Ameer Abdullah worked hard to get a degree and learn Finnish

Ameer Abdullah from Pakistan knew already in high school that he wanted to study in Finland. He had done a lot of research on Finland, so nothing on the spot has surprised him. Now he has a BBA degree in his pocket and a completed YKI test in Finnish.

Text and photos: Mari Loikkanen

Ameer Abdullah‘s father gave his son the opportunity to choose any country where he could go to study. Whether it’s the United States, Canada, or something else, dad assured him that he’d take care of the costs.

Abdullah knew immediately that he wanted to study in Finland. As a high school student in Pakistan, he was particularly interested in geography and researched information about different countries. It was then that he found out that education in Finland is among the best in the world. He was fascinated by the modern education system and practical studies.

− I chose to come to Finland and specifically to Turku. I’m from the countryside, so I don’t like the hustle and bustle of big cities. I thought that Turku was just right for me and that nature was close by.

The support system at Turku UAS is excellent. I have received help in organising my studies from both the guidance counsellor and the teachers.

Abdullah graduated from Turku University of Applied Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in English. He arrived in Finland in January 2024 and completed his degree in an exceptionally short time of 1.5 years. The time also included an internship, a thesis, diligent study of Finnish and working as a security steward. The expected duration of the degree is 3.5 years.

− I didn’t know that you could complete your studies so quickly, but the support system at Turku UAS is excellent. I have received help in organising my studies from both the guidance counsellor and the teachers. They have been really supportive.

For the first six months, Abdullah focused on his studies. He also participated in the Finnish language discussion club, which meets at the Kupittaa campus, in EduCity. He also made Finnish friends there. In addition, he attended Finnish language classes at the Turku Evening High School in the evenings.

− I have been very motivated to learn the Finnish language and get good grades in my studies. It is important to me.

Flexible and practical studies

Abdullah has found studying business administration rewarding. He has particularly enjoyed the fact that the teachers have solid work experience in the fields they represent and that they have given him practical tips for working life. He particularly liked the flexibility and practical approach of the studies.

After six months of studying, Abdullah wanted to get into the world of work and decided to get a security steward license from the police.

− When I went to the security steward training, I was the only foreigner, and the teacher didn’t speak English at all. In addition, you had to read a textbook either in Finnish or Swedish. I recorded the whole lectures, underlined passages from the book and translated them using AI. There were a lot of difficult legal terms, but I passed the test, Abdullah says happily.

At the moment, more as a hobby, he works as a security steward at different locations and has contracts with three different companies.

As part of his studies Abdullah completed an internship at the Communications and Marketing Department of Turku UAS. At the same time, he worked on his thesis on how business teachers use artificial intelligence in their work.

− In the spring, I also focused on practicing my Finnish so that I could take the National Certificate of Language Proficiency in Finnish, the YKI test. The days have been so busy that I have often gone home late at night. But I managed to pass the YKI test!

Entrepreneurship runs in the family

Business administration was a natural choice of study for Abdullah, as there are many entrepreneurs in his family. His father’s company exports oranges to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. In the future, Abdullah plans to work for his father.

− I would like to develop our family company in such a way that there would not be so many intermediaries in exports. But I don’t need to move to Pakistan to do that. I could work remotely from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or Oman, depends where our target and saturated market is.

First Abdullah wants to enjoy his time in Finland. He plans to stay in Finland for a longer period and hopes to gain new kind of work experience. He is interested in working in Finnish higher education, for example in areas such as international relations and marketing.

− The traditional education system that is practiced in South Asia is not for me. I always got good grades there, however, the way I truly wanted to study, the way that fulfilled me was with flexibility and hands-on learning that I found in the Finnish educational system.