Kisah Heroik Pegawai Multitalenta di Era Digital Penuh Apresiasi Tipis

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Selamat Datang di Hajriah Fajar: Hidup Sehat & Cerdas di Era Digital

Sarjana tapi Dibayar SMA: Kisah Heroik Pegawai Multitalenta di Era Digital Penuh Apresiasi Tipis

Pembuka

Kadang gue mikir, ini dunia beneran atau prank? Udah capek-capek kuliah 4 tahun, ngerjain skripsi yang bikin insomnia, ditambah portfolio yang tebalnya ngalahin e-book motivasi, eh pas masuk dunia kerja, gaji disamain kayak kasir indomaret—padahal lo yang bikin sistem POS-nya.

Gue nggak bilang kerjaan kasir enteng ya, tapi kalau udah ngoding backend, frontend, sampai UI/UX-nya pun lo desain sendiri (pakai PowerPoint karena Figma belum bisa dibuka di laptop kantor), terus digaji kayak lulusan SMA karena "ijazah lo belum di-update di HR", rasanya kayak ikut lomba marathon tapi hadiahnya senyum manajer.

Inti

Perusahaan digital modern tuh emang pinter. Mereka tahu cara menyulap "eksploitasi" jadi "pemberdayaan". Nggak ada kenaikan gaji? Bukan masalah—karena lo sekarang "diberi kepercayaan lebih untuk handle proyek besar". Nggak ada tunjangan? Gak papa—karena katanya “pengalaman lebih penting dari nominal”.

Ironisnya, lo udah bikin 3 aplikasi yang dipakai satu departemen, tapi masih dipanggil "adik magang" pas meeting. Semua ide lo dipakai, semua bug lo yang betulin, tapi reward-nya? Dikasih ucapan “mantap bro” di grup WhatsApp jam 11 malam. Oh iya, dan jangan lupa: HR masih nyimpen ijazah SMA lo karena katanya "biar gampang validasi database ke payroll".

Refleksi

Lo pernah nggak sih ngerasa pengen demo ke hidup sendiri? Capek kerja tapi lebih capek jelasin kenapa lo masih mau kerja. Di satu sisi lo bangga sama kerjaan lo, tapi di sisi lain pengakuan cuma datang dari rekan kerja yang sama-sama lembur tanpa dibayar.

Dan lucunya, tiap kali lo mau resign, muncul suara-suara mistis kayak, “Tapi ini kan udah passion lo,” atau “Nanti kalau pindah belum tentu sebaik di sini.” Lah, sebaik di sini tuh yang mana? Yang slip gajinya bikin nyesek, atau yang KPI-nya berubah tiap Senin pagi kayak mood bos?

Tips Praktis

1. Simpan semua bukti kerja digital lo. Bikin portofolio, rekam layar saat coding, simpan chat apresiasi (meskipun cuma emoji jempol dari bos). Karena kadang lo butuh lebih banyak bukti ke dunia daripada ke Tuhan.

2. Jangan berharap validasi dari atas, carilah horizontal. Temen seperjuangan lebih ngerti perasaan lo dibanding HR yang masih nanya “apa itu backend?”

3. Perjelas status lo sendiri. Kalau lo S1 tapi HR masih nganggep lo SMA, kasih mereka salinan ijazah via email, print, dan kalau perlu bikin kaos bertuliskan “Lulusan Resmi, Bukan Ngaku-ngaku”.

4. Belajar bilang “tidak” dengan kalimat diplomatis tapi pasif-agresif. Contoh: “Wah, kalau itu saya bantu, mungkin akan ada ekspektasi yang tidak realistis ke depannya.” Artinya: Gue nggak mau kerja rodi.

5. Siapkan plan B, C, dan D. Bisa aja nanti lo banting setir jadi barista, tukang gambar, atau buka kursus online tentang “Cara Bertahan Hidup di Dunia Kerja Digital Penuh Basa-Basi”.

Penutup

Gue nggak tahu siapa yang mulai, tapi kayaknya sistem ini udah kelewatan. Dan kita semua, tanpa sadar, udah masuk ke sirkus korporat digital yang lebih banyak akrobat dibanding apresiasi. Tapi ya... kita masih lanjut. Mungkin karena kita capek, tapi belum sempet istirahat jadi manusia.

Kalau lo pernah ngerasa senasib, cerita aja di komentar. Atau minimal, kirim artikel ini ke grup kantor. Biar mereka tahu, kita bukan “anak magang yang rajin”, tapi manusia yang lelah tapi waras.

Welcome to Hajriah Fajar: Living Smart & Healthy in the Digital Age

Bachelor's Degree, High School Pay: The Heroic Tale of the Multi-Talented Undervalued Worker

Opening

Sometimes I wonder, is this real life or a very elaborate prank? Four years of college, sleepless thesis nights, a portfolio thicker than my old phonebook, and yet... the paycheck feels like it's for someone hired to refill printer ink.

Not to shade anyone, but if you’re building full-stack apps, designing the UI in PowerPoint because your office computer can’t run Figma, and still getting paid like you just passed vocational school—something’s wrong. It's like running a marathon and your prize is your boss saying, “good hustle, kid.”

Main Point

Modern digital companies are brilliant at rebranding. Exploitation? Nope—it’s “empowerment”. No salary raise? That’s okay, they “trust you more now”. No benefits? It’s fine because “experience is more valuable than numbers.”

You’ve built three apps that your whole department uses, yet you’re still called “the intern” during meetings. Your ideas get greenlit, you fix all the bugs, and the reward? A “🔥” emoji in the team chat at 11 PM. And let’s not forget: HR still has your high school diploma on file—“easier to validate”, they say.

Reflection

Ever felt like protesting against your own life? Work makes you tired, but explaining why you keep working is even worse. You're proud of your work, sure, but real recognition? Only from the other underpaid souls in the same Zoom call.

And every time you consider quitting, ghostly voices whisper, “But this is your passion,” or “It might not be better out there.” Better than what? A paycheck that looks like a phone top-up? Or a KPI that shifts faster than your manager’s moods?

Practical Tips

1. Save everything digital you’ve ever done. Portfolio, screen recordings, even chat screenshots. Sometimes the world needs more proof than your own parents.

2. Seek horizontal validation. Colleagues in the same trench understand better than HR who still asks, “What’s a backend?”

3. Clarify your status—loudly. If you’ve graduated but they still treat you like a high schooler, email your degree, print it, or wear a shirt that says, “Certified Adult With Degree.”

4. Practice saying “no” in passive-aggressive corporate speak. For example: “Taking on this task might set unrealistic expectations.” Translation: I’m not your unpaid superhero.

5. Always prepare plan B, C, and D. You never know—you might pivot into coffee, freelance art, or launch a course called “How to Survive Digital Jobs Without Losing Your Soul.”

Closing

I don’t know who started this mess, but the system has gone off the rails. And somehow, we’ve all joined the digital corporate circus that juggles more gaslighting than gratitude. Yet we stay. Maybe because we’re tired, but haven’t had the chance to pause being human.

If you’ve felt this too, drop a comment. Or at least share this post in your work group chat. Let them know we’re not just “eager interns”—we’re exhausted but functioning humans.