“Anyway, there will be no jobs in the future, only those who understand AI will be able to keep up,” says Dilip Wagh (name changed), a 19-year-old student who joined drink Instamart as a freelancer about a month ago. He is enrolled in a mechanical engineering degree in PuneIn Balewadi area, it comes online during weekends or when incentives are lucrative. Disillusioned with classroom learning, he says he relies heavily on online resources to learn.
Avinash and Ishaan (names changed), both 18, joined Blinkit as delivery partners in early 2026. They are both pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Applications (Honours) at a university in the Bund Garden area and have started working to cover their monthly expenses. They do regular shifts after university hours. When asked about their experience with classroom learning, the two quickly exchange a glance and offer a teasing smile in response.
Many like them initially joined to support themselves financially. Nitin Parihar (name changed), 26, was enrolled in an MCom degree at a popular college in the Deccan area when he started working part-time with Uber around the time of the Covid pandemic. Hello completely moved into delivery work with Swiggy Instamart after finishing university, as Covid clouded any conviction about on-campus placements.
Returning to Covid while discussing similar cases among his friends, he pauses and then expresses his disappointment with education: “It’s better to find a university and set up a stall in front of it, at least you’ll make money.”
Many others, like 18-year-old Parth Jadhav (name changed), had entered the labor market as minors. Parth has been delivering food for two years after taking a gap year after his Grade 12 studies at a city college. He says he will apply for a BBA degree this year.
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Others, like Siddharth Sawant (name changed), have lost interest in returning to university. Siddharth, 20, has been working as a delivery partner for Swiggy Instamart for a year and a half while managing his nearby food stall. He landed here after switching between some part-time jobs after his Class 12. He says studying till Class 10 was fine, after which he couldn’t understand much and lost interest. Now he hopes to start something of his own. “Ab interest hi nahi hai, ab kuch khud ka karna hai (There is no interest anymore; now I need to do something for myself).”
Such is the case with Gagan Yadav (name changed), 25, who graduated in political science from his hometown in Madhya Pradesh and took a job as a security guard at a Swiggy Instamart store in Pune. He has now transitioned and works as a casual worker. He prefers not to dwell on his title.
“What’s the point of studying? What will I get out of it? You don’t make money studying,” he says. He plans to return to his hometown to farm in the near future.
Not everyone is happy with the job
Nimesh Gade (name changed), 19, also enrolled in Deccan Business School, has been working as a delivery associate for Instamart for a year now, following his father and uncle. He also notes his dissatisfaction with the university and talks about wanting to start something of his own soon and eventually discontinue this job.
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He recounts several incidents that have increased his bitterness. Speaking of the phone he now has, bought with his own money, he remembers the day, his birthday, when he had to make the down payment. When he walked in wearing the Swiggy t-shirt, the store employee scolded him because he wanted to buy an iPhone as a delivery boy.
He also strives to avoid the mandatory Swiggy Instamart t-shirt while making deliveries to IT companies as he is not willing to be identified as a delivery worker in such spaces. “It hurts me how they look at me when I walk in with the delivery guy’s shirt. They think I’m beneath them,” he says.