My PhD graduation will most likely be the final milestone in my formal academic journey. A doctoral degree is the highest level of education one can pursue academically, and on March 25, 2025, I was officially declared a PhD graduate from the University of Tsukuba. After years of investing time, energy, and mental effort, all of that work was finally rewarded—symbolized by a single diploma.

Compared to my previous graduation experiences, especially my undergraduate graduation at ITB, this PhD graduation felt rather ordinary. Post-pandemic graduation ceremonies at the University of Tsukuba have not changed much compared to previous years. The main difference was the noticeably livelier campus atmosphere, brought about by the presence of graduates’ families—something that was not possible during the pandemic. This aligns with what I mentioned on the Master’s Graduation (2022) page: graduation ceremonies in Japan are generally far less extravagant than those in Indonesia, particularly at ITB, which I experienced firsthand.

The graduation ceremony itself was also quite simple. Graduates from the same department were gathered in one room and called forward one by one to receive their diplomas. Once everyone had received theirs, the ceremony came to an end.

From my personal experience, both my Master’s and PhD graduations at the University of Tsukuba felt “just okay.” This is likely due to the significant emotional contrast compared to my undergraduate graduation at ITB. That gap in experience made graduations in Japan feel emotionally flatter, even though their significance remains substantial.

After completing my PhD, I will enter a phase of life that most people eventually experience: working in a company. I actually applied to the company where I am currently working about a year before my graduation. I will share the story of my job-hunting process and how I eventually secured this position on a separate page.

As for why I did not immediately pursue a postdoctoral position, the answer is quite simple: I wanted to take a break from the world of research. Throughout my Master’s and PhD studies, research consumed a great deal of my energy and mental capacity. At this stage, I felt the need to give myself space—to explore things beyond research, learn in different fields, and broaden my perspective so I can continue to grow as a person.

With this, I am temporarily closing the chapter on my academic journey, particularly my Master’s and PhD years. There is a possibility that I may add stories from my undergraduate days in the future, though that would require a bit more “memory digging.” For now, I choose to move forward and continue the story into the next phase of my life: the professional world.