From IT to amusement park

TEXT: JONNI KUORTTI

Lotta Rinne graduated in 2007 from University of Vaasa and nowadays works at “the funniest” organization there possibly is: Linnanmäki, the most popular amusement park in Finland! Today she lives in Espoo with her family. What were her expectations for working life and tips for students? Keep reading and you’ll get the answers to these questions!

What kind of career path do you have till today?

After graduating I started my ”career” at HP (Hewlett-Packard) Sales graduate-program, which was an excellent place to learn B2B-business and sales and gave me a good understanding of the Finnish way of doing business. After HP, I have worked in different international IT-companies until last August when I took a leap and changed IT to amusement, and began to work at the Linnanmäki, where I became the Head of Corporate Sales.

We all have expectations about working life. What expectations did you have and how has your experience been in relation to them?

I might have had quite rosy expectations about work life while I was studying and, in a way, I believed to be capable of doing almost everything. However, work life has taught me that we are always learning and never fully ready. That is also a good thing; at least, you never get bored.

I would advise students to be open-minded, humble, and always eager to learn. Never underestimate the power of your persona, stay authentic and connected to others.

Vappu is a huge event among students in Finland. Could you tell us your best memories?

Oh my, there are quite many memories related to Vappu, and the best are from hanging out with friends at Hovioikeudenpuisto (picnic). I was also a member of NESU, and their Vappu Sitsi’s are something that I recall with warmth.