Make the Most of the Process: a PhD Journey

My experience of doing a PhD degree is really something.

I'd like to review it since I recently attended a Professional Development Activity session held by Australia Awards Indonesia in Jakarta. 

My first encounter with the Australia Development Scholarship (ADS) recipients was in Denpasar, Bali, in 1999. As a recipient of other scholarships, I was mesmerized by the colleagues from ADS. They were smart, articulate, thoughtful, and confident, and I was determined to be one of them.

Alhamdulillah, I was granted the ADS in 2007.

There was also a strong reason to study in Australia: the rapid development of geopolymer research in some significant Australian universities and industries. Geopolymer was in the stage of being developed as a viable construction material. More gaps needed to be filled, and more cases for specific environmental implementation needed to be studied. I would like to be a part of the development and contribute to concrete knowledge.

Again, as I mentioned before, it requires a tremendous amount of determination to do a PhD. 
After some minor and significant, even very huge, roadblocks during the process, I could finish it. 

However, there are things that I like to share with everyone.

Despite all the mess and terrible that I've experienced related to materials, methods, relationships, budgets, knowledge challenges, travels, part-time jobs, and many more, 

I just want to say, "Make the most of the process".

It means taking all the opportunities to make this journey very meaningful...

Work on it, don't think too much about the roadblocks, and try to make the most of this journey. 

I've learned from many things and people around me, 
about intercultural friendships, multicultural lifestyles, ethics, discipline, conformity, collegiality, moral values, communication, good standards, project management, research skills, and most importantly, managing skills.

I developed a supporting system in many different aspects of my study. This is to have a backup system from the lab managers, technicians, PhD colleagues, faculty staff,  lecturers from Student Learning Support, international friends, and family:
to assist me with lab work, 
to proofread my English papers, 
to exchange views about my research development, 
to encourage research and writing process, 
to emulate their routine in my research, 
to have international friendships outside my PhD peers with some undergrads and locals, and 
to get eternal support from family in many different ways.

I also pushed myself to have a routine, be disciplined in my experimental work and work pattern, and be enthusiastic about my research.

I also constantly create a vision of how the thesis would look, including the colour of the graphs inside, the number of pages, and a list of references. 

And suddenly, I finished my PhD in 2011.

I tried to emulate this notion for every single thing I do at work now to help me produce the best results.

As a positive indicator that you are making the most of something in a noble way...
"You are very positive about many things, 
you have a positive attitude towards people around you, and 
you want to give back to the society who support you all you know about it...

And... you even look younger than your exact physical age."

Pekanbaru,