How To Get Ahead in Exploitative Environment

My long time friends and everyone who read me here might know where I stand. For those who don't, I walked away from the Indonesian workforce years ago because of its work culture and the people who perpetuate it. There is no better word to say it but it’s an exploitative, dog-eat-dog environment where people are expected to fight for survival on peanuts.

There is barely merit embedded in the system. Power, connections and the ability to play the game often matter more. Until that changes, even raising salaries alone won't fix a culture that rewards exploitation. In bahasa Indonesia, we have the word " Pintar cari Peluang" to describe someone who knows how to find ways to exploit people. Simultaneously, we have "Terlalu polos" to describe someone that gets exploited because they have no ability to understand the game. Since it's already embedded in the language, it is deeply rooted and even more challenging to uproot. But this is not just isolated in the workplace case, this is also embedded in its society and how it functions as a whole.

Think of my experience as a hotel game experience. I used to check-out of this entire society because numerous lists of expectations that did not meet my expectations. I learned that even studying at top institution in the country does not guarantee you will sit with academically gifted students. What I eventually realized is that, that was actually the place to learn how to survive the game in Indonesian society, the dog-eat-dog environment. So, I checked-out only to find I wasn't smart enough to play the entire game which resulted in myself back to the check point, to check-in to the game.

You can just leave right? Yes I can but I have to be more strategic this time. Since the game I played resulted in a game over where I am being sent back to the same checkpoint, to check-in into this society and play the game all over again.

I honestly consider this a second chance but I do not want to compromise my values. So, to avoid getting exploitation to the bone, I dealt with the cards given to me and make it my game. Here are some of the things I learned :

• Some of the ways to get ahead in this exploitative environment is to not be too loyal. These people do not deserve your loyalty.
• Never feel guilty to leave and negotiate. They can just find anyone to be exploited.
• Always have multiple exit strategies.
• Or just exit completely with all the risks involved.

But what if it's your own family and family owned company? That gets more challenging right?

The first step if you are in my position is that to establish clear professional competence. In my case though since the field I am entering is highly credential based. So, formal education, experience and professional certifications matter more than anything.

I learned my lesson and even through a game I played the other day, 1 in 8 billion game, this person comes from Nigeria and the key to this person success what because I chose education and less caring about the toxic family and society environment. I also opt for a balanced stocks and investing.

So, I would say that some of the ways to get ahead in exploitative environment is get educated, find source of money as much as possible, diversify that income, do not excessively help people. If there's possibility of moving abroad, do it, as long as it is slightly better environment. While no county / society is perfect, we have to recognize, there is a ranking between them and it's true. Also follow this rule " Go where you are treated best." If someone from Russia or other countries to go places like Bali & think it's great, that is because their rubel and $ stretches a long way & they are treated best because their economic advantage. At the end of the day, Indonesia isn't environment for the weak, its tropical climate, the workforce environment and the overall dog-eat-dog world. It's highly vicious once you understand what lies behind the friendliness, saving face culture and the warm heartedness of its people.

	𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.