Feature image credit: Rowan Freeman @ unsplash
China Press reported that 390,000 SPM graduates of 2019 (72.1%) have expressed disinterest in continuing their studies. Many of them have opted instead to become food delivery riders.
Depending on how much a food delivery rider works, they can earn up to RM9,000 a month, according to a post that went viral early this year. Nonetheless, that was not easy money. Other food delivery riders shared that this unnamed rider likely worked 12 hours a day, taking 3-4 orders every hour.
One rider who worked 8 hours a day in March this year shared that he made RM5,107.30. Meanwhile, those who prefer to work at a chiller pace can earn approximately RM3,000 if they are consistent.
In comparison, the average fresh graduate in Malaysia earns RM2,100 a month. This is after years of studying, spending a healthy chunk of their parents’ money, or racking up a student loan that will require servicing upon graduation.
With that in mind, it is no wonder that kids nowadays would rather hop straight from their form 5 classroom and into the food delivery business.
Sure, there is no substitute for accumulating knowledge, but tertiary education in real life requires money, and we live in real life.
Let’s consider this some more. Having a degree means potentially earning more than RM2,100 (or whatever one’s starting pay might be) one day. But nowadays, pay increments are no longer what they were back then — that’s why people job hop for a higher salary. In many jobs, merely working harder does not guarantee a pay rise; at least with food delivery, the work you do is directly proportionate to the money you earn.
Moreover, food delivery riders work for themselves and answer to no boss. There is nobody nagging you for a report at midnight, or refusing to allow you a day off to take your dad to the hospital.
The more I write, the better an idea it becomes.
Honestly, if it were me and I were in a cash crunch, I would rather deliver food too. I would work like a dog for a few months, save up enough for some part-time learning, and then study/upskill while delivering food part-time.
The food delivery industry is god-sent if you ask me, as long as the riders remember to upskill in any way they can. But then again, the advice to upskill applies to everybody, may it be a food delivery rider, an office manager, or the CEO of a multinational company.
I urge the government to incentivise food delivery riders to attend part-time learning courses. Rather than shame SPM-leavers who choose this path, we should understand their position and equip them to grow.
Chow Ping Lee is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
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