Life's journey may be difficult, but effort doesn't betray the result!: a story of young programmer

Written By: Alfina Novi S P

Vocational High School graduates are always underestimated by many people and companies, because of their views that are fixated by the degrees obtained when we successfully graduated in college. But is that really it? In fact, many Vocational High School graduates can be successful and pursue their occupations successfully even at a fairly young age without having to obtain a degree or a high education, as many people seek; and Pandu is one of them

Pandu, a young man born in 2001, is the first child of Nurul Huda and Nuria Kumalasari. Both of his parents are also just high school graduates who now work as employees and laborers with minimum income. Many people believe that being the oldest child is difficult. Yes, it is true. One day, he will have to take the family's burden and replace his elderly father. And the man who was born in Tulang Bawang; Pandu, was the one who experienced it firsthand. After his father, he was expected to be the family's leader. Is that hard for him? Of course, Pandu gets tired at some point. But that didn't deter him from continuing to assist his parents in making a life. So, what did he go through?

Pandu is a young programmer who just has vocational school programming expertise, but he has able to show the world that vocational graduates are deserved to be humbled. Do you know what a programmer does? This technology is certainly acquainted to us as a millennial generation in the era 4.0, which is already all modern and sophisticated. A programmer is a person who works with a programming language to construct a system. Thus, programmers aren't distant from coding and programming. Of course, it is difficult for someone to grasp it right away. It needs a specific talent to be able to master it.

Pandu has been interested in computers since he was in kindergarten. He said that his father taught him how to use a computer when he was a child, and that he has been proficient with computers since the Windows XP era. He got interested in producing his own animations and games while still in elementary school. He also ever had an intention where he used the Flash application to make stickman animations. It is unquestionably difficult to pursue its passion. His father's terrible financial situation at the time prompted him to buy a secondhand laptop because his computer was too old and damaged, and he desperately needed a laptop while in high school. He learned coding and the basics of programming using that secondhand laptop.

After graduating from vocational school, he certainly wants to continue his education to a higher level. But fate says otherwise. . However, fate has other ways. He did not pass the test. Pandu was actually forced and urged by others around him to try to register only civil servants, but he maintains his position since he feels programming is his future. He chose to become a programmer because he saw programming as a lucrative vocation with excellent technologies. Programmers, he believes, will be required in the future. As a result, he didn’t give up. He wants to learn independently by moving to Lampung, leaving his home, away from his parents. While unemployed, he spent his time learning the realm of self-taught programming.

Once, he came upon an Instagram ad for a Bogor boot camp program with a fee that could be tweeted. Eventually, despite his parents' opposition to his own choice, he attempted to register and pursue the selection process to enter the boot camp. Fortunately, luck was on his side this time, and he was declared a pass on the exam, allowing him to enroll in the boot camp program. He went alone from Lampung to Bogor. As usual, he did everything alone, without anyone's help. He made numerous connections in Bogor and learned a lot from them. But of course his life at boot camp did not go as smoothly as anyone can expect. He must always save money so that he sometimes eats just once a day and never goes anywhere to refresh his mind even though he feels so stressed out. But that's where his real life journey began. After graduating from the boot camp, he got his first job in Jakarta.

He was accepted into a fairly large company in Jakarta, precisely in the Sudirman area with a fairly standard salary for programmers in the Jakarta area. He had to walk miles to go to his boarding house, which was far away. That, however, did not make him tired. Unfortunately, he only stayed at the company for three months since he felt the technology used at the company did not develop. Furthermore, his work place is less than ideal, forcing him to resign and seek another job. After a few months unemployed, he was finally accepted again in a company in Jakarta that was not too big, but this time with a greater income than before. However, a huge pay did not necessarily make him feel comfortable at work. He only lasted three months there, too, because he thought one of the employees was kind of toxic and very disturbing to him. He made the decision to come out once more.

The pandemic has started. It was evidently tough to get work at the time. He had been unemployed for about a year and was almost desperate, unsure if he would be able to find another job in Jakarta anytime soon. He opted to return to his homeland, Solo, because he no longer felt comfortable and enjoyable in Jakarta. In Solo, he began to show hope again. He began looking for new jobs on the internet. Following that, he decided to apply to a few companies in Yogyakarta on his own. He didn't want to go back to Jakarta, which he thought was run-down and populated by people who were quite individualistic. Thankfully, after so much waiting patiently, it ultimately yielded good results. He was hired at a company in Yogyakarta with a salary that was not as high as his previous companies, but he felt very comfortable there. He gained a lot of knowledge there, and his extremely kind coworkers/employees made him feel more comfortable. After migrating and leaving Jakarta, he claimed that his life had almost no pressure. He had been employed by this corporation up until now.

The suggestion is to not give up if what you want is truly your desire, because, according to him, learning is difficult at first, but after you grasp and are used to it, it will be effortless. Despite the fact that his life's journey has been complex, stressful, and full of obstacles, he will never forget that hard work pays off. "Don't let someone let you down, stand on what you believe" says Pandu Cahyo Pangestu, a quote that will always be a guidance and a way of life for him forever.