Most people often assume that having a degree from a prestigious university would guarantee them a cushy job at a company. However, life sometimes doesn’t quite work out that way.
Such was the case for a Chinese national who held degrees from top educational institutions but in the end worked as a delivery rider to make ends meet after failing to secure a job.
Had degrees from Oxford & NTU
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Ding Yuanzhao from Fujian province first sat for the national university entrance exam (gaokao) in 2004 and was enrolled into Tsinghua University after scoring nearly 700 out of 750 marks.
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Ding went to Peking University and earned a master’s degree in energy engineering.
Ding’s educational journey didn’t stop there and he went on to obtain a PhD in biology from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and a master’s degree in biodiversity from Oxford University.
Became rider after 10 unsuccessful job interviews
Ding said he worked on postdoctoral research at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where his contract came to an end in March 2024.
He then went around hunting for a job and attended more than 10 job interviews. Sadly, all came to the same conclusion: he still remained jobless.
As such, Ding had to resort to working as a food delivery rider in Singapore, where he earns $S700 (approx. RM2,300) a week by working 10 hours daily.
Despite what most would consider a bleak outlook, Ding remains cheerful about his job and shared what the benefits of being a rider were.
It is a stable job. I can support my family with this income. If you work hard, you can earn a decent living. It’s not a bad job.
“One advantage of delivering food is that you can get your workout in at the same time,” he quipped.
When asked why he chose not to work as a private tutor, Ding explained he didn’t do so as he was “too shy to seek customers on his own.”
SCMP reported that Ding eventually relocated back to China months later and is now working as food delivery worker for Meituan in Beijing, a leading shopping platform.
READ ALSO:
