Back to Blog
Web3BlockchainGovernmentSolidityFrontendInternship

Navigating Web3 in Government: My Experience as a Blockchain Developer at Kemdikbudristek

December 20, 20243 min readbyMaulana Anjari Anggorokasih

Insights from my internship at the Directorate General of Higher Education (Dikti), focusing on frontend Web3 development, smart contract integration, and collaborating within a large-scale government technical team.

Introduction

Blockchain technology is often associated with the fast-paced world of decentralized finance (DeFi). However, its potential for transparency and security makes it equally compelling for government infrastructure.

From September to December 2024, I served as a Web3 Developer Intern at the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology (Dikti), Kemdikbudristek. This role was an incredible opportunity to apply decentralized solutions within a public institution, specifically focusing on the intersection of frontend engineering and blockchain logic.

Me and the team during the internship at Kemdikbudristek
Me and the team during the internship at Kemdikbudristek

The Role: Bridging Frontend and Smart Contracts

While my background often leans towards the backend, my time at Kemdikbudristek was deep in the trenches of Frontend Web3 Development. My core responsibility was to bridge the gap between high-level user interfaces and low-level Solidity smart contracts.

Developing for a government entity requires a higher level of scrutiny. Security and accessibility aren't just features—they are fundamental requirements. I worked extensively with JavaScript frameworks to build client-side functionalities that could interact securely with on-chain data.

Technical Focus: On-Chain Interaction

The challenge was not just writing Solidity, but ensuring the frontend could handle asynchronous blockchain states gracefully. This involved:

  • Implementing secure wallet connections.
  • Managing transaction lifecycles (pending, success, failure) in the UI.
  • Optimizing contract calls to minimize latency for the end-user.

Here is a simplified example of how we handled smart contract interactions using a modern hook-based approach:

// Example of integrating a smart contract call in a React-based frontend
import { useContractWrite, usePrepareContractWrite } from 'wagmi';
import { MY_CONTRACT_ABI } from './abi';
 
function CertificateClaim({ certificateId }) {
  const { config } = usePrepareContractWrite({
    address: '0x...',
    abi: MY_CONTRACT_ABI,
    functionName: 'claimCertificate',
    args: [certificateId],
  });
 
  const { write, isLoading, isSuccess } = useContractWrite(config);
 
  return (
    <button disabled={!write || isLoading} onClick={() => write()}>
      {isLoading ? 'Processing...' : 'Claim Digital Certificate'}
      {isSuccess && <span>Success! Check your wallet.</span>}
    </button>
  );
}

Collaborating in a Government Ecosystem

Working at Kemdikbudristek taught me that large-scale technical projects are as much about human coordination as they are about code.

1. Discipline and Deadlines

The government sector operates on strict timelines and regulatory requirements. I learned the importance of a disciplined approach to time management—consistently meeting internal sprint deadlines and ensuring that our technical deliverables were ready for routine progress meetings with senior stakeholders.

2. Technical Adaptability

In such a large technical team, specifications can evolve. I had to remain adaptable, frequently pivots my frontend integration logic as smart contract requirements were refined. This experience solidified my ability to work within a team environment, demonstrating effective communication and problem-solving skills when technical hurdles arose.

3. Professional Accountability

Maintaining a strong work ethic was paramount. Every task I was assigned carried a sense of responsibility toward the public sector. Whether it was debugging a contract interaction or refining a UI component, I aimed for high-quality results that reflected the institution's commitment to innovation.

Conclusion

My internship at Dikti Kemdikbudristek was a pivotal experience. It proved that Web3 has a seat at the table in government digital transformation. By focusing on reliable frontend-to-blockchain integrations and fostering a culture of collaborative discipline, we can build public services that are more transparent, secure, and future-proof.

Thank you to the technical team at DTETI and the Directorate General of Higher Education for this invaluable opportunity.

For more details on my technical journey and other blockchain projects, feel free to explore my other blog posts.

Back to Blog