Before ending up as a successful person, Syahdonan had been through a long complicated life journey. No one could imagine that this East Jakarta Satpol PP chief used to be a janitor in a hotel in Bogor for almost for six months. He has had a number of jobs done for a living, especially because he was moving out of house since little and lives independently to fulfill daily needs and school fees.
Since graduated from elementary school in 1966, Syahdonan decided to move to Padang, West Sumatera, leaving his family and hometown in Palembang due to strict treatment of his father who was a soldier. Despite living along, he managed to finish his education and even college enrollment in Andalas University, Padang.
Little Syahdonan started his journey from Purus Dua Urban Village, West Padang Sub-District, Padang, West Sumatera. When arrived there, he had no special skill. As a consequence, he worked in a shop as goods deliveryman. “Many would doubt my life journey. But, I have been used to live in hardtimes. I used to travel to various cities in Sumatera, Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi. I decided to live away even after elementary school,” he told beritajakarta.com.
Syahdonan spent his junior and senior high school life in West Padang and continued his study to law faculty of Andalas University. Diligence and endurance helped him finishing his bachelor study and gained a title as bachelor of law (SH) in 1989.
However, after graduated from university, he was having hard times in finding a job suitable with his major. Accordingly, he decided to travel away again to various cities in Indonesia, namely Surabaya, Makassar, Banjarmasin, Jakarta, and Bogor. During this time, Syahdonan had no choice but to earn a living from physical works, such as construction worker, janitor in a villa in Bogor for six months in 1990, and security officer in an elite complex housing in Warakas, North Jakarta.
Finally Syahdonan decided to move and stay in Jakarta in 1995. At that time, Jakarta Provincial Government opened a vacancy. He applied for a position as a civil servant. Fortunately, this husband of Ratnaningsih (48) and father of two children made his way through. He was accepted after following the tests. His first task was as a staff of Civil Defense Area (Mawil Hansip) in Pesanggrahan Sub-District, South Jakarta, in 1995. A year after, he was promoted as head of Mawil Hansip in Pancoran Sub-District, South Jakarta.
His career as a civil servant keeps shining in Jakarta Provincial Government. Due to his achievements and dedication, Syahdonan was promoted again as head sub-section of employment for Jakarta Mawil Hansip in 1997-2001. Next, he was pointed as head section of disaster handling for Central Jakarta Security Sub-Department in 2005 until the unit changed its name to Satpol PP in 2008. After that, he was trusted to be the head of Central Jakarta Satpol PP from 2009-2011. Due to his true spirit of dedication, he was then appointed to be the head of East Jakarta Satpol PP in March 2, 2012.
Syahdonan does his job with heartily so he always feels joyful. Moreover, many of his tasks are field works which are in line with his adventurous soul. Related to that, he admitted that taking a walk is his hobby. Accordingly, he always spends some time in a week to walk from Baranangsiang Terminal to his house in Ciomas, Bogor, which is three kilometers away.
Syahdonan always applied discipline and honesty to all his subordinates. Moreover, he taught his wisdom motto to all his staffs in Satpol PP, which is “Fulfill His orders and avoid what He forbids so we could live happily in life and afterlife”.