A highly-educated scholar in China, holding multiple degrees from top universities including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Oxford University in the UK, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, has turned to food delivery after being unable to find a job since last year, earning the title of “the most highly educated delivery driver in history”.
Recently, he shared a video on his WeChat public account “Ding Yuanzhao Loves Studying”, motivating college students who have just received their exam results, sparking discussions online.
In the video, Ding Yuanzhao displayed his graduation certificates, proving his academic qualifications.
He encouraged this year’s Chinese college entrance exam students in the video, saying, “Regardless of how well or poorly you did in the exam, stay calm. If you didn’t do well, don’t be discouraged; if you did well, everyone’s future job prospects are not much different. For example, delivering food, serving the community, feeding your family, putting in effort, and receiving rewards. Delivering food is a decent job.”
Ding Yuanzhao’s video has garnered attention online. Some netizens commented, “The real world is harsh.” “The threshold for food delivery is quite high, now even PhDs are needed?” “So what’s the point of going to college?” While others expressed, “He is not only capable of delivering food, he just chose to do so.”
According to Ding Yuanzhao’s video and information reported by mainland Chinese media, Ding Yuanzhao, born in 1985 and now 39 years old, has always been seen as an academic genius. In 2004, with a score of nearly 700 in the college entrance exam, he enrolled in Tsinghua University in Beijing to study chemical engineering and industrial biotechnology.
After graduation, he furthered his studies at Peking University, earning a Master’s degree in Energy and Resource Engineering. He then pursued a PhD in Biology at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
In 2018, he went to Oxford University in the UK to study for a Master’s degree in Biodiversity. Afterwards, he became a postdoctoral researcher at the National University of Singapore. In March 2024, after the expiration of his research contract, Ding Yuanzhao was not offered a renewal.
During his subsequent job search, most of his resumes seemed to disappear into the void. Helplessly, he decided to stay in Singapore and work as a delivery driver.
Currently, he works 11 to 12 hours a day, braving all weather conditions. His income is relatively stable, averaging between 50 to 100 Singapore dollars (approximately 39 to 79 US dollars) per day, with the highest earnings reaching 254 Singapore dollars (around 200 US dollars) on Sundays.