My S1 Salary, My SMA Position: A Story of Unrecognized Degrees

Gaji S1, Posisi SMA: Cerita Karyawan yang Ijazahnya Tak Dianggap

Oke kawan, saya mempunyai pengalaman yang jujur kurang menyenangkan di tempat saya bekerja saat ini. Dan seperti yang anda baca di atas, ini menyangkut hak gaji bulanan saya sebagai pegawai.

Mungkin ini cerita yang sudah sering kita dengar, tapi kalau udah ngalamin sendiri, rasanya beda banget. Entahlah, saya masih berusaha memahami logika di balik semua ini.

Awal Mula Cerita

Saya akan ceritakan dulu awalnya.

Awal masuk kerja di perusahaan ini, saya melamar dengan ijazah SMA. Ya, karena emang dulu saya belum melanjutkan ke jenjang pendidikan yang lebih tinggi. Fokusnya cari kerja, nabung, dan mungkin suatu saat bisa kuliah.

Barulah di tahun 2014, kalau tidak salah, saya mencoba untuk mendaftar kuliah. Saya ambil jurusan informatika di salah satu kampus yang saat itu lagi menjamur di Jakarta. Dan Alhamdulillah, saya lulus tahun 2018 dengan menyandang gelar S.KOM.

Peraturan yang Membingungkan

Nah, di perusahaan saya ini ada peraturan soal penyesuaian gaji berdasarkan tingkat pendidikan. Secara teori sih bagus, ya? Tapi ada syaratnya. Gini kurang lebih bunyinya:

Penyesuaian gaji berdasarkan tingkat pendidikan dan formasi pekerjaan. Apabila pekerjaan yang diemban tidak sesuai dengan tingkat pendidikannya, maka perusahaan tidak dapat memberikan penyesuaian gaji.

Artinya, walau Anda S1, tapi kalau bekerja di posisi yang bukan bidang S1 Anda, ya ijazah S1 Anda dianggap angin lalu. Gaji Anda tetap di bawah standar S1, alias disetarakan dengan tenaga pendidikan SMA.

Astaga.

Hidup Sebagai Korban Aturan

Entah karena karyawannya banyak, jadi susah menyaring yang kompeten, atau gimana.. Pokoknya peraturan itu dibuat. Dan lebih parahnya lagi, ini menimpa pribadi saya.

Saya lulus sarjana komputer tahun 2018, dan sudah hampir setahun bekerja sesuai dengan jenjang pendidikan saya, yaitu di bagian sistem (IT). Tapi gaji yang saya terima masih disetarakan dengan pegawai pendidikan SMA.

Pertanyaan saya:

• Harus digubrak-gubrak dulu baru bisa disetarakan gajinya?
• Apa emang harus kayak gini caranya?

Padahal kalau dipikir-pikir, bukannya itu bagian tugas HRD? Melihat kompetensi karyawan, menyesuaikan posisi dengan kemampuan, dan memberikan hak yang sesuai?

Bukan Mengemis, Tapi Menuntut Hak

Saya jadi mikir. Apa ini yang namanya "mengemis akan sesuatu yang memang haknya"? Tapi kok rasanya dzalim banget sih.

Menurut saya nih, yang awam-awam aja ngerti:

• Kalau ada beberapa persyaratan untuk penyetaraan, panggil lah karyawan.
• Kasih tahu, "Ini loh persyaratannya, alurnya begini."
• Jangan malah diem aja.

Tapi kenyataannya? Karyawan yang malah harus menggedor-gedor pintu HRD meminta haknya. Gw harus sibuk mengurus ini, bukan mereka yang inisiatif ngurusin.

Entahlah..

Saya bukan tipe orang yang suka konflik. Tapi kalau begini terus, ya gimana? Saya udah satu tahun membuktikan diri di bagian sistem, kerja sesuai ijazah, tapi gaji masih "SMA". Saya nggak minta naik jabatan, saya minta kesetaraan atas apa yang sudah saya perjuangkan.

Hiks.

Mungkin emang begitulah. Kita harus berani bersuara untuk hak kita sendiri. Tapi jujur, ini melelahkan.

Entahlah.. Semoga ada jalan keluar.

Is My Salary Based on My Diploma or My Job? A Personal Story

Honestly, it's been a pretty frustrating experience at my current workplace. As you might have read in the intro, this story is about my monthly salary and the struggle of getting what I actually deserve.

Maybe this is a common story, but experiencing it yourself? It hits different. I'm still trying to understand the logic behind all of this.

How It All Started

Let me take you back to the beginning.

When I first joined this company, I applied with a high school diploma. At that time, I didn't have the chance to pursue higher education yet. My priority was finding a job, saving up, and maybe going to college one day.

Then, around 2014 (if I'm not mistaken), I decided to enroll in college. I chose informatics at a university that was quite popular in Jakarta at the time. Alhamdulillah, I graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science.

The Confusing Policy

Now, my company has a policy regarding salary adjustments based on education level. In theory, that sounds good, right? But here's the catch:

Salary adjustments are based on educational level and the job position. If the position you're in doesn't match your educational background, the company will not provide the salary adjustment.

This means: even if you're a college graduate, but you're working in a position outside your field of study, your diploma is practically useless. You'll be paid below the standard S1 salary, effectively equivalent to a high school graduate.

My goodness.

Living as a "Victim" of the Rule

Maybe the company has too many employees, making it hard to filter competent people—I don't know. But this policy exists, and the worst part is, it happened to me.

I graduated as a computer scientist in 2018, and for almost a year now, I've been working in a position that matches my degree: the system/IT department. But my salary? It's still at the level of an SMA (high school) graduate.

So my question is:

• Do I have to raise a ruckus just to get my salary adjusted?
• Is this really how it's supposed to work?

I mean, isn't this part of HRD's job? Monitoring employee competence, adjusting positions based on skills, and ensuring everyone gets their rightful compensation?

Not Begging, But Claiming a Right

It makes me wonder. Is this what they call "begging for something that is rightfully yours"? Because honestly, it feels quite unfair.

In my humble opinion, if there are requirements for this salary adjustment, then the HRD should take the initiative:

• Call the employees.
• Tell them, "Hey, here are the requirements and the steps you need to take."
• Don't just stay silent.

But what's happening now? The employees are the ones who have to knock on HRD's door, demanding their rights. I have to be busy taking care of this, instead of them being proactive about it.

I Don't Know Anymore...

I'm not the type who likes conflict. But if this keeps going, what am I supposed to do? I've been proving myself in the IT department for a year, working exactly in my field. But my salary is still "SMA-level". I'm not asking for a promotion—I'm asking for fairness.

Sigh.

Maybe this is just how it is. We really have to speak up for our own rights. But honestly? This is exhausting.

I don't know... Hopefully, there's a way out of this.