In general the goal of higher education policies in Europe is to increase participation in Higher education (Leuze 2010, 100). Fostering the expansion of Higher Education leads unavoidable to the question how graduates manage the transition from Higher Education to work. There are many empirical studies that have addressed the transition from Higher education to work on a cross-national level. As examples one can mention the studies CHEERS (Careers after Higher Education: a European Research Study) and REFLEX (The Flexible Professional in the Knowledge Society New Demands on Higher Education in Europe). These comparative studies delivered empirical insights on individual study paths, the transition process from higher education to employment, the overall job satisfaction, and also the retrospective view on Higher education (Teichler 2002). Nonetheless these cross-national comparisons lack on providing details on specific graduates respectively occupational groups. In our study which was conducted in 2011 we intended to focus on graduates from Oulu University, Finland who were enrolled in the Faculty of Educational Science and Psychology. The goal is it to generate empirical data on a particular occupational group with multiple career opportunities. On a national level the amount of studies is rather small dealing with career paths of educationalists and psychologists. In Germany for example the survey “Diplom-Pädagogen in Deutschland” from 2001 was one of the first systematic attempts to disclose the situation for educationalists in the job market (Krüger & Rauschenbach 2003). In Northern Europe, especially Finland, hardly any empirical studies are dealing with the experiences of educationalists and psychologists entering the job market and their individual career paths. This paper presents the result of an alumni survey at the University of Oulu, Finland in order to have more empirical knowledge about the transition processes of graduates. Basic research questions address the retrospective view on study motives, factors which enhanced the job entry and specific factors on job satisfaction. Apparently the professional satisfaction of university graduates is influenced by a number of personal and situational factors (Cornelißen 2008). The Other research questions deal with conducive and unconducive factors of the career entry also addressing obstacles. There are many career opportunities for Educationalists and Psychologists in educational, related or even non-educational fields so therefore we focused on individual career paths of this occupational group. For the educational research it is very valuable to know how graduates integrate into the job market. Not only to have insights about the wide variety of entered professional fields and job specialization processes, but also to portray individual career paths in respect to specific subjective decisions. These types of studies also provide feedback to the Universities by revealing the relative importance of the scientific education to the individual career. The results of the Oulu-Survey will be compared with the findings of the German and European Surveys. This research may contribute to the field of Higher Education and would like to stress the educational necessity of analysing career paths quantitatively in order to initiate debates about the role of universities in career development.

Krüger, H.-H. & Rauschenbach, T. (2004). PädagogInnen in Studium und Beruf – eine einleitende Skizze. In: H.-H. Krüger & T. Rauschenbach (Hrsg.), Pädagogen in Studium und Beruf – Empirische Bilanzen und Zukunftsperspektiven (S. 9–30). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag. Krüger, H.-H. & Züchner, I. (2002). Karriere ohne Muster? Berufsverläufe von Diplom- und Magister- Pädagoginnen. In H.-U. Otto, T. Rauschenbach, P. Vogel (Hrsg.), Erziehungswissenschaft: Arbeitsmarkt und Beruf (S. 75–94). Opladen: Leske + Budrich. Leuze, K. (2010). Smooth Path or Long and Winding Road? How Institutions Shape the Transition from Higher Education to Work. Opladen; Farmington Hills/Mich.: Budrich UniPress Rauschenbach, T. & Züchner, I. (2004). Studium und Arbeitsmarkt der Haupftfachstudierenden. In: R. Tippelt, T. Rauschenbach & H. Weishaupt (Hrsg.), Datenreport Erzie-hungswissenschaft 2004 (S. 39–54). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag/GWS Fachverlage. Rauschenbach, T. (2002). Diplom-PädagogInnen – Gewinner oder Verlierer auf dem Ar-beitsmarkt? In: H.-U. Otto, T. Rauschenbach & P. Vogel (Hrsg.), Erziehungswissenschaft: Arbeitsmarkt und Beruf (S. 31–42). Opladen: Leske + Budrich. Teichler, U. (2002). Diversification of Higher Education Institutions and the Profile of the Individual Institution. Higher Education Management and Policy, 14, pp. 177-188. Teichler, U. (2002). Graduate Employment and Work in Europe: Diverse Situations and Common Perceptions. Tertiary Education and Management, 8, pp. 199- 216. Teichler, U. (2007). Does Higher Education Matter? Lessons from a Comparative Graduate Survey. European Journal of Education, 42, pp. 11-34. Teichler, U. (2007). Higher Education Systems. Conceptual Frameworks, Comparative Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense-Publishers