Muhammad Rizal Adam, an alumnus of the Undergraduate Chemistry Program at FSM UNDIP from the 2021 cohort who graduated in 2025, is now pursuing a career as a Management Trainee at Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia in North Sumatra. Rizal’s journey into the professional world shows that the courage to try, personal readiness, and a willingness to keep growing can lead someone to opportunities that do not always come from places that are nearby or planned from the beginning.
After completing his thesis defense and while waiting for graduation, Rizal chose to move quickly in preparing himself for the professional world. He began by drafting his CV and improving it with the help of seniors who had entered the workforce earlier. Through that process, he felt better prepared to face the competition in the job market. For about two months, Rizal sent job applications to various cities such as Semarang, Jakarta, Surabaya, and other areas. The number of applications he submitted reached the hundreds. During that process, he encountered many situations, ranging from applications that received no response, recruitment processes that stopped midway, to interviews that did not yet lead to success.
A major opportunity came when Rizal saw a job opening at Unilever with placement in North Sumatra. At first, the distance was the first thing that came to his mind. However, he decided to give it a try anyway. That decision led him to one of the biggest challenges he had ever faced in a recruitment process. From psychological testing and interviews to a leaderless group discussion (LGD) conducted entirely in English, every stage became an experience that tested his readiness and self-confidence.
Although he had initially felt that the outcome might not be in his favor, Rizal instead received unexpected good news. He was offered a position and officially joined Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia as a Management Trainee in the Quality Department. From that experience, he learned that the best opportunities sometimes come from places that at first seem the farthest away.
In his journey, Rizal also carried with him valuable lessons from his years at FSM UNDIP. “From the beginning of my studies until graduation, I have always believed that chemistry is a bridge to explain many things in life. From the simple phenomena we see every day to complex processes in industry, everything is inseparable from actions and reactions,” Rizal said. For him, university life was not only about completing courses, but also about understanding how knowledge can be applied in life and in the workplace.
Rizal also shared that he was fortunate to receive guidance from a lecturer who not only taught theory, but also imparted many life lessons. In his view, knowledge alone is not enough without being accompanied by the right mindset, attitude, and perseverance throughout the process. In addition, the academic environment at FSM UNDIP, from its adequate facilities to its highly competent lecturers in various fields, broadened his perspective on the wide range of opportunities for developing knowledge.
Not only from the academic side, Rizal also believes that the friendships and organizational experiences he gained during university were among the most valuable things he continues to carry with him today. Togetherness, mutual respect, and the habit of helping one another became important foundations in shaping his character and preparing him to face the dynamic world of work. For him, university life was a phase of growth in becoming a person better prepared to face professional realities.
One of Rizal’s achievements during his studies was receiving the 2022 PKM GFT Incentive. That experience became part of his self-development process and further enriched both his academic and professional journey.
To FSM UNDIP students, Rizal advises that university life should not be lived in an ordinary way. “Don’t let your college years be just about going to class and going home. Try to find other activities that help you grow. It does not always have to be organizations, but make sure that during college you build added value, whether in skills, experience, networks, or ways of thinking,” he said. He also reminded students that failure is not something to be feared. According to Rizal, it is precisely through failure that a person can learn, recognize their weaknesses, and grow stronger. For that reason, he encourages students to be brave enough to try many things, make use of new opportunities, and make their university years a time to build themselves before truly entering the professional world.