By Norzuwariah Mohamad Yusoff
Apart from having acquired positive attitude in class or having participated in extra curricular activities, IIUM students have now been exposed to new experience in life that have led them to establishing self-esteem in entrepreneurship. The delivery service is one form of entrepreneurship that had created a new trend in IIUM student’s life.
Students with the drive have become resourceful to help each other when their friends are in need of help. At first, it started as a non-profit activity but realising the importance of meeting students’ demand and seeing the market for this benefit, it turned out to be a new penchant for side income for some students.
As we noticed, students need a lot of money to cope with the learning materials, not just for paying the fees. Therefore, they come out with alternatives or options to help the students and using the opportunity as a platform to create business. Among the most favoured facilities required by the students is the transporter delivery or rental car services. Others include food delivery to each Mahallah, and online beauty products delivery.
The transporter delivery has become the most popular service in demand among IIUM students. Many students require transport to go some where as majority of them have a driving license and they need to rent cars. Those without transport will ask a favour from someone to send them to a certain destination at a negotiable price. They also ask for car rental for certain hours or duration; half a day or a full day. Students who have cars would be ready to provide this kind of service.
Secondly, food delivery has also become a popular demand. With a simple food like sandwiches it has become a hot selling among students at the Mahallah especially at night. Some students will place the food under each block of the Mahallah or go room by room. Besides, students who have plenty of assignments to do or clubs activities to attend get tired of eating café food, so they order food likes rice, or any kinds of food through What’s Application in a group. Just a few minutes, the food will be delivered. Mostly, outside vendors take part because they provide many choices and sell the food.
Thirdly, online products have also become in great demand among IIUM students. Those who practise ‘drop ship’ or involved in business online will list these products in the popular social media IIUM Online Facebook. IIUM students can see or view many products offered for sales by other students so they can buy inside the campus instead of ordering from outside. For example, beauty products especially skincare, shirts. shawls, sport attire, and many more.
Last but not least, IIUM students also offer services like cleaning the room on weekend. Laundry services, also printing services, even though these are not in popular demand, but they do survive in their own way.
Students are encouraged to take new opportunities to develop and experience the process they need to go through in student life so they may be ready to face the job environment soon.***