This essay is one of 35 selected by a panel of judges for “Ambitions Interrupted,” a series from The GroundTruth Project and YouthVoices, its storytelling platform.
Name: Zahrina Ghassani Diyanda
Age: 23
Dream job: Government public asset manager
City, Country: Jakarta, Indonesia
Current job/school: Management support for a real estate company
Challenge: Reversing corruption in an unpopular industry
People have always told me that my dream to become a government public asset manager is unrealistic. However, I believe in the power of a dream.
Though most people may not know it, Indonesia is a rich country – it has physical assets worth more than a billion rupiah, according to our Ministry of Finance. If I’m able to manage all of those assets, I can convert them into resources that can be used to fulfill our needs as a society and deliver important public services. With this value, I envision building affordable housing and schools, improving infrastructure and erecting hospitals in Indonesia.
Unfortunately, our wealth of natural resources comes with a big problem – the government does not manage these assets properly, and we yield a smaller profit and less benefits as a nation because of it. There is also corruption in asset management. Land is being used for government workers’ personal needs instead of for the greater good of the public, operation costs are too high, data that could inform policy changes are unreliable or nonexistent and there is an ambiguous legal framework that doesn’t force people to be ethical.
By managing assets in a way that allows Indonesia to prosper, I can address our inequality issue. Many people are still suffering in poverty, and in order to prove ourselves as a developed nation, we must properly use our land and infrastructure to help them.
To reach this dream job, I’m currently working in management support at a property and real estate company. This job allows me to gain relevant experience working with assets.
This is an emerging field, and most of society doesn’t recognize the importance of managing assets for the greater good. I am not sure what other challenges may emerge, because asset management is widely unknown and working for the government is both competitive and difficult in my home country. As a government asset manager, I would also have to navigate working in a corrupt environment.
But I believe in my dream and my good will. Every positive act creates a positive result. As my mother says: if I have the intention to help people and serve our country, there will always be a way to make it come true.
This story was originally submitted to YouthVoices, a platform powered by The GroundTruth Project that encourages young people to share stories about the issues affecting their generation. Submit your own essays and answer new questions here, or learn more about global youth unemployment with this interactive map.