Are UAS good enough for career in IT

smj · Post by **smj** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:51 pm

Okay, so I'm very confused lately. I've read a lot on the net regarding this matter but never got an answer I could be satisfied with. I'll get straight to the question - are Finnish UAS good enough (for the career) in IT field? I've heard many say that UAS are not good when compared to Universities, you never get a decent career mostly. I had another option of studying in India where there are better ranking colleges. I am quite near to attending a UAS in Finland and now I'm scared if I made a wrong choice by going for a Finnish UAS than and Indian university for my bahcelors.
I assume here are people who can give me some details about this matter correctly. Please, let me know how things really are.

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Beep_Boop · Post by **Beep_Boop** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:15 pm

Finnish universities are very good, but as a foreigner (without Finnish language knowledge) you chances aren't good into getting in a full-fledged Finnish university on the Bachelor level due to lack of programmes in English.

Finnish AMK/UAS aren't that good. Meaning that the educational value is noticeably lower than universities. HOWEVER, they're almost equally respected by employers when it comes to positions requiring hands-on experience like network management, system administration, embedded systems development, web development, etc.

So, ask yourself: Do you want to continue in a career in IT in positions like described above? If yes, the AMK/UAS are great. If you want to continue in academia/CS, then universities are better.
If you want to work and live outside Finland, then there's even more incentive to go for AMK/UAS because the world perceives Finnish education as great on all levels, so it wouldn't matter so much if it's UAS or full-fledged university.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 12:17 pm

Beep_Boop wrote:Finnish universities are very good, but as a foreigner (without Finnish language knowledge) you chances aren't good into getting in a full-fledged Finnish university on the Bachelor level due to lack of programmes in English.

Finnish AMK/UAS aren't that good. Meaning that the educational value is noticeably lower than universities. HOWEVER, they're almost equally respected by employers when it comes to positions requiring hands-on experience like network management, system administration, embedded systems development, web development, etc.

So, ask yourself: Do you want to continue in a career in IT in positions like described above? If yes, the AMK/UAS are great. If you want to continue in academia/CS, then universities are better.
If you want to work and live outside Finland, then there's even more incentive to go for AMK/UAS because the world perceives Finnish education as great on all levels, so it wouldn't matter so much if it's UAS or full-fledged university.

Full-fledged university and bachelors = dropout in the eyes of Finnish employer. Or at least it used to be, haven't dealt for a while with hiring and hr stuff. Not even sure how the degrees have changed due to Bologna process..

Beep_Boop · Post by **Beep_Boop** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 2:58 pm

Upphew wrote:Full-fledged university and bachelors = dropout in the eyes of Finnish employer. Or at least it used to be, haven't dealt for a while with hiring and hr stuff. Not even sure how the degrees have changed due to Bologna process..

Yeah, Finnish universities tend to be Masters factories. I was trying to make a distinction between AMKs and universities when it comes to Bachelor in terms of availability to foreign students.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 6:47 pm

Also, is your career going to be in Finland or India? Also in Europe, EU-based education (degree equivalency) vs. "a what"? The same then vice versa in India.

smj · Post by **smj** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 6:02 pm

Soooo....from all of it what I conclude is: I take the opportunity and start my studies in Finland is what you guys suggest.

Beep_Boop · Post by **Beep_Boop** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 9:10 pm

smj wrote:Soooo....from all of it what I conclude is: I take the opportunity and start my studies in Finland is what you guys suggest.

Don't take it as a direct suggestion. You're the only one you know your situation.
For me, I'd choose Finland over India due to the weather, safety, and culture. Education quality is the last on my last. You might have a completely different set of motivations.

irnbru · Post by **irnbru** » Wed Jul 06, 2016 5:34 pm

I studied IT at a UAS. I have been working in IT in hki for 12 years now making good money. Spent 3 years at UAS learning programming. I think you could skip UAS learn programming yourself for 3 years get on Stackoverflow or whatever. Get a bit of a rep as being a decent programmer and do just as well.

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