Gone are the days when high academic qualifications guaranteed better job opportunities and placements in your field.

Now, even Malaysians with a Master's or PhD often have to accept any job they can find to make a living.

Mohd Yazid Ismail shared on Facebook how his friend, who holds a PhD, has been working at a photocopy store for the past six years due to a lack of suitable job opportunities in his field.

"My friend has a PhD in engineering and graduated in 2018. But since completing his PhD, he has only been working at a photocopy store, earning less than RM3,000," Yazid wrote.

"He works for someone else, not in his own business. Despite applying and interviewing for positions relevant to his qualifications, he hasn’t received any suitable job offers."

Living debt-free, but at what cost?

Yazid also shared that his friend lives debt-free, avoiding financial commitments like buying a house or a car due to his low income.

"I just learned about his situation. I thought he was working as a lecturer. He's introverted and doesn't talk much. When he does, he's very cautious with his words. We met this week because he wanted to update his phone number in the investment system," Yazid continued.

"He had invested some money once, and now it has doubled, so he wants to add more to the investment. He has no home loan, car loan, or personal loan. Initially, I felt sorry for him, but then I realized it's better that he has no debt. He can live peacefully without it."

That's certainly one way to see it.