Statement of Purpose
My first objective is to pursue a master’s degree from a world prestigious university. Afterwards, I plan to develop my career in BRI (Bank Rakyat Indonesia), the company I am currently employed with, as a professional in the field related to Computer and Information Technology. I have great expectations on continuing the company’s leadership in the future. I am eager to join you in the Master of Science in Computer Science program at George Mason University, and I hope my education and work experiences will prove that I be an asset to this program.
I went to Gadjah Mada University, one of the best universities in Indonesia, for for my undergraduate study in 1998. I applied to Electrical Engineering and took Telecommunications as my concentration. I have learned many things regarding data communication and network, telecommunication system, computer engineering and basic programming. In addition, I joined various academic, non-academic, sport organizations and activities during my undergraduate study. I graduated with a GPA of 3.31 (4.0 scale).
After I graduated in 2003, I took my first steps into the professional world by working for Samsung Electronics Indonesia, a multinational company from Korea. I worked for the Research & Development department, working on electronic circuits and software for various models of DVD player products. My responsibilities also included my competency in electronics circuit as well as programming.
In 2005, I moved to BRI, one of the largest financial institution in Indonesia, with more than 9000 branch offices to serve more than 50 million customers, 115,000 employees, and around $ 50.5 billion of asset, Bank Rakyat Indonesia has established itself as a successful commercial bank with a strong dominance in micro banking. At the beginning, I was working as a Data Center System Engineer. My responsibilities were to manage IT infrastructures, especially Unix based servers to support all electronic channel applications. I managed to bring my best performance to the job, such as providing high available server infrastructures which challenged my technical skills. It was very challenging work since I was required to maintain application and system availability 24×7 hours, as well as to minimize unplanned downtime. I also have experience working in the Quality Assurance and Network Operations departments that enriched my skills and knowledge about banking applications, IT systems and networks.
In 2012 I was promoted to Vice Department Head Operation, Network and Service in the Regional Office at Makassar, South Sulawesi province. For that particular period of time, the job gave me a lot of valuable experience of leadership and management within the company. Managing around 30 people with 5 different operational units required a better understanding of detail aspects of their jobs, and also their personalities in order to give proper directions and effective supervision.
Working for almost nine years in BRI, I have proven good work performance every year, and chosen as one of 14 employees that have been awarded to pursue advanced study in overseas this year. The selection processes were very rigorous and competitive, where about two hundred candidates joined in the first selection test from about few thousand eligible employees. The tests consisted of academic potential, basic English and psychological test, which were followed by work competence assessment and final interview with the Board of Directors. The ultimate goal of this scholarship program is to forge future leaders of BRI.
I am currently enrolled in the INTO Mason Graduate Pathway Program, to prepare myself to achieve required English proficiency and to posses the skills for successful graduate study. Those important skills to name a few are: time management, academic study plan, understanding different cultures of education, avoiding plagiarism, presentation skills, etc. I was taking the accelerated program, which last for one semester covering two pathway courses and two major courses from Computer Science.
My passion in computer technology and supportive environment at the workplace have influenced my career path so far. To improve my technical skill, this company allows me to acquire a particular course or training which keeps me updated. Therefore, I have considerable knowledge about IT infrastructure and system. I believe that to become an excellent professional in the Computer and IT field, I need to possess in-depth knowledge both in technical and non-technical aspects. I have a desire to drive technology into the effective utilization in business development in the company.
I strongly feel that the Computer Science program at George Mason University is a highly structured program and covering comprehensive aspects that will enhance my knowledge and skills. I highly interested in Database or Data Mining, Network and System Security, and Web Application Programming. Since, these fields play a very important part in the system and technology in BRI. I was thinking about taking Data Mining for my future research, in order to support the management in making a more knowledge-driven decision. .
Moreover, I am so excited to meet new people from different countries and backgrounds that offers cultural diversity, which are very important for me as it will broaden my experiences and point of views. I hope the chance to join you at George Mason University can assist me to reach my short term goal to be a highly skilled computer professional, as my long term goal to pursue my career to be one of the top leaders at BRI.