Take a Leap of Faith, Rini!

January 30, 2024

A Story of Rini Aprilianty Riadi, Bangkit 2021 Graduate from Statistics, Universitas Islam Indonesia

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

With perseverance, everyone can push through life’s trials and get what they want. This spirit also resonated with Rini Aprilianty Riadi (24), a Statistics graduate from Universitas Islam Indonesia who was eager to learn Cloud Computing in Bangkit 2021.

As a non-IT student, Rini realized she needed to adjust to this industry demand. So, when Bangkit knocked on her door and offered the opportunity, only one call crossed Rini’s mind, “Just take a leap of faith!” After Bangkit, she made a brilliant career in tech.

So, how was Rini’s struggle in paving the way to her desired career? Let’s read her full story!

Stepping Out from the Comfort Zone

Born in Palangkaraya, Rini is the middle child and the only daughter of three siblings. Since she was a child, Rini has been living a nomadic life. She spent her childhood in various cities in Indonesia, before eventually anchoring for work in Bandung.

Rini’s parents are civil servants who always taught her discipline every day. After Rini graduated from senior high school, her parents didn’t allow her to study and work abroad. They wished Rini could work in her hometown, Palangkaraya, and become a civil servant.

Strengthened by her vision and dreams, Rini convinced her parents to get a higher education outside Kalimantan and pursue a startup career. She explained that those not working in the government could be successful, too. In the end, they agreed to her. Then, she continued her studies at Universitas Islam Indonesia, majoring in Statistics.

While studying at Universitas Islam Indonesia, Rini actively participated in campus organizations and took part in many committee activities. Her goal was simple yet expansive: she wanted to leave her comfort zone and learn something new. This spirit shaped her mentality before it led her to Bangkit.

When Bangkit Boosted Rini’s Confidence

In 2021, Rini was one step closer to finalizing her bachelor’s thesis. However, she was afraid she couldn’t do anything after graduating. That’s why she considered taking an internship or a program to upgrade herself. Not long after, she saw Bangkit’s advertisement and was interested in signing up. Then, as Rini went through several selection processes, she successfully became one of the Cloud Computing cohorts.

Still, she had to convince her parents. The dilemma arose because her parents wanted her to graduate quickly and apply for a civil servant position. She must persuade them that Bangkit is promising for her future. Fortunately, they agreed and supported her decision to learn in Bangkit.

Rini’s struggle didn’t end there. Coming from a non-IT background gave her a difficult time when studying Cloud Computing. She needed to learn tech from the basics and often felt confused when reading the modules. Not just once, Rini even had to read it until 2-3 times.

Of course, Rini put in a lot of effort, at least to follow the pace of other Cloud Computing cohorts. Thankfully, she had many friends from IT backgrounds in Bangkit willing to help her answer her questions when confused.

“My friends in Bangkit were very supportive, especially during the Capstone Project. They always lifted me when I almost gave up back then. Ultimately, we can deal with everything if we keep trying.”

3 Tips for Women to Have a Successful Tech Career

Rini’s hard work paid off when she finally graduated from campus and got an interview opportunity from one of the state-owned companies. Then, Rini’s tech career journey began.

After graduating from Bangkit, Rini worked at several well-known companies such as Telkom Indonesia, RCTI+, and Tokopedia. Now, she serves as a Data Analyst at Evermos, a social commerce startup based in Bandung. Regarding her daily work at Evermos, Rini explained:

“As a Data Analyst, I usually do dashboarding or analysis according to the sprint. Sometimes, I provide some ad hoc data for company purposes.”

Even though busy with daily routines, Rini continues to hone her skills. By cultivating a growth mindset, Rini enjoys taking classes on Coursera or writing on Medium. That way, she can remain productive and develop continuously every day.

As one of the women with a brilliant career in the tech industry, Rini wants to share her experience. At the start of her career, she often faced obstacles because she was the only woman on her team.

However, Rini always tried to give maximum effort at her job. Gradually, she began to be recognized and considered equal to the others. Learning from her experience, Rini gave several tips for women who also want to have a promising career in the tech industry:

#1 Be Persistent

If you fail once, then try again. Keep pushing yourself to try and keep learning to keep moving forward. Challenges + struggle = growth.

#2 Always Be bold, Ask Questions, and Converse with Other Tech Enthusiasts

Apart from networking, this is also good for broadening horizons. We can also learn from their experiences and use them as a stepping stone to success.

#3 During College, Participate in Activities Such as Bangkit to Improve Your Hard and Soft Skills

Remember, hard skills without soft skills will make things difficult professionally. Learning public speaking from the beginning is essential because you can’t master it overnight.

Rini strongly encouraged women to dare to learn new things and to take a “leap of faith” as she did. At the end of the interview, Rini gave some words for women in the tech world:

“Don't let gender stereotypes become the barrier between you and your dreams. We can break them down with persistence, consistency, and courage.”

More stories about Bangkit Alum and Cohort:

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