University grad in China quits admin job to work as cleaner, buys houses and cars in 2 years

After landing a new job, you might be excited to tell the world about it.

But not for this woman in China with a university degree, who kept her unconventional career choice a secret.

In fact, it took Liu Xiaoli some six months before she mustered up enough courage to confess to her parents that she had quit her fairly cushy job as an administrative officer to work as a cleaner.

In an interview with a Chinese media outlet Ding Duan Xin Wen on Tuesday (Nov 15), Liu said that she could not bring herself to tell her loved ones, and social media, about her new job.

Liu said: "My son started going to school and my parents were getting older. I needed more money.

"After becoming a cleaner, I was afraid to tell my parents and I didn't want them to feel ashamed."

Liu shared that she later confessed to her parents about her job, adding that they have accepted it after being convinced that it's a "decent job" with many virtues.

"The weight was lifted off my shoulders and I became more motivated to work," she said.

Despite working 19 hours a day from 7am to 2am, Liu shared that she has grown to love her job – even when sitting down to have a proper meal is a rarity. 

"I would buy bread and water from the convenience store nearby, and have them at the roadside," she said.

But after two years of house calls, Liu shared that she now owns two houses and cars at Zhengzhou in Henan province.

While encouraging other university graduates to follow her unconventional career path, the woman said: "As long as you can endure hardship, making money [in my line of work] is possible."

In another example of a career switch that paid off, a National University of Singapore (NUS) graduate quit her nine-to-five job to sell tote bags.

Speaking to AsiaOne in July, Yoyo Zheng shared that she started her business last year after having a serious case of the Monday blues at her previous office job.

"On a personal level, I'm a creative at heart. I've always wanted to start something of my own because I love the process of transforming my ideas into reality," the 25-year-old said. 

ALSO READ: From corporate IT sales to hawking nasi lemak: 40-year-old says she has no regrets

chingshijie@asiaone.com