Jordan, an informatics alumnus of Diponegoro University Class of 2017, never thought of himself as the smartest person in the room. But since college, he has held to one simple principle: when an opportunity comes, try to make the most of it.
Jordan’s journey during his studies at UNDIP was not always in ideal conditions. With the economic limitations that he had at that time, he did not even have a personal laptop until the fifth semester—something that was certainly a challenge for an informatics student.
To be able to buy his own laptop, Jordan took a part-time job while still undergoing lectures with a load of up to 24 credits. His income was collected little by little until he was able to buy a laptop from the results of his own efforts.
The simple experience then became one of the things that shaped the way Jordan viewed the opportunity and the learning process.
“I’m not the smartest person, nor am I someone who can be locked in 24/7. But I made a promise to myself: when I have the opportunity and the time to really focus, I will make the most of it.”
UNDIP as a place to learn and try
During his studies at Undip Informatics, Jordan began to explore various aspects of software engineering. For him, what he learned in class became the foundation, but a deeper understanding began to form as he tried to apply it to real problems and projects.
Since 2020, he began to more actively seek experience outside of lectures. The Laptop that he previously had to fight to be able to have then became one of the tools that helped him open up new opportunities.
Jordan started from internships, worked on various freelance projects, to finally bring the experience to the professional world. Each project gives him the opportunity to make mistakes, relearn, and understand how software engineering is used to solve real problems.
For him, these experiences are not just something to add to the CV, but part of the process of building skills little by little.
In college, Jordan also had the opportunity to become a recipient of the Tanoto Foundation Scholarship. The opportunity becomes an important part in his development journey. Not only providing support during education, the Tanoto Foundation environment also gives him the space to learn about leadership, communication, self-development, and meet many people with different experiences and perspectives.
Jordan saw the various opportunities he got while at UNDIP as a foundation that slowly shaped his journey after graduation.
From Data Engineer to Top 5 IT Management Trainee
After completing his education at UNDIP, Jordan began his professional journey in Indonesia.
He worked as a Data Engineer before joining SMBC Indonesia through IT Management Trainee program.
Entering a new environment again puts Jordan in a position as someone who has a lot to learn. He meets people with diverse skills and experience, as well as the opportunity to deepen his understanding of software engineering and how technology is used in the financial industry.
At the end of the program, Jordan managed to become one of the Top 5 graduate IT Management Trainees.
However, for Jordan, the achievement is not just about being in the top five. The more valuable thing is the process and the people he meets during the journey.
“Being in the Top 5 is definitely something I’m grateful for. But during the process I also met many people who were much smarter and more experienced than me. From there I realized that we don’t always have to be the smartest people to be able to develop. We just need to continue to want to learn and give our best effort when we get the opportunity.”
Jordan’s journey in SMBC Indonesia then continued. Currently trades in stock market, administrates trainings and consultations, develops and promotes exchange software products, publishes news and analytical reviews, and administrates investment projects.
The experience not only shaped his technical skills, but slowly taught him about ownership, collaboration, and responsibility in building a system that is used by many people.
Trying to go further
After several years of building experience in Indonesia, Jordan began to ask himself: how far can he take the experience that has been built?
One of the challenges he wanted to try was working in an international environment.
Not because working abroad became the only measure of success, but because he wanted to put himself back in a new environment—meeting people from different countries, facing different standards and challenges, as well as being again someone who had a lot to learn.
The opportunity finally came in 2025, when Jordan got his first job abroad and joined Rakuten in Japan as a Software Engineer.
Currently, Jordan is part of an organization that deals with fraud prevention. He gained ownership of various internal projects and collaborated with colleagues from various countries and backgrounds.
Working in an international environment gives him the opportunity to face engineering responsibilities on a larger scale while also seeing new approaches to building a system.
But for Jordan, working in Japan is not a sign that his journey is over.
In fact, the further he goes, the more he realizes that there are still many things he does not know and there is still much room for development.
It’s not about who starts first
If you look back on his journey, from an informatics student who didn’t even have his own laptop until the fifth semester, Jordan didn’t see his story as a story about someone who always excelled.
Nor does he feel that his success comes from always studying, working and being productive at all times.
There were times when he was very focused. There were times when he was tired. There are failures, doubts, poorly made decisions, and many things to relearn.
Therefore, Jordan does not believe that one should always be locked in 24/7 to be able to achieve something.
“We don’t have to be productive all the time. I myself am not like that. There are times when we get tired and need to stop for a while. But I have one promise to myself: if the opportunity to focus comes, I want to really be there and give it my best shot.”
The limitations that he once had he also did not see as something to regret. It was precisely this experience that made him appreciate every opportunity that came after.
“We may not always start with ideal conditions. I myself started with many limitations and until now I am still learning. We can’t always choose what opportunities come to us, but we can choose what we will do when they come.”
From the Undip Informatics classroom, working part-time to buy his own laptop, becoming a Tanoto Foundation Scholarship recipient, starting internships and freelance projects, working as a Data Engineer, becoming a Top 5 IT Management Trainee at SMBC Indonesia, to finally getting the opportunity to work and have ownership on various projects at Rakuten Japan, Jordan’s journey is still ongoing.
And if there is one thing he wants to convey to students who are currently embarking on his journey, it may be a simple message:
“I don’t have to be the smartest. I just want to make sure that when the opportunity comes, I’ve tried my best not to waste it.”
Because at the end of the day, it’s not about who starts first or who gets there first, but about how far we’re willing to go to learn, to try, and to go with the opportunities we have.