Chinese man who studied at Oxford, NTU, other universities but ended up as food delivery worker sparks conversation on ‘the point of education’

SINGAPORE: Ding Yuanzhao made the news this week for being perhaps the most qualified food delivery rider in the world. His story, first told in the Chinese news portal 163.com, has since been retold on news sites in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and Malaysia.

The 39-year-old has also sparked debate on how important education and academic qualifications are amid the current challenges of the job market.

Mr Ding has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Tsinghua University, to which he was admitted after a stellar score on the national university entrance exam in China in 2004. After that, he obtained a master’s degree in energy engineering from Peking University.

In the years that followed, he earned another master’s degree in biodiversity from Oxford University and then a PhD in biology from Nanyang Technological University. Then, until his contract ended in March 2024, he also did postdoctoral research at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

After that, Mr Ding began looking for jobs, sending his resume and landing more than 10 interviews. However, due to the challenging job market, he did not get hired. This led to his work as a food delivery rider in Singapore, where he worked 10 hours each day and was able to take home S$700 per week, according to a report in the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

While he could have worked as a private tutor, he said that he was too shy to put himself out there to get students.

When Mr Ding returned to China last year, SCMP says he took on work as a food delivery worker for a top shopping platform, Meituan.

What caught people’s attention on social media is his positive attitude in his posts. Last month, he addressed students who recently took China’s university entrance exam, telling them not to get discouraged if the scores they get are not so good.

The exam’s results are usually released at the end of June.

He added in a post on Douyin, “If you’ve done well, keep in mind that most people’s work doesn’t make much difference in the grand scheme of things.”

Of his food delivery worker job, he had positive things to say, calling it stable and pointing out that it allows him to support his family. He also noted that his job allows him to get a workout in.

“If you work hard, you can earn a decent living. It’s not a bad job,” he said.

Despite his positivity, others have taken his story as an opportunity to question the point of education and years of studying, given that he ended up doing food delivery work. /TISG

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