Maximizing Life with Ambition and Dedication
In life, I have a wide range of interests. I enjoy physics, philosophy, disruptive technologies, business and management, music, design, film analysis, robotics, sports, and more. On one hand, this variety seems positive, but on the other, it’s a trap — this is commonly known as being a “jack of all trades, master of none.” Yes, I can do many things, but so what? I can’t excel in any one field. The confusion and dilemma of choosing something to specialize in constantly haunt me. From here, I started thinking: where am I actually headed?
How Elon Musk Influenced My Life
There’s a term called polymath, which describes someone who can truly master multiple skills. Leonardo Da Vinci, for example, was an artist, anatomist, mathematician, philosopher, and excelled in other fields. John von Neumann contributed significantly to numerous fields, including mathematics (foundations of mathematics, functional analysis, ergodic theory, geometry, topology, and numerical analysis), physics (quantum mechanics, hydrodynamics, and quantum statistical mechanics), economics (game theory), computing (Von Neumann architecture, linear programming, self-replicating machines, stochastic computing), and statistics. Then there’s Elon Musk, a business expert, technologist, skilled in physics and engineering in specific areas, a proficient programmer, and more.
Elon Musk is my role model. In fact, I chose to study physics after learning that he majored in it. However, I understand that it’s not the degree that made him Elon Musk, but how physics helped him maximize his intellectual potential in creating world-changing technologies, combined with his management skills across multiple industries. That’s the foundation of my decision to study physics. I believe I can learn other subjects that I love while studying physics at ITB, a discipline that trains me to think scientifically and opens doors to disrupting civilization with technology. With ambition and dedication, I’m confident all this will yield positive results. Nowadays, people often call this an expert generalist, which is similar to being a polymath — someone who specializes in multiple areas.
What Makes Elon Musk Fascinating and How Does It Relate to My Interests? Among all my aforementioned interests, I must admit I am particularly drawn to negotiation, management, and business. On the other hand, I want to manage a technology company where the technology is a product of my own ideas. After studying the backgrounds of some founders, I realized that I am a person with big dreams, and for some reason, I greatly admire Elon Musk. His ambition to colonize Mars in the near future, develop energy solutions that benefit humanity, create intelligent electric cars, and robots to solve numerous industry problems, solar farming, and many other bold projects excite me. I understand that all of this requires a lot and can’t be fully explained here, but I believe that having a strong foundation in physics, as Musk suggests, coupled with business and management skills and relentless ambition to achieve dreams, is essential for success.
Before Elon Musk, there was Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Yes, I’m a huge superhero fan, and it all started with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the Infinity Saga, I was captivated by the technology tied to the superhero costumes, particularly Iron Man’s ever-evolving armor. Watching Tony Stark build his armor from scratch, create Stark Industries, and manage his robots to save and help the world was incredibly inspiring. How could it not be? With our passion for robotics, the possibility of making the world safer and advancing civilization is truly meaningful, isn’t it?
Yes, in our universe (real life), Elon Musk is often regarded as the closest figure to Tony Stark, even making a cameo in *Iron Man 2*.
Ambition and Dedication
I come from a school that rarely sends students to this university. In fact, I am the first person to attend this university from my school. The system (SNMPTN) wasn’t really designed to help students from my school get into top universities. UTBK was my only path, and I had to win it. However, the journey wasn’t easy. An unsupportive environment, competition from prestigious schools, and other obstacles stood in my way. But I believed in one thing: as long as I had great ambition and dedication, I could do it. With that in mind, I gave everything I had, studying intensively to be accepted.
Beyond that, I once dreamed of being someone recognized in their field. During the COVID pandemic, I became a content creator who gained some success in film analysis and discussions. My premise was that I used to think famous people were somehow different from the rest of us. I challenged that belief with ambition and dedication. Armed with nothing but a smartphone with a cracked back cover, I managed to grow my following to 50,000 and even earned an income. What did I sacrifice? A lot of my time, of course, but it paid off, didn’t it? That mindset and determination have stayed with me throughout my studies at ITB.
Lost in the Journey
I experienced a lot of confusion during my studies at ITB. I explored various specializations within physics, each with its own unique appeal. As someone with many interests, it was no surprise that I felt torn in many directions. In my first year, I dabbled in data science training, participated in robotics competitions focusing on the electrical aspect, focused on academics in elective courses that were different from my initial expectations, and much more.
In the end, after all I had tried, I realized something important. Why not focus on skills that bring me closer to my dreams and that I genuinely enjoy? But then the question arose: what specific skills should I develop to begin this journey?
I Found My Way
The premise here is that I can’t do everything, so I must carefully select what to focus on. First, I can’t let go of my love for physics and management. Second, I need to eliminate things that don’t align with my main goals. Third, I should focus on high-value skills, both materially and in helping me develop other skills (such as data science, which not only involves data analysis but also model engineering, business learning, strong statistics, and more).
I have been familiar with the concept of Ikigai for a while. It’s based on interconnected diagrams that help identify one’s direction. Ikigai originates from Japan and is often said to be a formula for happiness and longevity. I tried mapping it out, and the diagram can be seen in Image 1.3.
Data Science is One of the Elements that Fulfills My Ikigai
As I mentioned earlier, data science holds significant value. In data science, we learn about business processes, statistics and probability, advanced mathematics, programming, and building machine learning (ML) models and AI. Beyond its high value, it also provides immense fulfillment (such as predicting outcomes, providing optimal solutions, and more), and I genuinely enjoy its skillset.
As seen in the Ikigai diagram, my career may be oriented towards data science, possibly as an ML engineer or AI engineer. These areas overlap and support one another, so it’s clear that I need to start developing these skills now.
Specialization and Minor Program in Physics at ITB
Even though I’ve already received a scholarship to attend a data science bootcamp, I feel I need to dive deeper into this field. ITB Physics offers a data science specialization, and this is the program I want to pursue. While working on related projects outside the program, I am also taking a minor in AI from the Informatics Department. I have decided to fully commit to this path, as shown in my Ikigai diagram.
Message to My Present Self to Maximize My Future
No matter what, the future is full of uncertainties and challenges. My focus is on maximizing my potential by applying the Ikigai diagram I’ve mapped out with ambition and dedication. Those are the things I can control. Sure, I will focus on data science, ML, AI, and so on, but I won’t forget about physics and management, because I believe I can create something out of these fields as well.
This plan works well for me because this kind of mapping makes it clear what I should focus on and what the outcomes could be. For example, in the working world, a natural intersection would be a career in data science. But at the same time, I could also teach physics, perhaps at the undergraduate level, or explore other intersections.
No matter what the future holds, we can only control certain things, so let’s make sure we maximize what we can control.