”Studying and working have been made easy in Diak”

Quan Cung, 30, Bachelor of Social Services student (English-taught degree programme)

– I moved to Finland in 2012 and started studying in Rovaniemi. After a while, I decided to change my career path and I moved to Helsinki. While living in Finland, I also fell in love with the Finnish language, and I wanted to learn it better.  

After finishing my first degree to become an elderly care specialist in 2016, I wanted to continue my studies. In 2018, I graduated as a child and youth care specialist. This gave me the idea to start my Social Services studies at Diak in Helsinki. Before starting my studies in Diak, one of my friends who was studying there at the time, recommended me the English-taught social studies. 

“I like working with children so social studies were a better fit for me”

Originally, I wanted to study to become a practical nurse, but instead, I ended up starting studies in a different field. Now I’m studying to become a Bachelor of Social Studies. I like working with children so social studies were a better fit for me. These studies also relate to my previous practical nurse studies.  

One thing that surprised me during my studies was the fact that after 2019, social service students are not able to study early childhood education anymore. I still however wanted to continue my social service studies in Helsinki, because. I really like Diak’s environment and premises. 

“It’s a shame that some people don’t know that much about Diak”

During my studies, I did not know any other Vietnamese students, but I decided to join the student union O’Diakco’s activities. There I met other international students. 

In Diak, everyone has been friendly and helpful during my studies. It’s a shame that some people don’t know that much about Diak ‒ it would be nice to tell them more about itthe university.  

For people who are thinking of starting their studies in Diak, I would advise then to get more information about the studies. For students who already study Iin Diak, I would encourage them to always seek for help if they have any problems. 

You can also easily combine your studies and working life in Diak. During my first practical training, I was already working alongside my studies, and my teacher gave me lots of professional help. Studying and working has been made easy in Diak.  

Text: Kaisamari Sundström 

Photo: Quan Cung 

Read more about the English-taught Bachelor of Social Services programme.