Harapan Bangsa Career Resource Center Opened the Door to Get a Job in the USA

Thursday, 17/12/2015

Working for a US-based IT company: what can an Indonesian grad be more proud of? Meet Hermanto Tjioe, an Institut Teknologi Harapan Bangsa – Informatics Engineering graduate from class 2008 who was recruited in 2012 as an Oracle ERP SCM consultant at Intellium Inc., an IT consultant company based in McKinney, Texas.

Tjioe came from a very humble family. Since he was very young, Tjioe had to take care of his father, a former bus driver who had to quit his job due to a stroke. Upon his father’s advice, Tjioe left his hometown to live with his uncle, who has a business in Bandung. When his brother-in-law asked him if he would like to study at Institut Teknologi Harapan Bangsa, Tjioe took this rare opportunity at once.

“Attitude is the key to success. No matter how intelligent you are, if you don’t have a positive attitude, no one would hire you,” said Tjioe sharing his experience to his juniors at ITHB campus on Jalan Dipati Ukur Bandung last Thursday (12/10/2015).“Good luck will always follow those who remain steadfast in the face of a challenge,” recalled Tjioe. “I remember the time before I graduated when I was facing a difficult technical problem that prevented me from my final assignment on time. Miraculously, my academic supervisor offered me a chance to participate in a project that eventually met the requirements to complete my study at ITHB. Then, another challenge came along. Some of my best friends managed to be admitted to Harapan Bangsa Star Club, an elite club at the campus whose members have the privilege of being promoted for employment at Indonesia’s top companies upon graduation. Though I wasn’t admitted, I didn’t feel disappointed. I decided to take a low-profile programming job in a local company. However, it turned out to be better than what I expected.  One bigger opportunity always came after another, allowing me to leap from a smaller to a bigger company,” explained Tjioe. The first company that hired him requested him to work on Oracle ERP, which was to be launched immediately. “It had to be ready in six months. So, I said I was ready, even if I had to work 24/7,” said the IT professional, in a noticeably expressive way. The company appreciated his hard work and his career and salary began to ascend since then.

Not long after, a big-time opportunity approached Tjioe virtually out of the blue. “I was implementing an Oracle Application for a company that had just decided to convert from the industry standard SAP-ERP. I was overwhelmed because at the time there were still very few Oracle consultants around to turn to when I had difficulties. In my confusion, I decided to access the global consultant network that is available on line. Guess what? I found not only the technical solution I was looking for, but also an offer to work in the US,” recounted Tjioe, who could not conceal his zeal.

“Applying for a job in an international company requires not only technical skills, but also high integrity, credibility, and responsibility, which they can see from your previous employment record. So, despite the awaiting dream job in the US, I said to my recruiter that I decided to finish the project I was handling in Indonesia. It turned out that they appreciated my decision and sense of responsibility. They agreed to postpone my recruitment, and when the day came, they even fully sponsored my visa application.”

Tjioe admitted that despite his present career, which he built the hard way, he is determined to stay humble for he realizes that it is God who works in you and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. In short, Tjioe concluded, “Attitude, dream, plan, and action are what one needs to succeed. But then again, a man can plan, yet God directs his ways.” Tjioe admitted that his life as a student at ITHB also helped shape his character. “I was a member of the Harapan Bangsa Student Fellowship. An organization that not only gave me a positive environment, but also reminded me to always rely on God’s power,” Tjioe concluded.