Tuija Sirén dared to take a leap into something new

The City Archive preserves material related to the city’s operations and decision-making, as well as material from associations and private individuals when it has a clear connection to Tampere.

– This is not exactly light work. At times, you have to lift fairly heavy archival units. But I like being able to move around at work – and I certainly do not have to spend the whole day sitting at a computer.

A job secured by phone

Sirén completed upper secondary school in the mid-1980s. A short spell in a flower shop and a summer with the city’s parks unit pointed her in a new direction. In 1989, she qualified as a park gardener. She found work in a way that was typical of the time.

– I called the City of Tampere’s head gardener and asked if there was any work available. A family leave substitute position was just about to open up, and he asked how soon I could start.

Sirén is grateful both for her good fortune and for the fact that this was still the last millennium.

– These days, that would not be how you get a job anywhere.

The following year, Sirén secured a permanent post. She worked in the parks unit on park maintenance, with days filled with mowing lawns, weeding and, in winter, freezing sports fields and slides.

Over the next five years, supported by study leave, she first qualified as a horticultural technician and later as a florist.

– Instead of becoming a florist, I stayed with the parks unit. In the flower shop sector, you have to work on public holidays and weekends. I was about to go on maternity leave with my first child, and that did not feel appealing for someone with a family.

A new world opened up

While on childcare leave after the birth of her youngest child, Sirén once again felt the pull of something new. She began business studies at TAKK.

The arrangement was possible because teaching took place in the evenings and at weekends, when her spouse was able to look after the children.

In 2001, she completed her business qualification. Once again, the timing was just right: a role matching her new education became available at the parks unit office. The duties involved human resources administration and payroll records, among other things.

A few years passed. Sirén was fairly content with her everyday work, even though entering payroll figures did not give her a deep sense of professional fulfilment. On the positive side, the work still kept her connected to the parks unit.

Around 20 years ago, the city began planning a centralised financial administration service centre. Sirén’s work would have moved there as well.

– A larger office did not sound like my kind of place. As an active person, I was worried that the work would mean sitting at a computer all the time.

Then, as luck would have it, another opportunity appeared at just the right moment. A position at the City Archive became available through the city’s internal recruitment process.

– Before that, I had never even heard of the City Archive. I applied and happened to get the job. A whole new world opened up when I swapped parks for papers, Sirén says with a smile.

What will remain of our time?

Sirén learnt the work by doing it, and soon found herself drawn in. During her first year in the role, she completed an archive management qualification organised by the National Archives of Finland.

– The best things about the job are a pleasant work community, varied duties and being able to see the results of your work quickly. When you have organised a set of material neatly, you know it will be preserved and available to everyone who needs it.

Sirén is also concerned about the future of the field. How will today’s digital world affect archiving and research? What will remain of our time and the years ahead, as more and more interaction is reduced to instant messages and emojis?

For anyone hoping to take their career in a new direction, Sirén offers one piece of advice: you have to dare to make a decision.

– If you still have many working years ahead of you and your current job does not feel meaningful, you need to make decisions. It is not worth spending years somewhere that is not right for you. Of course, the employment situation in many sectors is difficult at the moment, so retraining may well be needed. I was lucky to find work that suited me.

Sirén has not left horticulture behind. She looks after the houseplants at work and has 34 plants at home.

– My spouse says that as soon as a corner of a table becomes free, a pot appears there.