8/14/2019 A GRAD STUDENT

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GraduationEri Kurniawan *)

Everything has a start and an end. Something initially emerges then

it gradually or finally vanishes. In terms of academic, we made a

start exactly when we set our first foot to enroll ourselves in this

campus; we pass through all intellectually and emotionally

enjoyable activities such as studying in the classroom, interacting

with mates and lecturers, participating in students’ organization,

part-time working, and the like; and we eventually come to an endof our academic journey in this campus—graduation.

  To say the least, the word “graduation” brings about two

possibilities. It offers a tremendous hope that someday in the future

—a grad student can secure a decent job with a promising salary,

receive a new and seemingly convincing social status as a bachelor

and the like. Or, it offers a tremendous confusion for those who

graduate without having a planned career path to step through. Youdon’t know what to do next and you no longer dare ask a sum of 

money from your parents for your living expenses. Graduation, in

this regard, may bring a great deal of uncertainties.

Kusmayanto, the rector of Bandung Institute of Technology

(ITB), has once remarked in an opening session of a business

seminar in his campus that ITB students have one sin when they go

to ITB—a sin of setting aside those who desire to study in ITB. And,when graduating, they have three available options: make another

sin, make no more sin, or compensate for the former sin. They make

another sin when they together with those who cannot go to ITB

compete to find a job. They make no more sin when they work for

theirselves as a lawyer, an artist, a translator, and etc. And they

compensate for their previous sin when they provide job vacancies

for those who cannot go to ITB. I think this statement also suits our

conditions when today some of us are graduating. Whether we

8/14/2019 A GRAD STUDENT

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choose to make another sin, make no more sin, or compensate for

our former sin is highly dependent on us.

As a matter of fact, the choices we have are many. We may

work if in fact it can give us a promising career in the future and if 

any job vacancy is still available in this country. We may study

further to graduate programs if in fact we have much money to pay

the tuition or we are lucky enough to get a scholarship and we have

a future obsession to be a scholar or a faculty member. We may also

initiate a business for this field is somewhat promising in this crisis

era; however, we don’t know how to start since we are not prepared

for that and we are too afraid of taking risks whenever our business

falls down.

So, for those who still have some times to move along in the

campus, be well-prepared for the choices unless you’ll find a

gigantic confusion in the future as some of us are now facing. Set

your future from now. Know who you are. Recognize what potentials

you actually possess. Consider what you want to be in the future,

what targets you are achieving and plan anything to pursue them.

Do all meaningful and beneficial activities to make your own success

come true. Graduation will not be as rewarding as what you’re

dreaming if you do not prepare what you are going to do afterwards.

Remember, live to learn; learn to live.

*) Eri Kurniawan is a former student of English Education Department of UPI and

now serving as the Director of BEST (Bandung Entrepreneur Society).