Starting Early Will Lead to Early Success

A Story of I Wayan Adi Sudirtayasa, Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 Graduate from Informatics Engineering, Universitas Primakara

Getting a head start can help us gain practical experience and prepare for future career advancement. I Wayan Adi Sudirtayasa (22) thoroughly understands this matter. Aspiring to be a digital talent, Adi—that’s what he’s called—recognized the highly competitive landscape of tech and knew that he must be well-prepared to stand out from the crowd.

Being prospective about his tech career, Adi proactively sought opportunities, including participating in Bangkit 2023 Batch 1, to gain insights into the industry’s expectations of recent graduates. Now, Adhi is a Web Engineer at a startup.

How was Adi’s journey before becoming a full-time tech talent? Let’s dive deep into his story!

Adi’s Work Experience Began in High School

Adi was born and raised in Denpasar, Bali. His parents, who worked as a sports store clerk and factory cleaner, instilled a strong sense of responsibility in their only son. Therefore, when Adi developed an interest in tech during high school, his parents were very supportive as long as he was responsible for his choices.

Adi’s fascination with tech was ignited during high school when he was part of the school’s science club. One day, a fellow club member’s IoT project piqued Adi’s interest. It led him to delve deeper into the intricacies of IoT and further solidify his passion for tech.

His growing interest in tech led Adi to get a head start in self-taught IT studies. He learned from YouTube and built his portfolio, even if it wasn’t based on real-world projects. This self-taught experience gave him the confidence to apply for a freelance Front-End Developer position in a startup before graduating from high school. Surprisingly, Adi was accepted.

At work, Adi created and deployed user interfaces aligned with the design and flow. He also handled the company’s application, website, and geolocation for GPS tracking.

“Even though I wasn’t in college yet, I was eager to work at a startup because of the invaluable opportunities and experiences. I believe that a golden opportunity to gain early exposure to the tech industry won’t come twice.”

From Building an App to Identify Recyclable Items in Bangkit to Becoming a Google Developer Student Club (GDSC) Lead

Despite having prior work experience, Adi, who later pursued a degree in Informatics Engineering at Universitas Primakara, maintained his thirst for knowledge. During his second semester, he participated in a learning program on Dicoding. His experience with Dicoding eventually led him to discover Bangkit.

Having spent most of his time working on front-end web development, Adi was curious about how mobile development works. Seeing that Bangkit offered Mobile Development (Android) as one of its three learning paths, Adi was interested in applying. Finally, he was selected as a Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 participant.

As Adi’s journey in Bangkit began, he had to manage his time between college, work, and Bangkit. This program’s demanding course target prompted Adi to manage his time well. However, Bangkit’s experience was also memorable for Adi. He highlighted his capstone project experience.

“The experience of collaborating with new peers from different universities on a capstone project was enriching. Our capstone project involved building an app that allows users to list their recyclable items, which can then be weighed and sold. The app also includes an object detection feature to identify and categorize items.”

Bangkit played a significant role in broadening Adi’s professional network and enhancing his soft skills. As a result, after Bangkit, Adi was appointed as the GDSC lead at Universitas Primakara. It provided him with considerable opportunities to expand his connections.

Practical Learning Approach in Bangkit Contributed to Adi’s Career Advancement

Having completed Bangkit, Adi secured a position as a Web Engineer at Mobee Digital Asset Exchange, an Indonesian cryptocurrency platform specializing in digital asset investment services. He mentioned that the technical skills acquired from Bangkit are highly applicable to web development at his workplace.

As a Web Engineer, Adi handles web applications and ensures accurate data display. Working in a fintech startup pushed him to be meticulous and minimize errors, especially when displaying numerical data.

“The learning approach in Bangkit is practical. Not only did I gain hands-on experience in tech, but I also developed my soft skills and improved my English. This has been particularly beneficial at work, where the presence of international employees has made effective communication easier.”

Having successfully transitioned into a full-time digital talent, Adi has never regretted getting a head start on gaining experience since high school. He is now more convinced than ever that starting early will lead to early success.

More stories about Bangkit Alum and Cohort:

1. Dery Sudrajat - Alumnus With International Careers Who Are Keen to Give Back to Bangkit
2. Novebri Tito Ramadhani - My Interest in Robotics Led to a Career in AI Engineering
3. I Komang Pranadita Kusuma Jaya - Bangkit's Learning Environment Motivated Me to Achieve More