PRICE OF A PAPER

In this country a paper is more valuable than the skills and abilities. I felt how hard it is to survive in my own country with a limited academic background. While abroad more people appreciate our skill and knowledge than an academic degree.
As a wanderer who spent most of life working abroad, I feel very difficult to survive in my own country. I've started to work as migrant workers abroad since I was 19 years old. One year after my graduating from High School. Since then I rather spend my youth to work abroad. Many of the things I learned from living abroad. But all that means nothing after returning to my own country. All the skills and experience that I have are useless in here.
Many jobs in Indonesia which I think is able to occupy the position, but because I don’t have an undergraduate degree, then I am not qualify. My skill and experience have no meaning here.
Inversely related to overseas, they judge a person from their skill and talent. Education background is not something important. As my last experience, I was start working as a dishwasher, because my boss saw my skill and talent, then he gave me more responsibilities, such as; supervising my fellow worker daily task, checking goods and handling the company financial report.
With only handling a High School degree and increasing age are very difficult to find a job in Indonesia, even though it was just to meet daily needs.
Recognition of intellectual property rights in Indonesia as well not exist. Although we are able to do what the under graduate degree holder did, our price is still the same as High School degree holder.
Perhaps this experience is also experienced by some people who spend their lives abroad as migrant workers. We lost our youth abroad, and when we want to go back to our country, it turns out we did not find a place for us. All opportunities and spaces are closed to us.
We were born in this country, but why this country doesn’t give us a chance? This country has never thought about the fate of its citizens, the leaders in busy with their own business. They are busy with corruption, and enrich their own class, while we are increasingly suffer.
We are required to have a sense of nationalism but this country does not give anything to us! Although we are abroad we are not lost our nationalism, we still proud with this country. We also angry when somebody demeaning this country abroad. We still have love for this country, but we feel this country doesn’t love us anymore. Because of Greedy People who control this country. ***