Our alum Mina Lim: Finnish working life offers a great deal of independence and low hierarchy

Marketing is partly about education

Mina Lim’s daily work as Dinolift’s digital marketing specialist focuses on raising brand awareness and sales. She promotes the company’s products in digital channels, cooperates with the sales team and manages the company’s CRM system.

“When I first came to Finland for my master’s studies in teacher education in 2018, I started my own YouTube channel to share my story and life in Finland. The channel became popular and got many followers, so I figured that maybe content production is something I actually know about and am good at. That’s how I first got involved in communications,” Mina says.

After graduating with a Master of Arts degree in teacher education, Mina decided to stay in Finland and realised that she needed a long-term plan. She applied for various positions in Finnish companies, and with Dinolift, talent demand and supply seemed to cross paths in a natural way.

“Dinolift manufactures person lifts, and while not many traditional industry companies focus on digital marketing, Dinolift wants to be a forerunner. They saw that my educational background and content production skills would be beneficial for their business. Much of content production is actually about educating the audience, as it can enhance user safety in our industry,” Mina notes.

Looking for the secret of Finnish education and happiness

Back in 2018, Mina decided to apply for master’s studies at Tampere University due to a combination of reasons. Firstly, she wanted to utilise her previous experience from South Korea and develop her career further in teacher education. The programme offered in Tampere felt attractive for the purpose. Secondly, it was of course helpful that she received a full scholarship. Thirdly, she felt that Tampere offered a nice combination of natural landscapes and urban excitement.

One of the reasons why Mina wanted to take her master’s studies in Finland was her curiosity to discover the secret of Finnish education.

Finnish education is big in Korea. Both countries are famous for their high academic achievements, but the difference is in student happiness. I wanted to experience first-hand how Finns can do well in their studies while also maintaining their happiness.

Mina Lim, Digital Marketing Specialist, Dinolift Oy

“Finnish education is big in Korea. Both countries are famous for their high academic achievements, but the difference is in student happiness. I wanted to experience first-hand how Finns can do well in their studies while also maintaining their happiness.”

To Mina, Finland seemed like a safe place to stay. She also felt that there were a lot of student benefits available – something she had never heard of in Korea.

Having two homes means double the happy homecomings

Mina Lim was born and raised in Soeul, the world’s second most densely populated city after Tokyo. Coming to Finland and Tampere from such an intense city was a bit of a shock at first, but soon Mina started to enjoy herself.

“I really like having more room here. It’s easy to find a seat on the bus or at a café, there’s no queueing. People also look quite chilled and relaxed here. After several years of living here, I still enjoy the peacefulness and the nature. Life can be really simple in Finland if that's what you want, and that’s something I really appreciate,” Mina says.

As for working life, Mina says that Finnish employers offer and expect a greater degree of independence at work compared to Korea.

I can do my work independently and autonomously here, which I really enjoy. At first, it was a bit hard knowing the actual extent to which I can make decisions on my own. That’s something I have learned over time, and whenever I’m hesitant, I know I can just call up someone and ask.

Mina Lim, Digital Marketing Specialist, Dinolift Oy

“I can do my work independently and autonomously here, which I really enjoy. At first, it was a bit hard knowing the actual extent to which I can make decisions on my own. That’s something I have learned over time, and whenever I’m hesitant, I know I can just call up someone and ask.”

Today, Mina feels she has two homes: one in Korea and another in Finland. She says she has deliberately adopted a mindset in which she sticks less to places and more to feeling at home anywhere.

“The people around you have a great impact, of course. Whenever I travel back to my Korean home, I’m happy to enjoy my mum’s meals. But when I get to the international airport to travel back with Finnair and start hearing Finnish, I suddenly feel very comfortable. I have found dear friends, networks and also fun new hobbies here in Finland,” Mina concludes.

 

INFO BOX

Name: Mina Lim

Degree and major: Master of Arts, Teacher Education

Graduation year: 2020

Current work: Digital Marketing Specialist at Dinolift Oy