UNAIR NEWS – Many people aspire to build a career abroad. An alumna of the Faculty of Law at Universitas Airlangga Annida Aqilla Putri becomes one of those who achieved that dream. She pursued a Legal Research master’s program at Utrecht University, one of the Netherlands’ top universities.
Annida received cum laude. Before graduating, she had secured a job at a human rights non-governmental organization in the Netherlands.
Her journey has set an inspiration, especially for UNAIR students who aspire to start a career abroad. Therefore, she shared some tips for UNAIR students.
Eyes on the goals
One of the key factors Annida has always put is finding her strengths and weaknesses. This was the starting point for figuring out her goals and aspirations, especially related to her studies and career.
“We are the ones who know our lives, especially our strengths and weaknesses. Since my undergraduate studies, I’ve started exploring what I like. What do I want? What skills do I need to hone? So, I knew what to focus on,” she told UNAIR NEWS during an online interview on Tuesday, December 26, 2023.
Setting the goals made it easier for her to plan her studies and chart her career path. “During my studies, I planned my activities, such as participating in competitions or organizations aligned with my interests and goals,” she said.
Learning new things
Apart from goal setting, being willing to learn new things is also crucial. “We can find a lot of new things here. Ready or not, we must be able to change our mindset to be more open and willing to learn new things,” she said.
Thriving in unknown surroundings also requires an open mind and humility in admitting shortcomings. “Thriving in unknown surroundings also requires an open mind and humility in admitting one’s shortcomings,” she added.
Self-confidence
For Annida, self-confidence has also brought her to the current state. Without it, she couldn’t take advantage of the opportunities. “I frequently see Indonesians or other students here who struggle with poor confidence. However, I say just go ahead and do it. Whether we still need to learn more or are not yet qualified, we’ll worry about that later,” she said.
In the end, she expressed her gratitude for what she has today. She might never have achieved this without the three factors: setting goals, the willingness to learn new things, and self-confidence. “If I didn’t have confidence, I wouldn’t be here now. If the question is whether I’m the smartest? No. I might not be in this place if I lacked confidence and wasn’t willing to attempt. So, for now, just try your hardest,” she concluded.
Author: Yulia Rohmawati
Editor: Feri Fenoria
