Idealis vs Pragmatis

Photo By Unsplash on Unsplash

Mid-2017 was an extraordinary time for me. It marked the peak of my career as a teacher, with things going well and ideal. I was proud of one of my students who had advanced to the national level.

Becoming the runner-up in the 2017 SMK Web Design and Development LKS competition in Surakarta a few months ago was a significant achievement. This period also coincided with the birth of our first daughter, Maryam Fukayna Kaneez, in July.

Actually, since last year, my idealism started to waver. It turns out that dedicating myself as a teacher, especially as a contract teacher, is not easy. Although at SMKN 1 Cibadak, my salary was relatively high compared to other contract teachers at different schools.

Moreover, the school management was taken over by the province, and with a 24-hour work schedule (roughly three days), I could earn a provincial minimum wage (UMR). But everyone’s needs are different, and there are many things to chase. The reality is, we have to find ways to increase our income.

Looking at my current situation (when I was still a teacher), I worked 7 days a week, often more than 12 hours a day (if there were many projects + teaching on weekends).

At this point, the situation was no longer ideal, especially with a wife and child who needed more attention from me. From that moment, my idealism began to fade, and with a heavy heart, I decided to temporarily leave the school.

There were several factors that made me return to the industry, one of which I already mentioned above, and also the fact that my workplace was near my in-laws’ house.

Everyone can relate to the fact that being a new parent requires help; it’s impossible for my wife to manage the baby alone at home while she’s still recovering. Moreover, I realized that my knowledge was falling behind, and I hoped to learn more in the industry.

Through this post, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity I’ve had to be a part of the school. I still remember my first years as a teacher.

Some of the first batch of students I taught are now actively mentoring their juniors and learning independently (renting a place for a workspace and basecamp to share knowledge). Keep going, guys, we need more young people like you.

Finally, I apologize if I haven’t been the best teacher, and I ask for your prayers so that I may be blessed with knowledge and sustenance, and one day return to the world of education.

Oh, and I apologize for not updating this blog in a while. This blog is my way of sharing with all of you. God willing, starting next week, I will aim to publish at least one article here.

If any of you have requests for specific topics, feel free to leave them in the comments section, as long as they’re related to web development. I’ll do my best to provide that material.

But I apologize in advance if some topics are beyond my current expertise, as I’ll need to study them first, and I may disappoint some of you.

Thank you for reading my thoughts,

Wishing you success.