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Janika Leoste, Doctor of Educational Sciences, Senior Researcher of Educational Robotics, Tallinn University School of Educational Sciences

I started working on the Jänku-Juss cartoon series when my children were young. I wanted to support their interest in robotics and do things with them. The cartoon developed naturally from that passion. As for why the Jänku-Juss cartoons stopped airing, there is a simple reason: the original character voices changed as my children grew up, and our daily lives became too different from the contents of the show. However, I also wished to make a radical change.

I had been creating the Jänku-Juss cartoons for a long time, but I also organised robotics training for teachers and competitions for children. I wanted to advance in that area, but I did not know how. I attended various hackathons for a year, searching for ‘my thing,’ but I did not find it. Of course, I could have become an entrepreneur in some other field, but Jänku-Juss was already my second step. My first was leading a business software company for ten years, after which I dedicated ten years to the cartoon.

I realised that for my third step, I had to learn something new. That is why I pursued a PhD.

It was difficult to go back to university. 17 years had passed since I last graduated, and I was already 47 years old. I had to completely reinvent my entrepreneur mentality. It was no longer feasible to see everything from the perspective of profit maximisation. I also had to become accustomed to the fact that in science, not everything needs to be an instant success. I had a lot of time to think while attending long academic lectures. I felt like my time did not have any inherent value of its own in the university, as the passage of time was only measured in gained knowledge. This change of perspective was difficult to accept.

During my PhD studies, I got the urge to cancel my degree N + 1 times. I felt like studying did not suit me at all. There was an extremely large disconnect between being an entrepreneur and a scientist. The academic community also saw me as an outsider. In truth, I was different, and I still am. Due to my different background, I speak and think differently. However, this has become a positive for me, as I now get to understand both sides. When sitting in a room with scientists and entrepreneurs engaging in heated debates, I can mediate by saying that both sides are right, just from different perspectives. Both entrepreneurs and scientists have to take a step back if they wish to cooperate and focus on shared goals and on what unites us, rather than what divides us, in order to improve society.

This is precisely what I had been missing as an entrepreneur: giving back to society. I am certainly of more use to the world as a scientist than as the manager for another company. My only regret with making such a radical change in my career path is the fact that I will never catch up to those who entered academia 20-30 years before me. I have reached the conclusion that maybe my biggest contribution to science is leading top scientists in projects, even though I will never reach their level. Project management is much like leading a company, and I have more than enough experience in that.

By now, I have advanced a lot as a scientist, making me far less self-centred than before. I feel helpful when I get to help others. In science, I’m always seeking to imprint a part of my knowledge onto others, hoping to one day reap the benefits of my contribution.

The joys of being a scientist:

• I am happy when my students succeed.
• I feel great when I manage to secure financial support for scientists.
• I feel special when my article is cited.
• I like it when I can develop as a scientist every day, even when I didn’t plan for it. A scientist never stops learning.

Career:

• Business software company manager – 15 years
• Jänku-Juss cartoon developer – 10 years
• Scientist – 7 years

Education:
2021 Tallinn University, Doctorate in Educational Sciences
2000 Tallinn University of Technology, Master’s in Economics, cum laude