Things I Wish I Knew Earlier – Part 1

In my 20s, there has been much that I should be grateful for. The things that previously I regretted, but at the end turned out to be what I supposed to do instead. Aside, there are few things that proly turned out bad, that I couldn’t rewind to make the result a bit better. Lesson-learned, here are three things I wish I knew earlier, that you guys, could consider when taking every important decision in your life.

Professional Internship

Back then, when I was in college, I was sort of overwhelmed with the assignments the professor had given. I felt like there was no single moment I could breathe the fresh air other than dealing with projects, drafting, presentation, analysis, and many other supporting classes. In the 2nd and 3rd semesters, I was even thinking about dropping out of my degree and transferring to another degree instead.

After employed in a company, I eventually realized that the skills I acquired during my undergraduate degree are way from enough. Particularly, the practical skills that we, architect to-be, could only get through professional work like in a firm, NGO, and etc. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to do the internship due to the exchange program.

If you guys are still at the uni, go find some excellent start-up, firm, NGO, etc and build an early professional network with highly essential skill there.

The Importance of A Degree

The moment I found my name listed on SBMPTN (Public university admission test) announcement was surreal. I was like over the moon the whole day. I couldn’t bear the tears of happiness since it’s the thing I needed in order to not burden my family anymore, despite the fact that it wasn’t about the top-three-college or most competitive department I managed to get to. I knew that I promised my brothers quite often regarding the dreams I wanted to pursue. Fortunately, it was all paid off.

Compared to any other high school student back then, I didn’t have any other choice after finishing high school. When it comes to choosing the next path of life, my friends tend to get hired or apply to that one and only university in South Kalimantan (I don’t wanna mention it, I bet you already knew).

My 2nd older sister is just a high school diploma holder. She struggled a lot to get a job since there were some stages before she officially getting hired. Yet, she likely failed at the first stage most of the time due to having no higher educational degree.

Even though it’s just a high school diploma, it’s still better than nothing. Living in a developing country like Indonesia, having a recognition like a diploma is a must, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to pass the first threshold.

Away From Home

I started living away from home when I was 13 yo. I was admitted to an Islamic full-day school that was 50km away from home. It was the most horrific moment I have ever had. I didn’t know any single person there, the places, or even how the school’s system worked.

I didn’t know English at all, I didn’t have any acquaintance, I didn’t even know how to make friends.

As time went by, I learned many things and started to get to know things better. I believed the hardships I endured contributes much to shaping the better version of me today.

After Tabalong, Kediri, Surabaya, and Porto-Portugal, now I’m currently living in Jakarta. These cities have each role in curving my maturity, independence, and problem-solving way.

Will I be living in Jakarta for good? It’s a mystery. But the thing is, I’d love to live in a completely new city that no one would be able to recognize me in any way. XD