Artem Raspopov

I am Artem Raspopov, a graduate in nuclear technology and I have been working in this field for 22 years. I currently work as a project manager in a start-up company that designs and manufactures electromagnetic bearings for high-speed devices.  

I started my studies at HELBUS during a challenging life situation: looking for a new job after the end of a previous project, being a foreigner in a foreign country, and being a single parent for my son, for whom I was fully responsible. I had heard good things about HELBUS from an acquaintance, and after comparing the options, HELBUS seemed to be the best place in Helsinki to do an MBA. So I decided to invest part of my severance pay in further studies at HELBUS. 

The postgraduate studies relieved my stress and gave me the new confidence I needed in that situation. It enabled me to be more determined in my job search and also more open-minded in my search for new, more imaginative career paths. After all, at that time there were many jobseekers on the labour market who matched my profile and who had also worked with me on the same big project.    

Initially, studying was challenging as I had not studied in a commercial field and it had been more than 20 years since my previous academic studies. I also started a new job at the same time, so I had to learn a whole new job, study and look after my son, all at the same time. But I still managed to do my first few assignments well. Being a very inquisitive person and always very curious, I really enjoyed the academic environment at HELBUS and the vast sources of knowledge it opened up. 

The instructors at HELBUS are very enthusiastic and professional. They always have time to discuss their subjects in class and are not content to just lecture. My fellow students were equally enthusiastic and cooperative. We had interesting discussions during lectures, which made the learning experience more lively and rewarding.   

I would highly recommend studying at HELBUS. It is the best investment in terms of time, money and energy.

Thomas Tuominen

I work as a sales manager in a Finnish company with operations in many other countries. I had thought for a long time that a Masters degree would be useful in my professional life. In listed companies, for example, a Masters degree is often a prerequisite for applying for management positions. 

After looking at different options, I decided on HELBUS, where I completed a two-year MBA while working. I was familiar with the English language from my working life, so it was easy to study in that respect. Other aspects of my studies were easier than I had thought, and I graduated in 2021.    

My fellow students were really nice and the team spirit was very good! It was very rewarding to get to know people from so many different fields, and we did a lot of group work. I made friends with many of my fellow students and I still keep in touch with them often. We also went on a graduation trip to the University of Northampton, England.  

I was surprised by the quality of teaching at HELBUS. Almost all the professors had significant practitioner and management experience in their field. For example, a professor of logistics had worked for Maersk, the world’s largest container logistics company. I was also surprised by the size of the university behind HELBUS. The University of Northampton is much bigger than many Finnish universities.  

In the end, I was so enthusiastic about Northampton’s MBA that I offered to market it on behalf of HELBUS and worked as a HELBUS growth officer for 1.5 years alongside my studies.

If you have the desire to work internationally, the HELBUS MBA is an internationally renowned and respected Masters degree. However, many foreign companies and recruiters are not familiar with Finnish state universities.  

Now I have a Master’s degree and, on top of that, the MBA has had a huge impact on my thinking in the working world: it has given me a lot more valuable critical thinking and factual reasoning skills. 

It’s definitely worth going to HELBUS to study! The investment I made in my MBA is the best investment of my life – €20,000!

Sari Ritamies

After some years at the Open University, I started to feel like an MBA was what I truly wanted. I surveyed the market on MBA, and eMBA opportunities and most options vastly surpassed my budget.
After some Googling for international schools, I came across HELBUS.

The moment was right, my motivation peaked, and I started looking more into HELBUS as the price seemed a bit too good. At first, I had my doubts due to the reasonable pricing, but all doubts faded away very soon after starting my studies. Additionally, a close friend of mine is a HELBUS alumnus, and that firm reference meant a lot to me. So I applied right away.

International focus and studying in English was critical for me; the University of Northampton matched that need nicely. The admissions process was smooth and made me think critically about my motivators. I felt like not everyone would get in.

