In 1955, he began to work as a civil servant in Bukittinggi, part of the Central Sumatra provincial government, before enrolling at Gadjah Mada University to study governmental sciences.

[2] After graduating from university, he was assigned as a civil servant at the North Sumatra Governor's office in Medan.

[5] In January 1967, Sjoerkani announced a "crash" program to improve the city's infrastructure, including the repair of roads and ditches and the construction of a school and two clinics.

[6] He also began celebrating the city's anniversary in 1970, initially setting the founding date on 1 April 1909.

Following a controversy, Sjoerkani formed a special committee which instead placed the date at 1 July 1590, although this change would only be made official in 1975.