“The biggest virtue of studying the humanities is that, on top of teaching how to learn, they teach how to use and refine knowledge as well as to communicate about it,” Mikko Hautala says.
Solid basic academic education enables those specialising in the humanities to adopt a range of things and work in a variety of positions.
“Being named the Alum of the Year of the Faculty of Arts is a great honour. Throughout my studies and career, I have been convinced of the value, significance and usefulness of the humanities. It’s great to take this message forward and thus build the future.”
A sweet shop at the University
Hautala graduated with a Master of Social Sciences degree in political history, specialising in the history of Eastern Europe, and a Master of Arts degree in Slavic languages.
He describes his time studying in the early 1990s as a period of openness and optimism. It was also a period affected by major changes in Eastern Europe: a new kind of cooperation seemed possible.
“The educational offerings of the University of Helsinki were like a sweet shop: the selection was extensive, and the teachers were qualified to teach anything. It was a good place for ambitious studies.”
Diplomats need strong language skills, including in rare languages, which is why Hautala decided to specialise in Slavic languages. Currently he is fluent in Polish, Czech, Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian. This investment has proven to be extremely useful.
“My choice of course also involved a recruitment perspective, and it was indeed my language skills that helped me secure my first jobs and embark on my career. But above all, there was an attraction: learning new languages was a passion.”
A career based on language skills
A good example of Hautala’s determined career progress is his first summer traineeship in Kyiv.
“The ambassador was worried about the increase in trade and tasked me with writing a report on how Finnish businesses should operate in Ukraine. The task motivated me to continue to work after hours until morning. I had been given an opportunity that I didn’t want to waste.”
The report was eventually published and resulted in a subsequent post for Hautala at the Sinebrychoff Brewery, conducting market research in Kazakhstan.
Working in Kyiv, Hautala expressed regret about the poor appreciation of humanities degrees to a friend working in the technology sector. The friend pointed out the flipside of the coin, in turn wishing for the ability to communicate in Ukrainian with local colleagues.
“In these positions, my language skills truly came to the fore: they were the reason I was hired,” Hautala emphasises.
Diplomats need general knowledge and communication skills
Hautala has been working as a diplomat for 26 years, of which 17 abroad. The most recent and significant posting was a four-year term as Finland’s ambassador to the United States. Historic events took place in that period, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and Finland’s accession to NATO. The post entailed memorable moments, such as a phone conversation with Donald Trump on joining NATO.
“In the end, all of my positions, starting from the traineeship in Ukraine, have been important and educational in their own way. Instead of focusing solely on the highlights, diplomats also have to enjoy the day-to-day toil. In each job, you make choices and develop yourself in a specific direction.”
For those considering a career in diplomacy, Hautala has some advice.
“Working as a diplomat is a profession based on general knowledge and ability, requiring rapid deepening of your skills. Language skills provide a solid foundation. And you have to study general studies subjects too. Knowledge of history is central to diplomacy, and you need communication and interaction competencies.”
However, Hautala believes the most important thing is your motive.
“The work of a diplomat is not only international, but entails specifically the promotion of Finland’s interests in the international setting. You should iron out your personal perspective on the work, and traineeships are an excellent way of testing it. A diplomat’s career is also a way of life that marks the boundaries of your own life but also that of your family.”
War, peace and public engagement
At the time of the interview, Hautala is holding in his hands his recently published book entitled Sotaa ja rauhaa – Venäjä, Yhdysvallat ja Suomi uuden suurvaltakilpailun aikakaudella (‘War and peace – Russia, the United States and Finland in the new era of Great Power competition’). In fact, he has in recent days been busy with media engagements. In addition, Hautala is pursuing a postgraduate degree at the Faculty of Social Sciences. The topic of his doctoral thesis is a comparison of the history of gaining independence between Finland and Ukraine.
“Both Finland and Ukraine declared themselves independent in 1918, but only one of them remained independent. I’m investigating the underlying causes. While my approach stems from historical research, it also shows parallels with the present.”
Hautala cannot dedicate all of his time to postgraduate studies, as Nokia appointed him in mid-October as Chief Geopolitical and Government Relations Officer.
“I’m of course focusing on my new job right now. It combines my previous experience with business operations and high technology.”
The potential of humanities specialists should not be pigeonholed
In Hautala’s experience, attitudes towards humanities education in the United States is very different from that in Finland.
“People with a background in the humanities are employed in a variety of positions whose titles are not necessarily indicative of their educational background. There are people in the financial and technology sectors who majored in ancient studies and classical languages. In the United States, education is not considered as vocational training for specific positions.”
“Rather, they believe that education enables people to train their inner computers to process, edit and understand data. After that, you can input any information to the computer and further your understanding. The Finnish perspective is too narrow: education is thought to determine where you can work. This kind of pigeonholing is one of the biggest problems for the humanities.”
According to Hautala, concern about the future of the humanities is evident not only in Finland but also internationally.
“The self-confidence of humanities scholars and their faith in their own efforts must be enhanced. Universities must hold to their autonomy and traditions in a smart way. After all, Bildung is the ultimate value worth pursuing. It enables the overall development of individuals and society. Bildung lays the foundation for a sustainable future.”
Hautala encourages students of the humanities to believe in what they are doing and the skills accumulated at university.
“The ability to learn and contextualise things as well as to communicate will continue to be essential. The humanities provide a solid foundation on which to build a range of specialisations. Studying can be an uncertain and difficult time, sometimes even paralysing. But I’m an example of effort bearing fruit. You have to make your future yourself, no education is an automated guarantee of wellbeing.”
“If you’re lucky, you can find a job that you enjoy even with all of its challenges, without actually feeling like working.”