Raimi was only twenty-four when he received his first appointment letter. Fresh out of university, newly married, and full of dreams, he moved with his wife, Aisyah, to a small rural town in Sumatra, Indonesia. His new job? Junior engineer at a palm oil mill.
The mill was nothing like the modern laboratories he had trained in. The air was thick with the smell of fresh fruit bunches, steam hissed from the sterilizers, and the hum of heavy machinery was constant. But to Raimi, this was the place where his career would begin—and where his responsibilities as a husband would truly be tested.
His salary wasn’t large, but in the first few months, he managed to balance household expenses, send a little money back to his parents, and still save a small amount each month. He and Aisyah kept their lifestyle simple: no expensive gadgets, no unnecessary luxuries.
One evening, as they sat together on their small porch, Aisyah brought up a thought.
“Raimi, we should think about our future. What happens after we retire? We won’t have this energy forever.”
At first, Raimi brushed it off—retirement seemed so far away. But later that night, as he reviewed his first three months’ payslips, he realized she was right. If they started planning now, they could secure not only their own future but also give their future children a stable foundation.
Raimi began reading about investments, EPF contributions, and side income opportunities. Instead of spending his weekends idly, he learned maintenance skills at the mill that could make him indispensable to the company. He took small online courses about financial planning and slowly increased his monthly savings target.
Years later, when most of his peers were still figuring out how to balance family and finances, Raimi had already built a safety net. His early discipline meant he could help his parents, send his children to good schools, and still see his savings grow.
He understood something many only realized too late—time is a powerful ally if you start early. In the hot, noisy palm oil mill, amidst clanking machinery and the scent of boiling palm fruit, a young engineer’s journey to financial freedom had quietly begun.
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