Meet Tolga Karayel, a current Master's degree student at the University of Turku and an UTUambassador 2021-2023!
"Hi! I’m Tolga from Türkiye.
I am currently a second year student in the Master’s Degree Programme in Future Studies. Having had a professional career in Türkiye for more than seven years, the question of “What awaits us in the future?” put me in a way of seeking for being a Future Expert for decision-making and visionary thinking on future of societies and alternative futures. According to the original curriculum of the program, its systematic structure and wide range of research-oriented modules have matched up with my master expectations and further academic studies in Finland.
My adventure of Turku started in 2011 with Erasmus Exchange Program, though. Since then, I have been dreaming to come back. So, I am here in Turku where I have experienced the student life and valuable academic scholarship in those times. Diversity of the city, supportive scholars in any case and the green city environment make University of Turku as a desired route for study and placing it on the top without any hesitation."
Instagram: @tolgakarayel I LinkedIn: Tolga Karayel
Tolga's study experience:
The Futures Studies programme is constructed to qualify us being versatile future-oriented experts in providing alternative futures trajectories via multi-disciplinary tools and methods of Futures Studies.
…there is no one future, but possible futures. That is one of the principles of futures studies. It is in our hands to choose our paths – and that is also what I did. Having worked at the local authority in Turkey for 7 years, I started to probe the answer to the question: “What awaits us in the future?”
I wanted to be an expert with the best academic scholarships of its kind. I made a radical decision to apply to the programme. I got accepted, quit my job and moved to Turku, where I had had an exchange programme 11 years ago. Here I am again, where I have dreamed of.
During my studies, I have gained a lot of experience in futures studies. So far, I have found the courses in Participatory Scenario Planning and Strategic Corporate Foresight to be the most interesting ones, since they provide an invaluable opportunity to gain experience on real tasks with business organisations in Turku.
My career plans have not changed but comprehended during my studies. The multi-disciplinary and comprehensive structure of the programme is very effective in making a career plan. My biggest goal now is to be a futures researcher with expertise in Future Scenarios and Foresight – I was not aware of the existence of these fields before my studies.
Antonio Alonso Concheiro writes “[…] the past belongs to memory, the present to action and the future to imagination and will.”