education system in the world, Finland promised not just a new education, but a new way of thinking. While India has great universities, I was looking for an education model that emphasized practical skills, creativity, and global collaboration — all of which I found at HAMK in Finland.
I’m going to be completely honest here, the first week here was gut wrenching scary!
Code to Success
It was a storm of emotions: awe, fear, and the aching echo of home in every quiet corner. Every face was new, with completely different landscapes. It felt like a character from one game glitched and has landed into a new one. Still, there were brief moments of comfort. I slowly started interacting with my classmates and people around me and realized that a lot of them are in the same boat as me.
Talking to new people is something I always enjoy and that life skill helped me here greatly in making new friends. Some were from Russia, some were Finnish, one from the US and one whom I could call my first good friend here was Italian. I realized there are a lot more things I had in common with people here than the differences.
Coming to the studies part, I have been an academically inclined student through my school years, so I was eager to learn. Although I had never learned coding before coming to HAMK, the first coding professor we were assigned, Mr. Tommi Saksa, was a great teacher. I never felt in his classes that I should know something beforehand. The curriculum went step-by-step, and the assignments were easy to understand but challenging enough to learn. As we progressed to the 2nd and 3rd year of studies the pressure got a bit higher as I was also inclined towards securing an internship along with keeping up my high grades.
From Intern to Developer
I got my first internship at the end of my first year of studies at HAMK. It was for a German ad-tech company called Cyreen GmBH. My role at the company was as a data science intern. I talk about that and a lot more in detail here: Satyam: Choosing HAMK was indeed an obvious choice
Now apart from all these studies and work placements, life in Finland is completely opposite to what I had in India. In India I would wake up to the fragrance of home cooked meals, but in Finland it’s the bittersweet taste of coffee I must brew myself. “India taught me how to live among chaos; Finland, how to listen to silence.” My day off in India would be going shopping in malls, watching the latest release in the theatre and trying different foods at new restaurants and on the contrast, here in Finland would be to go to a sauna, swim in the clear-water lake next and then grilling sausages and making smores next to that lake. I love both these aesthetics and cherish the contrast they provide in character development.
My latest work placement was working as a full-time software engineer for a fintech company: Talenom. I was the lead front-end developer of my team which worked on the customer platform: Talenom Online. The work life balance is wonderful; I don’t have to take any work home and can enjoy the work-life balance well.
Now, as a Junior Software Engineer, I carry not just skills, but stories — of growth, grit, and gratitude.
Here On Out: Life after HAMK
As I look back on the path that brought me here — from the sunlit streets of India to the snow-covered stillness of Finland — I see more than just a journey across continents. I see a transformation. Every lonely evening, every cultural misstep, every line of code and every quiet victory shaped me into someone stronger, more curious, more whole. Studying abroad wasn’t just about earning a degree — it was about discovering who I am when everything familiar is stripped away. It was about finding comfort in solitude, confidence in struggle, and clarity in silence.
Now, as a Junior Software Engineer, I carry not just skills, but stories — of growth, grit, and gratitude. To any young dreamer standing where I once stood, unsure and full of questions: take the leap. The world is diverse, and so are you.
Graduation from HAMK won’t be just an end to your studies but the beginning of your life ahead.
Alright ending this article here, gotta finish my black coffee, go to the gym and then swim in the lake. All the best with your journey ahead, hopefully see you here, in Finland at HAMK!
Author
Satyam Arora
Computer Applications Alumni