Although Juha Töyrylä has been very active in political affairs behind the scenes and as a lobbyist, the humanities are closer to his heart than the social sciences. He feels that the humanities studies offer a deeper understanding of different topics.

– I think that through my studies I have had the kind of general education that has improved my ability to think. Not everything I’ve learned necessarily helps me in everyday tasks, but the studies benefit indirectly the structure of thought and know-how. Especially in this international work, broad understanding and the ability to think on your feet are very important.

The strengths of an education in the humanities are namely understanding and critical thinking. Juha Töyrylä finds a need for these skills every day in his work. In addition, his studies in comparative literature have improved his language skills, which are extremely important in lobbying. To quote the British band Franz Ferdinand: Right thoughts, right words, right action. Töyrylä is thankful for having had the opportunity to study literature, art history, film and television studies and Finnish.

Töyrylä thinks that the major problem of humanities students is a lack of self-confidence.

– We are a bit too shy when it comes to pointing up the uses the humanities can be put to, not to mention our own skills, and we tend to underestimate our relevance in working life.

When talking about working life, Juha Töyrylä mentions as an example that in the United Kingdom a humanities graduate may end up as a bank manager or something else in the business world. New skills can be learned on the job. In Finland, Töyrylä would like to see humanities graduates working in information technology companies.

– A coder and a customer, who each speak two slightly different languages, would often benefit from someone with a humanities education as mediator.

Töyrylä reckons the collaboration between the student organisation Katharsis and the faculty organisation Humanisticum is very important in the communication between humanities students and working life. He thinks that it is good for students to learn early on to recognise the opportunities they have in working life once they graduate.

– There’s no reason why humanities students shouldn’t adopt a similar outlook on life as students of technology, a can-do attitude. We should speak out more and make it clear that we are capable of doing all sorts of things. But that’s not enough–we need action and not just talk. I assert that a person who studies humanities subjects, whatever the subject, is fit for many kinds of jobs. But the first people we need to convince are the students themselves, says Töyrylä.