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In our first session, we had the pleasure of hosting Annaliine Tolonen, who currently works as a UX Product Specialist at ABB, a Swedish-Swiss multinational electrical engineering corporation. Annaliine completed her master’s degree in Collaborative and Industrial Design in 2021 and conducted her thesis in collaboration with ABB.

Joining us as well was Betsy Korhonen, who also earned her master’s degree in Collaborative and Industrial Design in 2021. After graduating, she spent two years as the Community Coordinator for the Espoo Talent Hub, a project by the City of Espoo which develops services for international professionals building their careers in Finland. She is currently working as a project manager and editor for the Nokia Design Archive project at Aalto University.

During an engaging and informal Q&A session, we delved into their career journeys, the challenges they encountered, and the key lessons they learned along the way.

One of the important discussions centered around career paths for service designers interested in the social sector. A common challenge in this field is the lack of job listings explicitly seeking "service designers," which can create confusion about where to apply. Betsy highlighted the importance of recognizing one’s transferable skills and carefully analyzing job postings to understand their requirements. Rather than looking for titles that explicitly mention service design, candidates should assess whether their skills align with the role and determine if it would be a good fit.

Anna also emphasized the value of gaining diverse experiences through internships, even if they don’t perfectly align with one’s initial career interests. She pointed out that such opportunities can lead to unexpected career paths, provide pleasant surprises, or at the very least, help clarify which fields one wants to pursue. Every experience contributes to personal and professional growth, offering valuable insights into one’s future career direction.

When asked to share an actionable piece of advice that students could implement right away, both Annaliine and Betsy highlighted the importance of learning Finnish while still in school. They noted that having a grasp of the language can significantly improve job prospects and provide a deeper understanding of Finnish work culture, making the transition into the professional world much smoother.

In conclusion, Annaliine and Betsy both emphasized the importance of championing design within an organization and encouraging companies and teams to recognize the value of design thinking, design theory, and the relevance of the academic aspects of design.

We wrapped up the evening with relaxed conversations, engaging discussions, and a warm cup of glögg accompanied by cookies. As a community, CoID aims to foster meaningful connections among its alumni and strengthen ties with its extended network. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories from the CoID community!