This month marks one semester of my graduate program studies at President University, Bekasi, Indonesia.
I am taking a total of 5 subjects:
- Monday for the Information Retrieval subject with teacher Ir. Rila Mandala, M.Eng., Ph.D.,
- Tuesday for the Ubiquitous Computing subject with teacher Rusdianto Roestam MSc., PhD.,
- Wednesday for the IT Forensics subject with teacher Cutifa Safitri, M.Sc., Ph.D.,
- Thursday for the Research Methodology subject with teacher Prof. Dr. Ir. Wiranto Herry Utomo, M.Kom.,
- Friday for the Business Intelligence subject with teacher Dr. Tjong Wan Sen, S. T., M. T.
The teachers who teach are indeed in line with their academic titles, all are qualified lecturers, and although they have different teaching approaches, I can learn analysis as well as application from each subject. All classes are conducted in English, including discussions, assignments, papers, and a thesis that will be made later. The preparations that I made before taking the class (attending a speaking course, practicing, and taking the TOEFL exam) greatly helped with this adaptation, although, of course, it is only to the extent of what I can do.
This class activity certainly changes my habits so far. Usually, I can still relax, but this time, I have to prepare myself every evening, especially since I was appointed as the captain (class leader) for several subjects. This happened, perhaps because when I attended the first meeting in Mr. Rila’s subject, I was the earliest student to attend, hehehe…
In between busy work, I try to create a study routine and make a regular schedule for each subject, at least 1 day before the class activity is carried out. For example, for the IT Forensics subject on Wednesday, at the latest Tuesday, I have tried to study the material that will be discussed. Sometimes there are tasks that require special time to complete, such as making papers in Ubiquitous Computing and Research Methodology subjects. Not to mention that I have to learn Python and Machine Learning as the basis for me to follow the Business Intelligence subject. This is added to the routine of learning English and memorizing some verses of the Qur’an every day.
I also have to manage the businesses Excellent, Aktiva, and Zeze Zahra, as well as manage the garden and cabin house. Sometimes it is not only friends or relatives who ask; even I ask myself, is this really me throwing myself into busyness one after another? What makes me have to be so busy? But what makes me endure all this is the hope that the knowledge and skills gained from this college can be useful for the future, Insha Allah.
But I choose to try various good and positive things. In the case of choosing classes, for example, I need to update my thoughts so that they can be useful in the Excellent, Aktiva, and Zeze Zahra businesses.
It is the consequence that I have to study harder because it has been too long since I finished the undergraduate program; I see it as a logical consequence that I must understand and accept. Something that I should indeed do and not look for ease or adjustments.
I also want to set an example for my son and my daughter, Zeze Vavai and Vivian Aulia Zahra, so that they are willing to continue updating their knowledge and also strive to go to a higher level of education than their parents without forgetting other skills in life.
Writing things like this on social media sometimes makes me think it becomes a public image, a PR to make me look cool. Although my intention in writing this is purely to share my experience, that we should not stop learning even though our age continues to increase, and learning does not have to be formal because we can learn in other forms.
I chose formal learning at the campus because I did not have that opportunity before. I did not have the opportunity to go to prestigious education, state university campuses, or campuses with adequate facilities. I do not regret what I have done, but I also try to take the opportunity to improve my level of education and knowledge when the opportunity arises.
Sometimes there are those who say that formal education is not important because what is important is your skill. I disagree with that as I think formal education is as important as skill. These two things are not a dichotomy, and I must choose one because it would be cool for me if formal education could run alongside the same good ability.
I do not yet know in the future whether I can complete my education, run a business smoothly, and arrange my life well because, of course, we never know our future. All I can do is prepare and do it as well as possible. The process is already a good learning example, and I hope it will be beneficial not only for myself and my family but also for my business, the environment, and many people in our society.
