Everyone around me thinks I’ve ruined my life. I graduated from one of our local Big 3 universities with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. My parents thought I’d be working at Seletar Aerospace Park or Changi, wearing a crisp lanyard, and climbing the corporate ladder. Instead, I wear a bright green/pink uniform and spend my days navigating the PIE on a motorbike.
I tried the office life for exactly nine months after graduation. It was soul-crushing. The endless wayang, the toxic office politics, the passive-aggressive emails with “Please advice,” and the absolute dread of being trapped at a desk from 9 AM to 6 PM just to clear arrowed tasks. I felt like a machine, ironic for someone who studied them.
So, I quit. I started doing food delivery full-time, and honestly? The mental freedom is unmatched.
- No Boss: Nobody is micromanaging my KPIs or asking why a report is late.
- True Flexibility: If I wake up feeling like absolute crap, I just don’t turn on the app. If I want to take a random Tuesday off to watch a movie at Jewel when it’s empty, I can.
- Instant Gratification: I do a delivery, I get paid. No waiting for a performance review to see a 2% increment.
Sure, the weather is brutal—getting drenched in a sudden Singapore afternoon monsoon or roasting under the 34°C sun is no joke. And yes, my relatives look at me with pure pity during Chinese New Year when they ask where I’m working. “Oh, delivery boy ah…”
But while my peers are stressing over LinkedIn updates and getting anxiety from Slack pings on weekends, I finish my last order, turn off the app, and my mind is 100% free. I’m trading corporate prestige for absolute autonomy. In a hyper-competitive place like Singapore, choosing freedom over the conventional rat race is the best decision I ever made.
Any other degree holders out here riding the roads instead of riding the desk?