Brian Yuliarto Quips: 'Don't Aspire to Be a Minister'
Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto has admitted that he only realised how demanding being a minister is after taking office. According to him, new problems emerge every day that must be confronted, making the position far from comfortable.
He made the remark while giving an address to recipients of the Garuda Scholarship and heads of Garuda Transformation Schools at the ministry’s 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 only just found out that there are new problems every day. I wake up in the morning, open WhatsApp, ‘ih naon deui ieu teh?’ (what is it this time?), there’s a new problem,” Brian said.
He recounted that, before becoming minister, he had watched the television series Designated Survivor, which depicts a President of the United States continually facing crises. At the time, he thought the plotline was exaggerated. However, after serving as minister, he felt reality was not so different. “When I watched that show, I said, ‘how does this person have a different problem every single day’. It turns out that when I became a minister, it really is like that,” he said.
Because of that, Brian even joked that young people should not aspire to become ministers. According to him, being a researcher is far more enjoyable than having to face various problems of government every day. “That’s right, whatever you do, don’t aspire to become a minister. If you’re asked to do it, and it happens that there’s no choice, then you do it. But don’t make it an ambition. Being a researcher is the best,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
Nevertheless, Brian said the experience of facing various problems had actually made him better prepared to confront greater challenges. He admitted having gone through difficult periods during his education and while building his career as a researcher, so he does not give up easily when facing pressure as a minister.
It is that experience he wishes to pass on to the Garuda Scholarship recipients. Brian reminded them not to regard receiving the scholarship as the end of their struggle. According to him, greater challenges will in fact be faced when studying at the world’s best universities.
He asked the students to build perseverance, persistence, grit and humility. According to Brian, these four qualities are important provisions for facing various difficulties during their studies as well as when they return to work in Indonesia.
“The harder your journey, the broader the horizons of experience you gain. Failure is sometimes a process that trains you to be better prepared for the next challenge,” Brian said.