Early Steps of My Journey to Becoming a Software Engineer

My journey in IT didn’t start with something grand. I’m not a prodigy or a top-university graduate—I’m a vocational high school (SMK) graduate in Software Engineering who loves to learn and adapt. After graduating, I postponed college to work and support my family. While working at SQM Property, I enrolled in an evening program, aiming to graduate in 2027. This article shares my early steps—from internship, becoming IT Support, shifting to Back End, and now working as a Full Stack Developer—complete with real challenges, tough decisions, and the learning habits that shaped me.

My goal is simple: I hope this story serves as a small map for anyone walking a similar path.

1) Internship: First Touch with Real-World Work

Student Internship — STMIK AKAKOM Yogyakarta (Jul 2019 – Oct 2019), Yogyakarta

As an SMK Software Engineering student, this was a period of pure grit. Limited devices, tight budget, and time split between studying, experimenting, and preparing for life after school. That’s where my foundation was built.

What I worked on:

• A website-based voting system.
• Learning mobile programming with Java and building a simple app.
• Designing IoT architecture for an Early Detection of Landslide Movement project (for exhibition).

What I learned:

• Building end-to-end systems: from idea to a demo worth presenting.
• The importance of documentation so others can understand and showcase the project.
• Constraints sharpen creativity and persistence. Things don’t have to be perfect to be useful.

Honest note:

• I often sacrificed rest and other wants to buy components or pay for internet. Those “small” steps later became big capital.

2) Working First: Stabilizing Finances While Growing Skills

IT Support and Administration Staff — CV Nurcahya Aulia (Aug 2020 – May 2022), Bekasi

After SMK, I decided not to be a burden to my family. The mindset: work first to build financial stability while keeping my programming path alive. I deliberately postponed college to prioritize helping my parents, yet I stayed close to coding.

Core responsibilities:

• Handling and resolving hardware issues (computers, printers, etc.) and software issues (OS, apps).
• Building, managing, and marketing an advertising website, AsistenRumah.com—serving 200+ monthly active users in Greater Jakarta.
• Performing regular data backups and ensuring data security and integrity.

How I stayed “close” to programming:

• Late-night study sessions every day (even 1–2 hours consistently).
• Earning certifications to keep learning momentum and validate skills.
• Doing small freelance work to tie theory to real-world practice.
• Keeping personal study notes and technical documentation.

Key takeaways:

• IT Support brought me close to real user problems—this built technical empathy that helps me design better features as a developer.
• Operational discipline (backups, security, SOPs) became the backbone for building reliable production systems later.

3) Back on the Coding Track: Finding My Rhythm in Back End

Back End Developer — SQM Property (Jun 2022 – Jul 2024), Tangerang — Full-time Hybrid (WFH & WFO)

There was a phase where I drifted from programming due to administrative work. But I kept learning. With consistent study, certifications, and freelance projects, a friend opened a door for me to return as a programmer—this time as a Back End Developer. Around this time, I also started my evening college program. Work during the day, study at night or on weekends. Tiring, yes—but it shaped my discipline and focus.

Technologies and practices I focused on:

• Spring Boot, Node.js, and PHP for web application development.
• RabbitMQ and Redis for messaging and caching.
• MySQL as the relational database.
• Docker for delivery and environment isolation.
• Postman and Swagger for API testing and documentation.
• A commitment to clean code, clear documentation, and maintainability.

Reflections:

• This was a fresh start—sharpening technical depth, building relationships, and learning service architecture.
• Depth (understanding how systems work) matters more than stacking buzzwords.
• Working with an all-IT team of great peers accelerated my learning curve.

4) Becoming Whole: From Back End to Full Stack

Full Stack Developer — PT Siaga Abdi Utama (Jul 2024 – Present), Jakarta — Contract

When the previous company’s project wrapped up, I looked for a new challenge. Thanks to steady learning and the network I maintained (especially on LinkedIn), I got a great opportunity to step up as a Full Stack Developer. At the same time, I continued my evening college—balancing work, study, and life.

Day-to-day focus:
My days are quite diverse. I keep improving and maintaining features in existing products, while also designing new backend services when new needs arise. I work a lot with Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, RabbitMQ, Redis, and switch to CodeIgniter or Node.js when the context fits better. For true greenfield projects, I start from scratch—setting up clean, maintainable, and scalable architectures. On the interface side, I build responsive, lightweight UIs with JavaScript, React, and PWA. What I guard closely is quality: writing clean code, documenting it clearly, and testing it thoroughly so releases go smoothly.

On collaboration, I routinely sync with the Project Manager to share progress and surface risks early. With the UI/UX team, I translate designs into solid, practical implementations. I also enjoy getting direct feedback from end users; small decisions often become clearer after seeing how features are used in real life.

To fulfill project needs, I always begin by understanding the problem first. Then I propose a technical approach that makes sense and is realistic for the team to deliver. For partner requests, I focus on building software that’s not only functional, but also reliable and easy to maintain in the long run.

Core lessons:

• Full stack isn’t about knowing “everything,” but owning the flow end-to-end: user problems, solution design, implementation, quality, and feedback-driven iteration.
• Clear communication and collaboration speed up delivery and reduce misunderstandings.
• Writing and maintaining documentation is an investment that keeps paying off.

Habits That Keep Me Moving

• Consistent learning (beats long but infrequent sessions).
• Small scoped projects to train specific skills (one API, one UI component, one CI pipeline).
• Certifications to maintain rhythm and validate skills.
• Freelance and side projects to test knowledge in the real world.
• Writing (articles/notes) to lock in knowledge and share it.
• Nurturing my network (LinkedIn has been a big help).

Acknowledgments

I wouldn’t be here without the people who stood by me. My deepest gratitude to my partner and family for their unwavering support and prayers at every step. To Pak Faris Deni, my partner since 2022—many doors opened thanks to your trust and guidance. To Mas Hanif Ramadhan, a project manager and leader who consistently directs and sharpens my career. And to all my fellow teammates and peers—you’re amazing; thank you for the support, the pushes, and for growing together. Each of you is part of this journey.

Closing: No Magic Leap, Just Consistent Small Steps

If I sum it up, there’s no “magic moment” in this journey. It’s a chain of small, consistent steps—despite limited devices, tight schedules, and modest finances. From internship, IT Support, back to Back End, and now Full Stack—everything happened because I kept learning and kept moving. My academic journey runs alongside: delaying college to work, then pursuing an evening program with a target to graduate in 2027.

In the next article, I’ll share how I chose and learned my first programming language, the challenges I faced, and how I adapted until I felt comfortable building things. See you in Chapter 3!