Inspired by Silicon Valley. Groomed in Ruangguru.
It all started during my short visit to Silicon Valley in 2018, the headquarter sites of Google, Facebook, Amazon — you name it! Truly a hub of tech giants. That visit became a turning point for the direction I would later take in my life.
Knowing of the long-term vision these tech companies and start-ups possessed and watching them create impact for their community completely inspired my 20-year-old self. It encouraged me to pursue a career in the technology industry, despite having zero background in the subject.
I flew back to Indonesia with a new goal: a career in tech.
Returning to Indonesia also meant that I resumed my routines as a student at the University of Indonesia. I wanted to look for activities that excite me, remain impactful, and allow me to still study well in college. In January 2019, I decided to join the Abang None Jakarta Barat competition. I won. With the help of the Abang None team, who happened to share the same concerns on children’s education, we created an education charity for students with special needs.
Soon I realized, despite having schools for disabled children (Sekolah Luar Biasa), most of them in Jakarta still lacked access to quality education. The institution I visited looked severely underfunded. At times, one classroom had to be split in two, forcing two separate classes in one crowded and small space.
I started to think,
I am Interested in Technology and Education, so why not try to combine them together?
Then, my journey started with Ruangguru.
In December 2019, I joined the Partnership Team at Ruangguru as an intern. Reporting directly to our Partnership Lead gave me an entirely new perspective on the workforce environment.
Working in a team of five talented individuals at Ruangguru for led me to numerous meetings with partners and top brands. Here are 5 professional skills I learned from my internship!
1. Be on time
The Partnership Team is the gateway to any B2B partnership. This means, every day, every week, we have meeting appointments with a diverse pool of potential partners. Back-to-back meetings are common in our team, during which I learned that time management is essential. I’ve remembered this motto ever since: It is better to be early 20 minutes than 2 minutes late.
Being on time also shows that we respect and appreciate our partners’ time.
Even in circumstances where I would likely come late, it’s better to inform them beforehand.
2. Attitude determines your altitude
One day, I was in a car with my Partnership Lead, Kak Angela Dina. We were on our way back to the office from one of our meetings. I asked her, “As a leader who has already met hundreds of partners and interviewed candidates, what is the most important thing or skill you’re looking for?”
She answered,
“Attitude, because it determines your altitude.”
I also learned that a good attitude and well-kept behavior should be applied outside of professional settings as well. No matter the position, we have to demonstrate decent etiquette and treat everyone the way we want to be treated.
3. Build relationships and maintain them
More than 50 partners — and still counting — have collaborated with Ruangguru, and some even renew every year! One of the most important things I observed was, to maintain a good relationship with partners, reply to their emails or messages ASAP. This shows that we are responsible and enthusiastic to partner with them.
This does not stop at partners of course — my own team too! Sometimes, small gestures, such as replying promptly to messages, mean the world. I was even given a parting gift. It felt humbling.
I feel grateful because I was surrounded by a great and thoughtful team who I can call friends too.
4. Be in the get-things-done mindset
My team leader always said, “Get things done. Try to finish everything as soon as possible.”
I couldn’t agree more! Since Ruangguru is the fastest-growing ed-tech company and the largest at that in Southeast Asia, if we don’t work fast, we will get left behind. This is why I think procrastination should not be a default. It is a deadly time bomb, and you’ll be killed when that clock winds down.
I learned that work and school life are two distinct cases. At school, procrastination is tolerable to an extent. But when it comes to work, even the slightest delay, let’s say by only 3 hours, would be precarious. At work, we work in teams. So, once one of the tasks isn’t done, other team members could find it difficult to continue their share of the work
5. Conclude with data
My leader encouraged me to use data for the basis of all my ideas. One day, she asked me to do some research and prepare for a Skill Academy promotion for millenials. We collected hundreds of data which will help our decision-making for the next promotion plan.
That experience instilled in me a new mindset: to achieve our goals, data is a sturdy and proven vehicle. Especially in the era of Big Data, where data is quickly becoming the catalyst to almost every successful endeavor.
What the Ruangguru Team tries to do is to make our platform accessible and inclusive for every student in Indonesia.
During my time interning, I realized that I was helping students access quality education through our promotions and installment programs. That feeling that I had, when our hard work could be enjoyed by students from Sabang until Merauke, is precious.
My internship at Ruangguru was the first step towards having an impact on Indonesia’s education through technology. In it, I gained a lot of knowledge that I couldn’t get in university, and it shaped me to be more driven, resilient, and thoughtful.
If you’re looking for opportunities full of growth, professionalism, and fun all at once, click this link. Who knows, maybe you’ll be as lucky as I’ve been in Ruangguru!
