Do you want to be an entrepreneur or a professional? This was the question that most university graduates had in their mind upon graduating. In order to help final year students who are about to enter the professional world, the Executive Student Board of UPH (BEM UPH) worked together with the Career Center Department of UPH to held a series of events. One of them is a seminar called “Entrepreneur or Professional?’ which was held on February 8, 2019, in the multipurpose room of MYC Building, UPH Lippo Karawaci.
This seminar was a bit different from other seminar because there was a number of successful alumni who have paved their career in the professional as well entrepreneur world. They were Ryo Saputra Limijaya, Alumni of UPH International Relation Alumni 2008, who worked as a professional – the Head of Sales and Marketing of Anomali Coffee; and Richie Wirjan, Alumni of Communication Science 2007, the owner of Owner Credens Strategic Branding.
According to Ryo, the most important thing the students have to know upon choosing a career for their future is the main potentials that they have and in what field would they want to work.
“When we have known the answer for these two questions, it will be a pleasure for us to work, and we will surely give more contribution for our work because we like doing it,” Ryo stated as he told his experience in applying for employment after graduating.
“Aside from knowing that I want to work a food and beverages-related job, I also know that I like everything about Indonesia. That was one of the reason why I chose International Relation for my major in college, because in the beginning, I want to be a diplomat. But then, as I was working in Anomali, I became a diplomat at the same time, a coffee diplomat to be exact – because I was promoting Indonesian coffee to the world,” Ryo explained.
Ryo emphasized that in choosing between professionalism or entrepreneurship, there should not be a clearly defined line. Many people separate professionalism and entrepreneurship, but in reality the two can’t really be seen separately because they complete each other. When someone wants to be a professional or in other word, work in a certain place, and wants to be in the top management in the future, they have to have mentality of ‘being entrepreneur in the company’.
“The owner of our place will surely want a team member with an entrepreneurship mindset,” Ryo emphasized.
Moreover, according to him, everyone should have the growth mindset when they want to start their career. It means that working should not just be about working nor completing the job description given to us. We all have to have a great will to accept challenge and the job given to us, and do give our optimum effort in it. This is the capital that we have to own when we want to be in the top of the management.
The second speaker, Richie Wirjan, also shared his thoughts in order to answer some questions about the seminar’s theme. From the point of view of and entrepreneur, Richie thinks that there are still a lot of people that defines entrepreneur as a cool person, although in reality there are a lot of case when the business can only run for one or two years.
As an entrepreneur, Richie who has been a professional before; he was the Country Manager in Asia Digital Garden on 2015, believes that an entrepreneur is not only about working independently, being free and not having to work under another person.
“If you want to be an entrepreneur but you are currently working in someone’s company, understand that with an entrepreneur spirit, you have the opportunity to make the company grow even bigger. And when you decide to become an entrepreneur, you have to make sure that you are sure enough, and that you are ready to run the business you have prepared planned before. Entrepreneurships is not just about business plan, exhibitions, having customer and then done. More importantly, it is about commitment; especially when your business is going through a hard time or getting weaker. In any condition, an entrepreneur still have to give their best effort and quality, and they have to be impactful,” Richie stated.
By the end of his presentation, Richie reminded the participants that in becoming a professional or an entrepreneur, the two needs some infallible concepts that has to be applied: good attitude, integrity, professionalism, respect and persistence.