“You forget all the struggles”
The card is small enough to fit in a wallet. For Amjad, it held ten years.
Ten years since his bachelor's. Years of work at different companies. A master's degree already earned at home. And then a decision most people his age never make: to start again, abroad.
When he finally held his Finland residence permit card, he was asked how it felt.
“When success finally comes, you forget all the struggles you faced.”
He didn't forget the first day, though. When the card reached his hand, the only thing he remembered was the day his journey began.
Why did Amjad decide to study abroad 10 years after his bachelor's?
Amjad decided to study abroad because he believed a strong master's from a good country would have a lasting, positive impact on his career.
He completed his bachelor's in 2016, then a master's in Bangladesh, and went on to work at various private-sector companies. About a year before receiving his residence permit, the idea took hold: a second master's, abroad, would open doors his current degrees could not.
His experience turned out to be an advantage, not a delay. Novia's master's programmes in business require at least two years of work experience after a bachelor's degree.
Why did he choose Finland and Novia University of Applied Sciences?
Amjad chose Finland because he had always preferred Scandinavian countries for higher education, and Finland was his first choice from the start.
He shortlisted a few universities and received offer letters from three of them. He chose Novia because its programme matched his business and accounting background and, in his words, would be very useful for his future career development.
Novia's MBA in Sustainable Business Design is a 90-credit master's taught in English in Turku, available full-time or part-time. It is a university of applied sciences postgraduate degree with a research-and-development approach. Novia operates campuses along the Finnish coast in Vaasa, Turku, Raasepori and Pietarsaari. See the programme on Novia's website ↗
