The world keeps changing, and so do the measures of success and the paths of career choice. Amid the rapidly accelerating pace of technology, students need to equip themselves with vision, breadth of knowledge, the ability to embrace difference, and the courage to create real impact for society.
This message came through during the Academic Culture and Student Orientation program (PBAK) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI), held Thursday, August 20, 2026, at the Multipurpose Building on campus. The session featured National Activist Inayah Wahid and content creator Abdurrafi Afif Ramelan.
Speaking before the new Kalijaga students of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business, Inayah Wahid invited them to reconsider the meaning of success. According to her, achievement isn't only about personal accomplishment; it's also tied to a sense of direction in life and the benefit one is able to offer to those around them.
"What is success, really? To achieve it, it's important for us to have a vision," Inayah said.
That vision, she continued, needs to be supported by a genuine willingness to keep learning and to explore knowledge as broadly as possible. University will bring students into contact with a wide range of knowledge, ideas, communities, and people from different backgrounds. For that reason, openness and tolerance become an essential part of the academic journey.
Inayah reminded students that difference should never become an obstacle to growing together. On the contrary, diversity can become a strength when students are willing to open themselves up, listen to one another, and learn from other people's experiences.
"Knowledge becomes far more meaningful when it's able to create real impact. That's why all of you studying here today carry a great responsibility to bring benefit to society," she said.
According to Inayah, that impact doesn't always have to take the form of something grand. Change can begin with simple actions, carried out consistently and with real intent. For that reason, she encouraged students to read more, broaden their social circles, and keep exploring knowledge throughout their time at university.
The perspective on readiness for a changing world was reinforced by content creator Abdurrafi Afif Ramelan, who invited students to understand both the scale of opportunity and the complexity of the digital economy, now an increasingly close part of everyday life.
Abdurrafi explained that the digital economy covers the entire range of buying and selling activities, whether goods or services, carried out through digital platforms. E-commerce, delivery services, digital wallets, and the content industry are all part of that ecosystem.
"Whenever we make a transaction or run a promotion through our phones, we're already taking part in the digital economy," he explained.
According to Abdurrafi, content creation has grown into one of the new engines of the digital economy. The profession is no longer just about making and uploading content; it has developed into a business ecosystem involving collaboration and is managed on a professional level.
He noted that today's students hold an important advantage, having been born and raised alongside the internet. That gives them a natural closeness to technology that earlier generations didn't fully share, back when being a content creator wasn't even widely imagined as a career path.
"But being close to technology alone isn't enough. Students need to develop relevant skills, so they don't remain merely users, but are able to take on a productive role in the growth of the digital economy," he said firmly.
As the digital economy continues to develop, students need to prepare themselves to stop being merely technology users and instead become active players who create opportunity and value. Beyond working hard, students need to work smart, mastering digital marketing, learning to read and process data, producing relevant content, managing administrative tasks in an orderly way, and building strong communication and negotiation skills.
Through these two perspectives, PBAK FEBI at UIN Sunan Kalijaga became a space for new students to see their studies within a much broader context. Campus, the session suggested, is not just a place to gain knowledge and a degree; it's a space to discover one's vision, sharpen one's skills, nurture diversity, and prepare to bring real benefit amid a rapidly changing society. (humassk)