“In this family, we get a vocational education and a real job.”
This was the mindset Soila Lemmetty, Associate Professor of Adult Education, grew up with. She is one of several children raised by a single mother and was used to taking on responsibilities from an early age, including helping with household chores and cooking.
“We were never forbidden from choosing general upper secondary education, but it wasn’t really an option either,” Lemmetty says, looking back.
Lemmetty dreamed of becoming a musician, but when the doors to music education didn’t open and employment in the restaurant sector seemed almost guaranteed at the time, she decided to apply to vocational school and study to become a restaurant chef.
“On a whim, though, I decided to try studying for a dual qualification. General upper secondary education really wasn’t for me, although I did eventually scrape through the matriculation examination without completing the full syllabus.”
Her chef education, by contrast, went well, and Lemmetty enjoyed the hands-on work.
“I found a ‘real job’ right away. Gradually, though, I grew tired of working evenings and weekends. It felt like my friends were making the most of their youth while I was always at work.”
Open university studies in secret
Next, Lemmetty took a temporary job covering for a chef in a large-scale catering kitchen, where she worked daytime hours on weekdays only. Before long, however, the work began to feel too monotonous.
“I kept thinking that I needed to find something else to do. My qualification as a chef didn’t offer that many new challenges at work.”
She re-applied to study music, this time with a view to teaching, but could not bring herself to practise enough for the entrance examinations. Her interest in teaching led her to consider becoming a teacher of home economics.
“That was a dream I didn’t really dare talk about, since I didn’t think I had any chance of getting into university.”
Around the same time, however, Lemmetty heard about open university studies and the opportunities they offered. They seemed a good fit, particularly as she could try them out almost in secret.
Hooked on educational sciences
“I was hooked on educational sciences from my very first university course. I got excellent grades and positive feedback, which naturally gave my self-esteem a huge boost. In a way, though, the grades wouldn’t have mattered, because studying itself became more important.”
Later, Lemmetty was admitted to a degree programme in educational sciences through the open university route. Throughout her studies, she supported herself by working in restaurants.
At master’s level, Lemmetty chose to specialise in adult education, focusing on working life research. The phenomena she was studying cast her own background in an interesting new light.
“I wrote my master’s thesis while on maternity leave and then got a job as a research assistant at the University of Jyväskylä. I really enjoyed the work, but I imagined I’d soon be back working in restaurants. My thinking was that I could always go back to flipping steaks. That also shielded me from the pressures of academia.”
Once she had a foot in the door, however, more work at the university followed. Her master’s thesis supervisor also encouraged her to pursue a doctorate.
“At first, I didn’t believe in the idea at all. Defending my PhD turned out to be a personal crisis of sorts.”
There’s a lot of talk about diversity in universities. Often, though, it refers to different ethnic backgrounds within the community. Class diversity is absent from ceremonial speeches and isn’t reflected in practice either.
Soila Lemmetty
Associate Professor
Identity changes, class background remains the same
Lemmetty continued working at the University of Jyväskylä on various short-term contracts. When a longer-term position became available at the University of Eastern Finland, she moved there and has since been commuting between Jyväskylä and Joensuu.
“At UEF, my background has always been viewed in a positive light. A particularly memorable moment came on my first day in Joensuu, when Professor of Adult Education Jyri Manninen highlighted my work experience in the restaurant sector as a strength and something of interest. I was similarly moved when, during the evaluation of my title of docent application, my restaurant background was seen as an entirely positive asset for someone in adult education.”
One’s identity does change over time, but class background remains the same. Lemmetty knows this from research and recognises it in her own experience.
“I constantly feel a slight tension: I’ve stepped outside my own bubble, but I don’t quite fit in this new one either.”
Her background has stayed with her. For instance, certain academic occasions and the language used at university continue to feel alien to her.
“I would find it difficult to take part in a doctoral conferment ceremony, for example. It must be easier to feel at home at such events and with academic language if your background has given you social capital that is different from mine.”
Greater diversity in universities
For years, believing that learning at school was not for her had been part of Lemmetty’s identity. Fortunately, university proved different. There were various ways to complete her studies, with alternatives to traditional written examinations.
“There’s a lot of talk about diversity in universities. Often, though, it refers to different ethnic backgrounds within the community. Class diversity is absent from ceremonial speeches and isn’t reflected in practice either.”
Lemmetty calls for a wider range of routes into university.
“Current educational policy doesn’t support the idea of university being accessible to diverse learners from different class backgrounds, for example.”
Yet research, too, shows that the best innovations and new ideas emerge from within diverse communities.
“If all university students come from similar backgrounds year after year, we end up repeating the same old ideas. A wider range of backgrounds would foster new perspectives.”
Lemmetty puts this idea into practice in her own research group, which brings together researchers from a variety of backgrounds.
“One of the strengths of my JATKOT research group, which is dedicated to continuous learning and working life development, is that we understand things not just in theory but also in practice, and we speak the same language as people in the workplaces we study.”
The group has secured funding from a wide range of sources and conducts research with organisations including the Finnish police, various technology companies and educational organisations.
“I haven’t yet had the chance to do research in the restaurant sector, but I’m sure that day will come too,” Lemmetty says, smiling.
