This text has been published in Kotona kansainvälisessä Kainuussa magazine on 25.8.2021. Article has now been republished as part of Work in Kainuu campaign.
Love was the reason to take a leap into the unknown, even though the decision was not an easy one. A Bachelor in economics from the University of Sarajevo took the first steps on her career path in Kainuu in integration training. The challenges she experienced in Kajaani are now the key thing to her work.
Life in Bosnia-Herzegovina was left behind when Irna Imamovic-Tokalic moved to Kajaani when her childhood friend proposed to her in 2012. “I have fallen in love with Finland every day since then”, she says. She believes that love is the power behind life’s greatest deeds. Her husband, who came to Finland as a refugee with his family at the beginning of the millennium, has been an important support in her everyday life and when culture shock hits. Irna remembers many situations when she did not know how to act, where to look for information or help. It was difficult to find opportunities. It was difficult to establish social contacts. “I often had to tell myself, do not to take things personally.”
Irna is grateful for the fact that she got integration training as soon as she moved to Kajaani. Irna remembers how people from different backgrounds made contact with each other with a very limited vocabulary of Finnish and in English if they could speak it. “There were days when it was fun and days when it was really sad.” The teacher made the students feel welcome. The teacher, herself from a foreign background, was understanding and encouraging in a new situation. In Irna’s experience, integration education is a delicate process in which people and their lives change – sometimes without them even knowing it.
Irna took her first steps on the Urapolku/Career Path with a substitute teacher in integration course. “The teacher asked an important question. And the teacher didn’t just ask, but really listened to what I had to say”, Irna sums up. Genuine communication, being seen, heard and appreciated, as well as support and trust, have been essential elements of her career path, even after her first steps.
It started with language training in the university circles in Kajaani – where she also found her first job. “Kajaani University of Applied Sciences and CEMIS and their experience helped me to pursue a Master’s degree at the University of Oulu.” In 2017, they celebrated two degrees per family: Irna graduated with a Master’s degree and her husband completed his Master’s degree in Kajaani. Irna says that the graduation dates were only two days apart.
The most important thing is to give a chance. The skills and know-how will then speak for themselves.
Irna Imamovic-Tokalic
The career path in Kainuu has also had its moments of frustration – especially because of attitudes towards job search guidance. The career coaching helped Irna to strengthen her Finnish language skills and discuss issues with other job seekers. It opened up an opportunity with the Training Key (Koulutusavain). In addition to the work community, she made lifelong friends: there was a surprise party at work when Irna received Finnish citizenship. The memory has a special place in Irna’s heart.
Irna says life has taken her by surprise and she has come full circle – back to where she started as a language trainee. As a project specialist in the KOTKA project at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, she works to help international students find employment in Kainuu. She is happy to be able to help people with the challenges they face. “The most important thing is to give a chance. The skills and know-how will then speak for themselves”, sums up Irna, who has got her example to follow from her family on how to educate yourself and build a career. Through her own experience, she wants to remind people that even small meaningful moments between people can lead to life-changing experiences.
This text has been published in Kotona kansainvälisessä Kainuussa magazine on 25.8.2021. Article has now been republished as part of Work in Kainuu campaign.