“Sekolah Ciputra was one of my life experiences that I couldn’t forget; it made me who I am right now.”

BILLY TJAHJADI
GRADUATED: 2018

1. After graduating from Sekolah Ciputra, where do you study? What is your major?
Universitas Prasetiya Mulya and my major is International Business. 

2. What did you do after graduating from university?
After I graduated, I worked at a startup company named Mentogram. It is a Singaporean company and I worked as a half timer; working remotely. In my free time, I spent time on my own business, which was Pixl Creative.  

3. What is your current occupation?
I’m the CEO of Specialist Photography Center in Makassar.

4. What was the biggest challenge of moving to a new city?
In a business context, my biggest challenge was consumer behavior. Different cities sometimes had totally different people’s personality and characteristics. On which, when we are doing a business, I believe we really need to focus on fulfilling the market needs.

5. What do you enjoy most about your new environment?
Here in Makassar, the living cost is cheaper compared to big cities like Jakarta and Surabaya ; I could save a lot. 

6. In what way did Sekolah Ciputra contribute to your job right now?
Sekolah Ciputra was one of my life experiences that I couldn’t forget; it made me who I am right now. I learned a lot of skills during my time in Sekolah Ciputra and one of them is communication skill. This skill plays an important role in my job right now, especially in communicating with my staff and clients. 

7. What was the best thing about Sekolah Ciputra? Tell us something memorable from your time at Sekolah Ciputra
The best thing about Sekolah Ciputra is the school’s events. I was kind of an active student during my time in Sekolah Ciputra. I contributed to almost every event that was held by Sekolah Ciputra. Through the events that I participated in, I realized that learning didn’t just come from academic stuff like classes; but it can be found in things outside the classes like school events. The most memorable time for me was when I became the head of the technical department on the school production event; High School Musical theme. I had to work with so many members and it was so fun and exciting. One day, we had to work until 9 p.m and we ordered food for dinner, we had some chit chat, sang songs together; it was just a pack of fun. 

8. What advice would you give to a graduating student who was interested in creating their own business?
Go for it! Based on my experience, just start from your hobby. From that, you can try to focus a bit more on creating money out of it or we can say do it professionally. I believe every business that is focused will eventually be successful. 

9. Would you recommend Sekolah Ciputra to others? If yes, what would you say about it?
Absolutely! Sekolah Ciputra is a place that has tons of opportunities for students to grow their skills. Students just need to become active, keep their eyes wide open and seize every opportunity that they can think of.

10. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Exploring the photography industry, more specifically in aerial photo and video.