Old K says every week – talking about things in the petrochemical engineering design industry. Post 35: Looking back on the past – job assignments after graduation

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This post was last edited by henglinkou on 2021-3-1 09:43. Old K’s weekly series – Talks about things in the petrochemical design industry, Post 35: Looking back on the past – Graduation and job assignment. Nowadays, the term “job assignment” has been completely replaced by “looking for a job”; gradually, this practice of assigning jobs was phased out after around 1990. The last batch of genuine college students before the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) graduated around 1965; after that, the college entrance examination was abolished and admission to universities was based on recommendations. These students admitted through such recommendations were known as workers’, peasants’, and soldiers’ college students. On October 21, 1977, it was announced that the college entrance examination would be reinstated; the exam was held in November, and the students from that batch entered university in the spring of 1978. The first group of students to graduate after the restoration of the college entrance examination did so in the spring of 1982, while those who graduated in July 1982 were students who had taken the exam in the summer of 1978. With the reform and opening up, there was a great need for various types of talents. At that time, not many college graduates were available – initially, the number was around two hundred thousand per year across the country, and by 1990 it was still less than five hundred thousand per year; there was a shortage of college graduates. At that time, job placements after graduation usually meant returning to one’s hometown; for example, in our school located in Nanjing, the majority of students came from Jiangsu Province, accounting for about 40%, while those from other provinces made up roughly 60% in total. Students from Jiangsu generally return to their home cities, while those from other provinces usually return to their own provinces. In a given location, those students with good grades are given priority in choosing their units; the teacher or class advisor assigned by the department in charge will ask you to make your choice. Very good job positions, such as those in the Ministry of Chemicals, are generally only available to student union officials. If there are men and women who are dating each other and they want to be assigned together, usually people end up choosing the less desirable places or units. There are also a small number of students who actively request to go to difficult areas, and yet another small number join the military. Tip: You can enter “Lao K’s Weekly Thoughts – Insights into the Petrochemical Design Industry” in the website’s search engine to view previous posts