In 1954, Wahid began Junior High School. That year, he failed to graduate to the next year and was forced to repeat. His mother then made the decision to send him to Yogyakarta to continue his education. In 1957, after graduating from Junior High School, he moved to Magelang to begin Muslim Education at Tegalrejo Pesantren (Muslim school). He completed the "pesantren" course in two years instead of the usual four. In 1959, he moved back to Jombang to "Pesantren Tambakberas". There, while continuing his own education, Wahid also received his first job as a teacher and later on as headmaster of a "madrasah" affiliated with the "pesantren". Wahid also found employment as a journalist for magazines such as "Horizon" and "Majalah Budaya Jaya".