lifestyle

Inspiring Young Man Works Two Jobs Day And Night Just For An Extra RM70

"It is my intention to help and serve those who share the same fate as I do as long as they do not ask me to engage in any illegal activities."

Cover image via Amiruddin Shmiran

Muhammad Amiruddin Shmiran may only be 24 years old this year but the young man has been talked about plenty for his hardworking attitude

For the last few months, Muhammad Amiruddin has been working around the clock. He works tirelessly as a freelance errand runner by the day and a security guard by night.

One would wonder how he copes with so little sleep - working a minimum of 12 hours everyday from 8pm to 8am as a security guard while he commits himself to running errands for others between 10am to 6pm.

Though it is difficult, he is determined to find that extra income because he wants to save enough money to get married.

For a person who's sourcing for extra income, you'd think that Muhammad Amiruddin would be looking to jump at any opportunity to demand more money for his services but he does the exact opposite

Instead of setting a price for his services, he leaves it to his customers to decide how much he should be paid. That's right. The young man would accept whatever amount the customers pay him.

On why he chose to practice the "pay-as-you-please" policy, this was what he said: "I do not wish to burden my customers. As long as they are satisfied with the service that I have provided, I am sure that they will come back and use my services again in the future." He also sees this as a way he could foster good relationships among the rakyat.

With that said, he could earn up to RM70 a day depending on his customers. Based in Johor, Muhammad Amiruddin has diligently promoted his services online. Many have engaged him to buy grocery or pay utility bills, while others have asked him to act as the middleman, delivering items, food or documents from one person to another.

While there are many other options available on how he could earn extra income, he chose to be a freelance runner partly because he's a motorcycle enthusiast

"Initially, I wanted to save more money so that I could get married earlier but I could never afford to bear the wedding costs with only one job, especially at a time when the cost of living is extremely high," he said.

"Additionally, since I am not very highly educated, it is quite difficult to land a job with a higher pay so I thought of starting my own business. In the end, I decided to try out this job as a freelance runner."

It hasn't been a smooth-sailing journey and he has a lot to learn but Muhammad Amiruddin's customers have also been very gracious to him

He recalled how he was completely ill-prepared for his first job.

"I did not equip my motorcycle with a box to store the items I need to transport. I also did not have GPS with me, so I lost my way several times. Thankfully my customer was very understanding and even gave me extra pay so that I could afford to buy a motorcycle box," he said.

Till this very day, that same customer is still in contact with Muhammad Amiruddinn and uses his services from time to time.

Though he had started this side job as a way to earn extra income, Muhammad Amiruddin is not motivated by money alone

"My source of inspiration is my fiancée. She is the one who has given me this motivation to continue to work hard," he said.

As he strives to make a living and earn enough to fund for his wedding, Muhammad Amiruddin hopes to continue serving the people in Johor, particular those in the Skudai area.

"I understand some of the struggles that people face when they do not have their own private vehicle as I too, have been in those situations. I understand how difficult it is to travel from one place to another."

"It is my intention to help and serve those who share the same fate as I do as long as they do not ask me to engage in any illegal activities."

Living in the city ain’t a piece of cake but it could also be exciting and adventurous. How are you coping? How are you making the best out of things? Do you have a story or experience to share?

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Previously on Malaysian City Life #35, Lee Seng Hoo opened up about the struggles of losing a loved one to suicide:

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