Aly, student of the Leading Transformational Change MBA programme: “I feel these are things that I can really use in my daily work”

In 2018, an MBA student from Egypt, Aly Metwaly, moved to Finland to complete his international master's degree in embedded technology at the University of Turku. Aly also ended up completing his master's thesis in Finland and started working at Nokia after graduation. He currently works there under the titles of a Technical Project Manager and Change Leader.

After shifting from studying to working life, Aly became very interested in business studies. He heard about Laurea and Master of Business Administration degree from a colleague. Aly investigated Laurea's study offering and found the programme in Leading Transformational Change. The contents of the degree were very close to what Aly did in his work, and it immediately felt relevant. 

– I feel these are things that I can really use in my daily work, Aly says.

Interest increased even more during the studies

Starting interesting business studies was an easy decision for Aly because the online degree programme made it possible to combine studies and working life.  

The degree programme has even exceeded Aly's expectations: The more he studies, the more interesting and important its topics have started to feel.

– Before starting, my motivation was strong, but it just became stronger after I studied more. This is something I really appreciate in this programme, Aly says. 

Aly is particularly interested in the big picture of strategies and management. He wants to understand the business models and strategic decisions of companies at a higher level. In his studies, Aly is guided by curiosity and passion to learn. 

One of the new interests that emerged from the studies is finance. Aly feels that these studies have made him more capable of understanding, for example, financial data and what the financial reports indicate.

– It, actually, complements my vision of being a person who works with the bigger picture of a company. In that role, you must understand company finances and all of that, Aly says. 

Competence in career, company and personal life

Aly's studies only need writing the thesis, which he will do at his workplace Nokia. Aly is currently looking for an interesting topic that would also benefit the company.

– The thesis is something I really want to execute well, and I want to do a project that’s valuable for the company and as well interesting to me, Aly says.

The benefits of Aly's studies are not limited to career. The increased understanding of, for example, the economy, the financial markets and the stock exchange also affects Aly's life outside work. As an example, when the course Behavioural Decision-Making focused with cognitive biases, the students were, of course, given the tools for their work, but, at the same time, they were taught to become good decision-makers also in their personal lives.

“Finland is a great place to study”

Although all the studies of Aly's degree are online, studying still creates a good opportunity for networking. In projects implemented as group assignments, students can collaborate with people from different study and work backgrounds. Aly feels that group work is an important part of the studies. As everyone reflects on the topics to be discussed through their own experiences, a lot can be learned from discussions with fellow students.

– It’s great that the university is pushing group work in courses because it actually gives you an opportunity to see how other people are reflecting and absorbing the same knowledge, Aly says.

Aly fell in love with studying in Finland when he moved here to complete his first university degree.

– Finland is a great place to study. I think the quality of education, the support for students and the flexibility are something that I haven't seen anywhere else, Aly says.

Aly can imagine living in Finland for a long time, but he also wants to see the world. However, Finland is a good country to return to:

– Even if I leave Finland, I believe I will return someday. It’s like a second home to me, I have never stayed anywhere else abroad this long, Aly says.