Personal Experiences
How I get a Full-Time Job when I haven’t Graduated from College
Sunday morning always hits different. Just finished my breakfast with cigarettes and coffee because I’m a bit lazy to walk down my dorm, open its gate, and walk hundreds of meters to food stalls. It is now 01.58 pm in Jakarta, and I called it breakfast because I woke up at 01.17 pm lol. How about you? What is your breakfast or lunch? What is your plan for this weekend?
Honestly, I didn’t have any idea what kind of topics I wanted to write about this weekend until I defecated this morning. To be honest, defecating in your bathroom is the best time to think. It is the best moment to imagine anything, to release your radical thoughts and thinking the unthinkable — outside the box. The rules are simple — just don’t bring your gadget. I’m wondering if it is just in my country that playing smartphone when defecating has become a habit or is it also around the world?
I think all ideas came from anywhere and it depends on us whether we realize it or not. Yup, thanks to my shit that gave me the ideas this morning. I decided to write about my personal experiences, where I want to share my journey about how I can get a full-time job even though I haven’t graduated from my college and I think it has a connection between my perseverance and luck.
In Indonesia, education is still an important variable for your career. It has become the main parameter of all hiring companies. In this country, the highest unemployed people are dominated by high school graduates. Therefore, many youngsters in this country desire to continue their education on a higher level — which is a bachelor’s degree.
To sharpen my statement, you can go to Linked.In and check the hiring company in Indonesia. Majority of those companies will set “bachelor’s degree” as a minimum education as their requirements. However, I can’t unify and generalize that a bachelor’s degree is a must in Indonesia to fulfill your goals or get your dream job. There are many ways to go to Rome besides your degree.
Reality hits me different. I think God gave me his grace, alhamdulillah. It happen in the early of 2022. I’m on my motorcycle and on my way back home with my friend. I remember it’s afternoon, the sun is angry because is hot as fuck, and my friend is driving. Beside me, there was a railway and the train was so noisy. Ooh, I remember that moment. The moment that changed my life. I had a funny conversation with my friend on my motorcycle, and suddenly, my phone shivered.
I picked up my phone from my right pocket, look at this fucking 21’s century primary needs, and there was a WhatsApp notification from my friend, Adam. He said that there is an offering from his friend’s agency. The role is content writer and copywriting. Would you take it or not, he said. I then replied, “Hmm actually, I want to focus on my final thesis and my courses. Now, I’m on my way back home. But, give me time to think. I’ll decide as soon as I arrive at home.” “Ok.” He replied.
At that moment, I was about to enter my 8 semester and should start to write my thesis. I also have my courses every weekend. I did everything to join an internship program -maybe I’ve applied to a hundred companies- but no one accepted me and now he offers me a full-time job, not internship. Will they accept me for a full-time position with my current status (haven’t graduated)? But then, I was thinking “Ok. I’ll try this one. This is my last application, if I don’t get it then I’ll focus on my principal -to graduate and course. Just act with nothing to lose, and expect nothing.”
As soon as I arrived at my home, I told Adam that I accepted this offer and sent him my CV and portfolio. I really don’t put my hope and expectation in this offering. Just send it, and never think about it. I’m living my ordinary life as usual. Five hundred rupiah a month for a 22 years old is a grace. But fuck, until when I’m hanging on my parents’s money?
Perseverance
Just don’t give up and always try. Well I’m not sure, but in my opinion, your major in college doesn’t really determine what you are gonna be, but it is indeed yourself. No matter what type of gun it is, it depends on the shooter. No matter what kind of vehicle in F1, the winner depends on the man behind the wheel. So does our life.
I realize that philosophy is not so sexy in the eyes of Indonesian companies. Rarely, they were a company, start-up or agency that opened hiring positions for a philosophy graduate. To be honest, I’ve never seen a job vacancy in Indonesia looking for a philosophy graduate. But yeah, life is played by myself. My major is just one of many tools.
Facing this kind of truth, I remain calm and think. God gave me rationality to think, surely there’s a way. I did some research about what kind of industry that is similar and relevant with my major. After some research, I found out that the creative industry is quite related to philosophy.
In philosophy, you are forced to become a thinker. It tests your imagination, about how far your mind can go. To break the unbreakable, to think the unthinkable, and to break your mind limitation. Philosophy is undoubtedly fun, but it is quite inherent with Indonesian industry. From there, I have knowledge from my major and I have information about what kind of industry which is at least close to philosophy. So, what should I do next?
Most of the creative industry, such as agencies which engage in the field of digital are demanding portfolios besides CV in their requirements. From there, I decided to create my portfolio, which I use Medium. So, overall my portfolio is all my ideas and thoughts in the shape of blogs and popular articles. To make my portfolio interesting, I then convert it into a pdf file and ask my friend to design it like a magazine and it was fucking cool. My portfolio is like a luxury magazine that is worthy to be read for celebrities like Drake.
It is just a finger snap. At first, I didn’t like writing and then reality forced me to do so. Until now, thank God, my medium growth this far although at the beginning my attention is just to create my portfolio. Long story short, I was accepted to be a full-time worker at the agency in South Jakarta because the head of creative interest read my article about Karl Marx in my portfolio and wanted to know more about it. We never know what’s coming. Therefore, keep your perseverance and just do it.
Luck
Do you believe in luck? Some people may believe, vice versa. At first, my perception about luck was full of doubt, and sceptic. I would say it is purely my effort and hard work that led me into current circumstances. However, my orientation about luck has changed a little. I begin to consider luck as a component that supports my progress since I was accepted in this job.
The HR in my office told me that I’m very lucky because there were 2 other candidates that applied for this position. Both are women, and they have their bachelor’s degree and surely graduated from their college while I don’t. Long story short, the main reason why the hell they choose me over these candidates is because I’m a man. Quite funny isn’t it? It is because the employees in my office are dominated by females. Therefore, to keep balance they said, what they are looking for in this position is a male.
Secondly, what causes me to believe in luck is my WhatsApp notification when I was on my motorcycle — as I told you in the previous paragraph. I wonder why Adam directly recommended me and shared this vacancy. I mean, he surely has other friends that are great in writing and have a bachelor’s degree. Surely, there are more competent candidates than me. Also, I know Adam is not long enough -below one year- but we keep our friendship as good as possible. We often change ideas, discuss business, hangout, have a cheap conversation and so on.
From these 2 variables, then I have a question “What the fuck. Did luck really exist?” I mean, what would I call it if it’s not luck? The other candidates that have a higher degree than me are female, and I even forget how I and Adam first met. These two combine and then become a path for this 23 year old who is still begging money from his mom. Currently, I’m able to pay my own shit, rent a dorm, help my mom even though it’s not that much, treat my little brother and pay my own tuition. As I mentioned before, it’s just like a snap of a finger. I really never see it coming. Holy shit…
Conclusion
Immanuel Kant once said, “There’s always a noumena behind a phenomena”, and I agree with that. That is what I just experienced and I realize it. now I know the things that led me into this current circumstances. My point is, be kind to anyone and always keep your perseverance because we never know where the opportunity will come from. It could be your environment, your DNA, your network, the art in your draft that you call trash, the moment when you sit alone in a coffee shop with your cigarettes, or your fucking cat, we don’t know exactly where it will come. Therefore, whatever you do, you do it 100%. Revolution doesn’t happen in your bed anyway…
That’s a little bit about my journey. How about you? What led you into current circumstances? The comment section is always open. I really love to hear your version. Thanks for coming. Stay healthy, and selamat malam from Jakarta.
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