A fresh graduate’s salary normally ranges between RM2,000 and RM2,800 depending on the industry they’re in and how generous the employer is. However, this 23-year-old Malaysian is already making USD$300 (approx. RM1,200) per day! If that’s multiplied by 20 working days, he’d be making about RM24,000 a month!
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Muhamad Kasyfi Bin Baizurin Salleh, a diploma holder who works off-shore on an oil rig.
After SPM, Kasyfi enrolled in RANACO, an institution located in Terengganu. He studied Maritime Technology Engineering and learnt how to handle Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) during his practical time.
Just because he works on an oil rig and earns a lucrative income, that doesn’t mean he’s an engineer. In fact, Kasyfi works as a pilot/technician for ROV.
This magnificent piece of machinery is unoccupied, highly manoeuvrable and operated by a crew on board the vessel. The ROV is connected by a series of cables for data and information transfer.
This ROV can dive in water as deep as 1,000 metres for underwater research purposes. Some of its functions include the examination of pipeline and wellhead located at the bottom of the sea.
Besides, Kasyfi also controls the water jet on the ROV to clean the pole underneath the oil rig. The water pressure coming out from the machine is equivalent to 10,000 psi!
What about the risk of working on an oil rig?
In an interview with Remaja, Kasyfi said that every job has its own risks, but they do have a huge emphasis on safety measures to avoid any mishaps.
Electric shock is definitely one of the risks as all the equipment are powered by 3000V of electricity. Moreover, working around equipment with high oil pressure and heavy items such as the 3-ton ROV also poses their own risks.
However, if you get seasick easily, you might want to give this job a pass because the ship is constantly moving due to the waves. Things get worse when it’s raining. Aww man.
Admittedly, handling a ROV isn’t a well-known job, but it does pay well. On average, Kasyfi works 12 hours a day but sometimes he is required to stay off-shore for 60 consecutive days.
This job is definitely not for the faint-hearted. Anyone interested in working on an oil rig now?
Also read: Meet Tong, a Uni Student Who Makes RM28,000 Per Month by Farming Cockroaches