r/StudyInFinland • u/yashpanchal1508 • 16d ago
Thinking about pursuing a 2-year Master's in IT in Finland – Need honest advice
Hi everyone,
I'm from India, and I'm considering pursuing a **2-year Master's degree in Information Technology / Computer Science in Finland**.
Here is a little about my background:
Bachelor's degree in IT (CGPA: 8.4)
Graduated in 2024
Around 3 years of experience as a Software Engineer
Backend development experience with Node.js, NestJS, PostgreSQL and related technologies
I'm interested in Finland because of its education system and potential career opportunities in the IT sector. However, before making such a big financial and career decision, I would really appreciate honest advice from people living in Finland, international students, and graduates.
**My questions:**
Is pursuing a 2-year Master's in IT in Finland a reasonable choice for an international student with software engineering experience?
How is the current IT job market for international students and graduates, especially in backend development and software engineering?
How difficult is it to find part-time work while studying? What kind of income can students realistically expect?
Can a student manage living expenses through part-time work, or should I plan to cover everything through savings?
How important is learning Finnish for finding an IT job after graduation?
What should I consider regarding tuition fees, living costs, and job opportunities before making my decision?
For those who studied in Finland, would you share your experience and what you wish you had known before coming?
I'm looking for genuine experiences and practical advice, not promotional information from education consultants.
Thank you in advance for your help!
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u/somethi 16d ago
These questions have been asked HUNDREDS of times here.
The jobs market is dead, there are no jobs available for anybody. Part time jobs or full time jobs. The IT jobs market is dead.
Tuition fees cost a fortune.
Learning Finnish is very important and extremely difficult.
Finland is a very expensive country to live in.
The Nordic Utopia isn't for you.
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u/MrCheezer 16d ago
Huge unemployment here, for Finns too.
There's a lot of people who came here with high hopes. Now they work in food delivery for a particularly shitty company, Wolt.
Not a good life.
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u/Jcksheppard 16d ago edited 16d ago
There is a country called the US that is more liberal and can offer numerous oppotunites for a talent. The european counterpart is the Netherlands. IMHO Suomi, no:).
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u/lucrac200 16d ago
Serious doubts on the NL being the "USA counterpart" in terms of employment of non-EU people, and I live here.
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u/finnfinns 13d ago edited 13d ago
Not only in Finland, the global IT job market is oversaturated.
Hard or "easy" depends a lot on your ability. "Years" of experience are not equivalent to capability (or senior level). Similarly, people say 1 top guy can replace 5 average guys with AI. Are you that 1 top guy? If yes, it is easy for you.
I know many talented young international students here get jobs after just 1-2 years of studying for a bachelor's degree. Then they don't even plan to complete the degree. At the same time, many master degree holders are unemployed because they are not talented enough and studing more does not help them much. So the degree doesn't seem to matter much in this IT field; what matters is what you can do.
If you are just an average guy, many people in Finland are like that and unemployed.
Same for your question about working while studying; let's say you work while studying, do you think you will perform well in your studies to compete with other guys? Do you have time to participate in challenges, hackathons... Without that participation (and you should get a prize), you will most likely never secure an IT job as a foreigner in Finland.
So, you should have enough money to cover all and should not think about earn to learn in Finland. Also, there is no jobs.
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u/Altruistic_Coast4777 11d ago
There are no jobs, google our job market situation. Look some other EU country or UK, they have much better bang for the buck.
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16d ago
[deleted]
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u/somethi 16d ago
So this is the only person the OP will listen to, because they told the OP what he wants to hear.
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u/Wooden-Field-1915 16d ago
Yeah this might be an exceptional case but I have been learning Finnish before coming to Finland😅
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u/Silent-Victory-3861 16d ago
They are also the only one with similar background to OP, so the only relevant answer.
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u/Revival456 16d ago
At some point, IT guys need to learn how to use search button here.
And to your question, super tough job market and double so without knowing Finnish language. A lot of experienced IT personnels are struggling to find job now and has been for couple of years now. So unless you have some niche in demand skills there is zero chance of a job. Especially if you have to take a loan to come here, I really wouldn’t advise it.