Age is Just a Number When It Comes to Learning


A Story of Ayi Sumarna, Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 Graduate from Library and Information Science, Universitas Terbuka
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
C.S. Lewis, British Writer
It’s never too late to start over something and set higher goals. Ayi Sumarna (43) believes in this. Although he might be over two decades older than most students nowadays, he didn’t hesitate to sign up for Bangkit to learn something new.

What made him successfully be accepted into Bangkit, and what motivated him to thrive in this program? Let’s read the whole story of this father of four!

Ayi’s Spirit of Learning that Never Dim


As a man in his 40s, Ayi already went through the ups and downs of life with his multiple roles. He is not only a father of four but also carries out his duty as Head of the Financial Department at “Kantor Desa Ciburial,” an administrative center that serves the local government functions of rural areas in Ciburial Village, Bandung Regency.

Being employed at Kantor Desa Ciburial since 2009, Ayi is responsible for managing the village budget, ensuring an accurate financial record, and preparing transparent financial reports. Besides performing financial-related tasks, Ayi is held accountable for governing the village’s digitalization program, including maintaining the rural community’s website and social media.

Engaging in a stable career didn’t dim Ayi’s spirit of learning. He wants to develop his village’s public library and information center. Therefore, although he already held a bachelor’s degree in Indonesian Language and Literature from Universitas Padjadjaran―obtained in 2006, Ayi decided to pursue the same level of education in Library and Information Science at Universitas Terbuka.

Cloud Computing Suited the Government Employee Like Ayi


After nearly a decade and a half, Ayi’s college life began again. Studying the science of library and information gave him clarity that technology plays a significant role in administering data. Therefore, once he found the Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 opening registration announcement on Universitas Terbuka’s social media, he was interested to learn more about this program.

Through meticulous research, he discovered that Bangkit is initiated by Google and supported by leading tech companies such as GoTo and Traveloka. The presence of Cloud Computing as one of the learning paths also gripped his attention. Realizing that having a good comprehension of cloud infrastructure could help him advance his village’s information system, Ayi signed up for Bangkit.
“I didn’t regret choosing Cloud Computing as my learning path. This technology suited me as a person who works in the public service sector because this path gave me a lot of insights about data organization and management.”
Ayi admitted that he gained positive and valuable experience from Bangkit because of its dynamic and supportive learning environment. The collaboration between fellow peers, mentors, and instructors assisted him in comprehending many concepts.

Expand the Horizon about Data Security


After being endowed with abundant Cloud Computing knowledge, Ayi was excited to work on the capstone project. Together with his team, he created Ornaman, an app with Machine Learning technology that can detect various types of plants. Working on this end-to-end project was something new for Ayi, and he saw it as an unforgettable experience.

Learning in Bangkit for more than 900 hours while being a full-time employee, a student, and a father was challenging for Ayi. However, his family’s endless support motivated him to wrap up his learning process in Bangkit and graduate. It got him prepared to contribute to the community in Ciburial rural area.
“The ILT session I find most appealing is ‘Manage Your Cloud Resources Securely.’ Insights obtained from that session were very practical, and I directly implemented them to my responsibility at the government office. I could understand the significance of financial data security and make informed decisions about anything related to system infrastructure.”
Now, Ayi makes the most of his learning from Bangkit for the betterment of society. He gradually utilizes his Cloud Computing insight to improve the information center at the local government office to promote technological literacy in the community. Striving to encourage the community to embrace technology is something that Ayi currently does because Ciburial Village aims to be a digital village in Bandung Regency.
“To you, the Bangkit 2023 Batch 2 Cohorts, I would like to say that you can’t be the best version of yourself if you don’t let the ups and downs of life forge you. You must understand that challenge exists to make you one step closer to your goals. You’ll never know how incredible you’ll become if you choose to stay and don’t face any difficulties you encounter.”

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