At Penang Bistro, the first batch of master students from FEB UIII had a distinguished meeting with Professor Habib Ahmed, an adjunct lecturer for Islamic Business and Financing, in the third semester. Other than the dean, Prof Dian Masyita, and the Head of the Program, Luthfi Hamidi, Ph.D., around 12 FEB,students and Ms Salma, the FEB staff representative, attended the dinner. The students exchanged ideas with Professor Habib, including the challenges and potential of Islamic financing during the current uncertainty era. He mentioned that the lack of integration between Shariah, Economy, and Islamic financing in university courses and the hiring practices of Islamic banks contribute to the limited opportunities for those who have graduated from Islamic financing majors. He also argued that education, practices, and curriculum must be integrated to scale up the Islamic financing industry.
Professor Habib further discussed plausible futures for students in this major. He indicated that the decision to pursue a Ph.D. program would depend on whether students aim to work in the industry or enrich their academic portfolio by conducting research and lectures. He also shared his experience of becoming an expert in the field of Islamic financing, after implementing the 10.000-hours rule to be an expert, despite not having an academic background. In closing the dinner and discussion, he advised students to persevere and tackle difficult times by doing small things regularly. He emphasized that seeking God’s blessing and benefiting society would lead to financial fulfillment.
