The number of graduate exams in 2024 was released, and the data showed that the number of applicants was only 4.38 million, more than the estimated more than 5 million, more than 620,000 less. This result is in line with Zhang Xuefeng's earlier **, he said online that the number of graduate students is likely to decline, and advised college students not to go to graduate school in order to avoid employment. What are the deep-seated reasons for this decline?The decrease in the number of graduate students does not mean that it is better to find a job, but that college students have more rational thinking and comprehensive consideration of employment issues.
Compared with the growth of the number of postgraduate students in recent years, the number of postgraduate students in 2021, 2022, and 2023 will be 3.77 million, 4.57 million, and 4.74 million respectively, indicating that the postgraduate entrance examination fever continues to rise. This phenomenon is partly due to the fact that many graduates want to obtain higher qualifications through postgraduate examinations and thus gain a favorable position in the job market. However, in recent years, with the development of society and the diversification of the economy, this trend of pursuing high education is changing.
On the one hand, society's demand for talent is no longer just dependent on academic qualifications, but more on practical skills and work experience. Many companies have begun to focus on practical ability and comprehensive quality, rather than just academic qualifications. This has led to a cooling of the fever for graduate school entrance examinations, as college students have begun to realize that academic qualifications are not the only factor that determines employment, and actual ability is more important.
On the other hand, college students are also becoming aware of the diversity of employment options. In addition to traditional employment methods, such as entering enterprises, public institutions, civil servants, etc., college students now also have more choices, such as self-employment, freelancing, overseas employment, etc. This diversified employment method provides college students with a broader space for development, and also makes them more flexible to adapt to the job market.
The decrease in the number of graduate students is not only due to the change in employment concept, but also related to the change of mentality and the rising cost of graduate school entrance examination.
First of all, with the end of the special situation, the mentality of college students gradually stabilized. During the special period, people's anxiety is more serious, so many graduates choose to go to graduate school to escape reality. However, as the situation improved and there was a huge gap between reality and ideals, graduates began to re-examine their employment situation and learn to look at their situation from an objective perspective. They recognise that their ability and performance are key to a stable job, not just academic qualifications.
Secondly, the rising cost of postgraduate entrance examination is also one of the reasons for the decrease in the number of postgraduate entrance examinations. Many colleges and universities no longer provide accommodation for professional masters, and even master's students have to pass the exam to "grab quotas". This makes renting an apartment an inevitable expense, and the cost of renting an apartment is often much higher than the cost of living in a dormitory. In addition, in terms of tuition fees, the difference between the tuition fees of professional masters and academic masters is also quite large, which also discourages some students.
The decrease in the number of graduate students is closely related to the improvement of college students' employment concepts. College students are starting to focus more on building practical skills and work experience, which helps them find their place in the job market. At the same time, the demand for talents has become more diversified, and it is no longer just about academic qualifications, which further prompts college students to no longer blindly pursue postgraduate examinations.
Looking forward to the future, it is foreseeable that the phenomenon of postgraduate entrance examination fever will continue to cool down, and the employment of college students will be more diversified. In order to guide and promote the development of this trend, relevant departments, universities and society can take a series of measures. For example, relevant policies have been introduced to encourage college students to find employment through multiple channels, and practical teaching has been strengthened to improve students' practical ability and work experience, so as to provide more employment opportunities and diversified career choices.
Of course, the cooling of the postgraduate entrance examination fever also brings some challenges. Some students may feel frustrated, while others may choose a career that is not right for them. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen mental health education for college students. Only by comprehensively improving one's ability and diversifying one's employment options can we better cope with future employment challenges.
Summary: The cooling of the postgraduate entrance examination fever does not mean that it is easy to find a job, but that college students have more rational thinking and comprehensive consideration of employment issues. The decrease in the number of graduate students is closely related to the progress of employment concepts, changes in mentality and the rise in the cost of graduate school entrance examinations. In the future, the employment of college students will be more diversified, and relevant departments, universities and society should actively guide and promote the development of this trend. There are only a few reasons that can explain the cooling of the postgraduate fever:
1.Changes in the employment concept of college students: With the development of society and the diversification of the economy, people's consideration of job search has also changed. College students are beginning to pay more attention to the accumulation of practical skills and work experience, rather than just the improvement of academic qualifications. They realize that academic qualifications are not the only factor that determines employment, and that actual ability is more important.
2.Increase in the cost of postgraduate entrance examination: The cost of postgraduate entrance examination is not only the investment of time and energy, but also the economic expenditure. Many colleges and universities no longer provide accommodation, and candidates need to solve the problem of renting on their own, which increases the cost of living. In addition, the increase in postgraduate entrance examination fees has also put financial pressure on candidates.
3.Changes in the job market: In recent years, with the development of the economy and the diversification of industries, the demand for talents in the job market has also changed. Enterprises have begun to pay more attention to practical ability and work experience, and the degree of dependence on academic qualifications is relatively reduced. The academic advantage of the postgraduate entrance examination is relatively weakened, so candidates have also begun to consider their employment prospects more rationally.
4.The change of society's demand for talents: With the progress of society, people's demand for talents has also begun to diversify. It is no longer just about academic qualifications, but more about practical ability, innovation ability and teamwork ability. This makes college students more flexible in their employment choices and no longer blindly pursues graduate school entrance examinations.
To sum up, the cooling of the postgraduate entrance examination fever is closely related to the change of college students' employment concept, the increase of the cost of postgraduate examination, the change of the job market and the change of social demand for talents. With the development of society, the diversification trend of college students' employment will be further strengthened. Relevant departments, universities and society should actively guide and promote the development of this trend, provide more employment opportunities and diversified career choices, strengthen practical teaching, improve students' practical ability and work experience, and also strengthen mental health education for college students to help them cope with employment challenges. Only by comprehensively improving one's ability and diversifying one's employment options can we better cope with future employment challenges.