Choose to live a life of flow and be a useful person
Being able to get a higher education and then graduate from Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) is one of the proudest things in his life. The 1995 alumni of Social Anthropology FISIP UNAIR then continued, pride alone is not enough to make one's life memorable. Holding a bachelor's degree from a big campus does not automatically make Subali's career journey smooth without obstacles. Just like new graduates in general, Subali had repeatedly tried his luck and scrambled for opportunities in the world of work. Moreover, at that time he was faced with the reality that his major was relatively unfamiliar in the Indonesian workforce.
"Of course, every alumni has their own life path and story. Our nature as ordinary human beings cannot be denied, the secret of our future life is the secret of the Almighty God. Humans can only plan, God is the one who determines everything," he said.
Although it was not easy, Subali never gave up. All the difficulties faced did not necessarily discourage him. Subali was determined that after graduating from UNAIR he would never be unemployed and return to his hometown before finding a job. At that time, he chose to stay in Surabaya and undergo a survival period after not being financed by his parents anymore.
Finally, thanks to the help of his seniors, Subali got his first job as a research member or surveyor for several development consultants in Surabaya. Among them were PT CSW, PT Surya Abadi, PT Geoplano and the French consultant BCEOM. Subali said he really enjoyed the job, and often traveled from one region to another, even outside Java, to conduct social assessments related to development planning. For Subali, his field of work at that time included noble work, because the results of the surveys he conducted became the initial analysis of pre-detail engineering design and opened communication with potential beneficiaries or development impacts.
New Job Challenges
In 2004, Subali took on a new challenge in his job, becoming the Coordinator of the Indonesia-Australia Partnership in Basic Education Program and joining the AusAID Project in Gresik. Despite not having a background in education, Subali was confident he could give his best in his new job. Frequently interacting with international workers, education college lecturers, school principals, teachers and education stakeholders made Subali feel awkward. But Subali tries to keep learning and managing every challenge in his new job.
challenges in his new job. Subali proved his performance in AusAID Project for three years successfully. He also received appreciation from various parties, ranging from the regent, DPRD, Education Office, to schools. The program he created became one of the pilot projects and benchmarking for improving the quality of education in Indonesia.
While Subali was still enjoying his work at the AusAID Project, he was offered a new job. In 2006, Subali was assigned as an Education CSR Consultant at the oil and gas company, HESS Indonesia Pangkah Limited, an upstream oil and gas company from the United States. A year later Subali transitioned to CSR External and Government Relations. Eight years later, in 2014, Subali was assigned as Senior Social Responsibility, External and Government Relations at the upstream oil and gas company PGN Saka, a subsidiary of Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN).
Subali has been doing this job until now. Working in the upstream oil and gas extractive industry is a new thing that is again full of tough challenges for Subali. However, he said that this is where his anthropologist spirit emerges, such as finding ways to bridge the high tech, high capital and high risk world of the company with the world of the surrounding community, which is full of local wisdom.
"To avoid gaps and conflicts, there must be efforts and ways to coexist, /living in harmony," said the man from Saradan, Madiun.
Subali has written about his experiences and lessons on how to work with this concept in his book titled "Living in Harmony, A Social Interaction in Blok Pangkah". Thanks to this concept, Subali was awarded the Dharma Karya Energy and Mineral Resources award by the Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ignasius Jonan in 2017.
Writing Hobbies and Holding Firm Principles
He_added, what does it mean to have a high position and salary but his life is not useful Subali likened it to living and working in a vacuum. "Even though you don't have a position and an abundant income, if someone can benefit others, life will feel more enjoyable. If you have both, life will not only be enjoyable but also complete," added the high-paying dian.
The principle of working to benefit others has helped Subali through a difficult and challenging job. For Subali, helping others or the community is a passion that can be a source of motivation in his work. It is also what gives Subali inner satisfaction and peace of mind during his work days.
"Life flows, and be a useful person wherever you work or move. Happy holy devotion to noble service by being a useful person," he concluded.
