I would be extremely grateful if you, my seniors, could give me some advice on what to do as a graduate student; I’m really lost. Thank you so much!

Thread Content

Dear seniors: I am a graduate who graduated in 2008 (from a decent university); my field of study was metallurgy, and my research focused on materials. Originally, I had the opportunity to go to a research institute after graduation, but I gave it up and ended up working at a state-owned enterprise (a smelting plant). It’s almost a year now; although I got a management position, I’m still very disappointed. Life in a state-owned enterprise has stripped me of passion; I just go through the days without any purpose, not knowing when it will all end. The conditions at the smelting plant are also much worse than I had imagined. I want to change jobs as soon as possible, but I don’t know where to start; I’m not sure what other places besides smelting plants I could go to. I heard that these days you need a certificate for almost anything you do, like being a patent agent; it seems quite difficult to pass the exams, and I’m not sure if getting such a certificate would be useful. Actually, what I really want is to run my own small factory or company or something; it doesn’t matter how much money I make – what’s important is having freedom. But I don’t have the capital nor the experience. I want to read books on my own to learn something, but I don’t know what would be a good topic to learn. Ah, it’s really hard to get by; I’m so confused. I hope some senior can give me some advice – I’d be extremely grateful!