In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of graduate students. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Education, the number of graduate students enrolled in China exceeded 800,000 in 2020, an increase of more than 13% over 2015.
However, with the exception of some popular and high-paying majors, most graduate students struggle to find a satisfying job in their professional field after graduation.
Take literature, history and philosophy majors as an example. Students in these majors are under pressure to find employment even if they are successfully admitted to prestigious universities.
According to the data, in 2018, Peking University's master's degree graduates majoring in history were mainly engaged in public administration, education, and finance, and only a very small number remained in the history field.
The reason is that these majors are too academic and theoretical, and the social demand is limited. After three years of study, the students themselves found that the knowledge they learned in the classroom was disconnected from the actual work, which did not help them in finding a job.
For example, engineering majors such as environmental science and materials science are science and engineering, but due to their academic positioning, they are also facing employment difficulties. Graduates of these majors are qualified for tasks such as environmental testing or material production, but they are often faced with lower salaries.
Compared with the direct recruitment of undergraduate graduates by enterprises, the academic advantages of these master's students are not obvious, but the expectations are higher, and the psychological gap is larger, which can easily lead to insufficient satisfaction.
When faced with the dilemma of graduate employment, we should not simply blame individuals or schools. This is not only due to the general environment, but also to personal choice.
From the perspective of the overall environment, the supply-side reform has reduced the demand for some traditional disciplines, resulting in structural employment difficulties.
At the same time, in the context of the overheating of academic education, corporate recruitment also tends to be rational, and more attention is paid to the actual work ability of candidates rather than just academic qualifications.
From the perspective of personal choice, some students who are admitted to graduate school are blindly following the trend and do not fully evaluate their own situation.
Some people choose to continue their graduate studies because they are afraid of the pressure of employment, hoping to prolong their student years to escape social competition. These choices are more or less one-sided.
To sum up, when choosing postgraduate study, we must not blindly follow the trend or regard academic qualifications as a panacea.
We must look at the reality rationally, make a good plan, and choose a professional and life path that is truly suitable for us.
At the same time, during the study period, it is necessary to focus on cultivating practical skills and strive for internship opportunities related to future employment directions.
Finally, don't be discouraged by a failure, perseverance is the key to success.
In the face of the dilemma of graduate employment, we must first adjust our mentality, stay optimistic and positive, and believe that every stage will provide opportunities for our growth.
At the same time, when it comes to choosing a major and finding a job, be pragmatic, and instead of sticking to the ivory tower, you should take the initiative to reach out to the society and work hard to develop practical skills.
Each of us deserves to live a meaningful life. If graduate education doesn't help you achieve your dreams, perhaps looking elsewhere is the wisest option.
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