I have been delighted and happy with my studies. The curriculum covers all central leadership areas. It has helped me see the forest for the trees and instantly improved my strategic thinking. These skills I have been able to utilize at work immediately during my studies. The workload of studying surprised me at first, but I soon learned to plan my time and use the great tools and support from the teaching staff.

The network of fellow students has been invaluable to me as we share business challenges and are all peers. Everyone has a lot of business experience I can learn from. HELBUS is a school I can recommend if you want to study internationally and improve your leadership skills in all areas.

Jarkko Ilomäki

Since our company has invested strongly in internationalizing, we evaluated the MBA degree to supplement my current competences and help with the company’s development in the future. At HELBUS, I was interested in the flexibility of the studies, the international atmosphere and fast-paced modules with various sub-areas. Now after a year of studies I feel like I have learned an abundance of various matters, in which I either did not pay attention before nor did not understand their meaning. I feel like this degree has fulfilled my goals.

Mika Laakkonen

I first heard about HELBUS from my mother, and it seemed like a great alternative to the forced break year I was facing. The admissions process was smooth and easy. The price might seem high, as higher education is primarily free in Finland. Still, the fee is very competitive compared to other international studies. To date, I have been delighted with my studies. International skills combined with high-quality education has taught me much about how companies operate and build my analytical skills. My academic skills have improved vastly, as have my critical thinking skills. These studies help me develop as a person, and I am confident they will accelerate my career.

Shkelqesa Jashanica

“Having decided to study business I made the decision to apply to HELBUS because it offered me the opportunity to graduate incredibly quickly. I also liked the idea of studying in an international environment and completing my education in English. I expected to receive a strong theoretical and practice knowledge in all the different areas of business during my studies and my expectations were exceeded. The instructors all have diverse backgrounds in business and education, and through them I have been able to learn more than just the course content and broaden my own world view. HELBUS has excellent staff who have always supported me, and the entire study experience has helped me grow and develop as a person. As a HELBUS-graduate, I feel self-confident and prepared for the future.“

Demi Palanki

“I completed my Bachelor’s degree in HELBUS, so I started the MBA already confident in the quality of the school and the staff. As expected, studying the MBA was more challenging than before but it was a great experience during which I was exposed to many new ideas and developed a strong foundation for the future as a result. I have developed a lot during the programme and also gained the self-confidence needed to succeed in international business. The faculty were excellent overall, as they made the modules both interesting and practical, as well as being consistently supportive and encourage throughout the programme. The best thing about HELBUS is the community spirit and it’s the network of people that I’ve met throughout my studies that I will value most.“

Hanna Hautajärvi

“Obtaining an MBA can be an important step in career development, as it really helps you stand out in the labour market. HELBUS’ programme in particular stood out for me due to its internationality and diversity of instructors, as well as the possibility to earn the degree quickly so as to be able to resume my career as soon as possible. There is very close cooperation between HELBUS and the University of Northampton, and these ties were evident in the quality of the education on offer. I am very happy with the experience of having studied on the MBA programme and looking back, I am only now beginning to fully realise the full extent of what I learned during that year.”

Pasi Ketolainen

“I was promised a high standard of teaching when I applied to HELBUS’s MBA programme, but my experience exceeded expectations. I have significant work experience in several different industries already and so was quickly able to see how my classroom studies directly translated to versatile solutions in working life. The studies allowed me to develop my professional skills and knowledge. Throughout the programme I was able to develop my professional skills, and these have helped prepare me for future challenges in my career. Student to the programme come from a variety of backgrounds, making the classroom environment rewarding and interesting, as each brought their own experiences and perspectives with them. The instructors demanded a lot from us, also provided enough support and encouragement all the way through. At the beginning of my studies, I also encountered challenges with juggling personal schedules with the academic requirements, but I was helped along by the instructors, excellent staff and my supportive classmates. I graduated with excellent honours from the programme and would highly recommend it.”