The popularity of higher education has led more and more college students to choose to go to graduate school, hoping to improve their academic qualifications and employment competitiveness. However, according to the famous teacher Zhang Xuefeng**, the number of postgraduate students will decline for the first time in 2024, a decrease of 360,000. The emergence of this trend is not accidental, but the inevitable result of the real environment. This article will interpret this phenomenon from three perspectives: employment involution, changes in the employment environment, and adjustment of postgraduate entrance examination policies.
The phenomenon of employment involution refers to the extremely competitive job market, with a large number of job seekers taking a series of competitive exams in order to compete for limited employment opportunities, including the popular postgraduate entrance examination. However, over time, the postgraduate degree has gradually lost its original advantages. Many graduates find that they have no chance to fight for positions that they don't look for after graduating from their bachelor's degree. Due to the severity of employment involution, in order to alleviate the employment pressure, many positions will take the initiative to lower the threshold for corresponding graduates, rather than talents with graduate degrees. In addition, some positions do not value graduate degrees, but rather the youth and plasticity of fresh undergraduates. For these positions, young people are as pure as blank paper, have more room for development, and do not need to have a strong academic background, only need a certain foundation, and can become better through accumulating experience.
However, the serious phenomenon of employment involution has made many students feel deep pressure and begin to question the necessity of graduate school entrance examinations. If the postgraduate degree loses its advantage, why not choose to apply for civil servants or public institutions, which are more attractive for positions in the system?
The employment landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Graduate students in 2024 are complaining about their difficult employment situation. When they graduated from their bachelor's degree three years ago, they expected to be in their dream job. However, even those with a graduate degree face the dilemma of being turned away. Even if you are able to enter the job, the salary and benefits package is not satisfactory. Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the past two years, many businesses have not been doing well, and some are even laying off employees. In such a situation, many undergraduates believe that direct employment may be a more sensible option.
Every year, China's postgraduate entrance examination policy is constantly adjusted. For example, the number of academic master's students enrolled in the university has gradually decreased, while the number of professional master's students has increased significantly. This makes it impossible for many students who want to pursue a career in scientific research to achieve their dreams. In addition, universities have begun to remove the policy of providing graduate housing for students, meaning that students who want to go to graduate school must pay for the rent themselves. Students from poor families with huge financial pressure have to give up the postgraduate entrance examination and go directly to the job market.
The decline in the number of graduate students indicates that the number of public entrance examinations is expected to rise. Many students choose to go to graduate school because they are dissatisfied with their academic qualifications and feel that it is difficult to get opportunities for jobs within the system. However, if the number of graduate students continues to decline, it means that more and more people will choose to take the civil service examination, which further exacerbates the phenomenon of employment involution. Whether you choose to take the postgraduate entrance examination or the civil service examination, it is a difficult road that requires great effort.
For those students who feel that their academic qualifications are low and want to get the halo of gold jewelry, it is suitable to choose to study abroad to broaden their horizons. However, studying abroad is an option that requires financial support, and only students from better families can enjoy this opportunity. For students from ordinary families, the postgraduate entrance examination or the civil service examination may be a more suitable choice.
To sum up, the decline in the number of graduate students in 24 years is the result of the real environment, including the phenomenon of employment involution, changes in the employment environment and the adjustment of postgraduate examination policies. Before making a choice, students need to think carefully about their motivations and goals, and not blindly follow the herd. In addition, it is necessary to understand the postgraduate entrance examination policy in advance and be fully prepared in order to win in a highly competitive environment. No matter which path you choose, you need to put in hard work and sweat to achieve your dreams.