Brian Yuliarto Quips: 'Don't Aspire to Be a Minister'

Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto has admitted he only recently realised the weight of being a minister after taking office. According to him, new problems emerge every day that must be faced, making the position far from comfortable. The confession was made by Brian while briefing Garuda Scholarship recipients and heads of Garuda Transformation Schools at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology office in South Jakarta on Thursday, 9 July 2026. He said the experience taught him that challenges are part of the process everyone must go through. “I just found out that every day there is a new problem. Waking up in the morning and opening WhatsApp, ‘ih naon deui ieu teh?’ (what is it now?), there’s a new problem,” said Brian. He recounted that before becoming a minister, he had watched the television series Designated Survivor, which depicts a United States President constantly facing crises. At the time, he thought the storyline was exaggerated. However, after serving as a minister, he felt the reality was not much different. “I watched that film, I said, ‘how can this person have different problems every day’. It turns out when I became a minister, it’s really like that,” he said. Because of this, Brian even joked that young people should not aspire to become ministers. According to him, the profession of a researcher is far more enjoyable than having to face various government problems every day. “Alright, the point is don’t aspire to be a minister. If asked, and coincidentally there is no other choice, then do it. But don’t aspire to it. Being a researcher is the best,” he said, greeted by laughter from the participants. Nevertheless, Brian said the experience of facing various problems has actually made him more prepared to face greater challenges. He admitted to having gone through difficult times during his education and while building a career as a researcher, so he does not give up easily when facing pressure as a minister. It is this experience that he wants to pass on to the Garuda Scholarship recipients. Brian reminded them not to consider obtaining a scholarship as the end of the struggle. According to him, greater challenges will be faced when studying at the world’s best universities. He asked the students to build the character of perseverance, persistence, grit, and to remain humble. These four characteristics, according to Brian, are important provisions for facing various difficulties during their education and when returning to work in Indonesia. “The heavier your journey, the wider the horizon of experience you gain. Failure is sometimes a process to train you to be more prepared to face the next challenge,” said Brian.