Berry, academic 'ghostwriter.'

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When it comes to writing an academic thesis, some students say they don’t have the time, smarts or will to finish on their own. Berry, 24, who graduated from college about a year ago with a degree in economics, is more than happy to lend them a hand — for a price. As an academic ghostwriter, Berry writes their papers for them and makes millions of rupiah in the process. The part-time job is profitable and helps support him in a tough job market, but it also comes with ethical questions about cheating that he says are starting to weigh more heavily on his conscience. 

Today, he talks to My Jakarta about how he got his start as an academic ghostwriter, his views on formal education and the job market, and whether he ever feels guilty about helping college students cheat.

Berry, what subject did you study in college and how long did it take you to graduate?

I majored in marketing management in the School of Economics. It took me four years to graduate from my university.

How did you get your first ghostwriting job?

It was about a year ago, right after I graduated. I was looking for a job at the time, just like other new graduates, and some of my friends were still struggling with their theses assignments. One of them asked me to help him write his thesis, and I joked that I’d write it if he paid me. Surprisingly, he agreed. That was my first job.

Why didn’t you stop ghostwriting after that?

As I was finishing my first job, my friend started spreading the word about me to his other friends. One by one, clients kept on coming and asking for my help. Since I was jobless at the time, I took the opportunity. The money was pretty good, too. With a single thesis, I earn as much as most new graduates make in a month.

And how much is that?

About Rp 2.5 million to Rp 3.5 million [$280 to $390], but it depends on my clients’ ability to pay. There is also a special price for close friends [laughs].

Have you ever asked your clients why they came to you?

Some of them are too busy working [a job], even before they’ve graduated. So they don’t see a point in wasting their time with a thesis when they could be working and making money to support themselves.

Others think they’re no good at writing. They have problems when it comes to putting their ideas on paper. That’s why they need someone else to organize their ideas.

And finally, some clients just want to just graduate without giving too much thought or putting in too much effort to their final projects.

Do you feel guilty about helping people cheat?

Honestly, when it started I was just helping out a friend and making some money while I searched for a decent job. But these days I no longer believe that it [my work] helps my friends at all [laughs]. So yeah, now I feel embarrassed about this job and somewhat sorry for those people using my services.

How important do you think formal education is when it comes to finding a job?

For me, it [education] is not really about landing a job. I went to college just because I love to learn and also because I enjoyed the extracurricular activities. In fact, a lot of graduates are still desperately looking for a job. So having a college degree doesn’t mean anything, especially if you don’t really understand why you chose the major you chose or if you aren’t attached to the subject at all.

Do you get orders from students in many different academic fields?

Yes. I don’t know how they [the students] know about me, but the orders keep coming from various departments. I don’t always take them on, though. I only do as many as three assignments at a time. It’s quite tiring to work with different deadlines and different demands from different lecturers.

How challenging is it to understand topics from so many fields of study?

It’s pretty hard and time-consuming; I usually take a whole month to completely understand the requested topic. But my clients consult with their professors every week and their feedback is really helpful in helping me understand what I’m supposed to be writing about exactly.

And as for a final grade from the professor, how well do your pieces usually stand up?

I don’t really know. The papers are only worth half of the total grade — the other half depends on how well students present their research and defend their theses. But I’ve never received any complaints from my clients.

Berry was talking to Mulianingsih Kurnia.

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