Some rational reflections on the employment situation of those born in the 1980s

Thread Content

Some rational thoughts on the employment situation of those born in the 1980s. The original text was reproduced from http://www.51xuewen.com/group/To...837&GroupID=525. Those in our generation, including everyone who is 5 years older than me as well as those who are 5 years younger, that is, people born in the 1980s, came during a period of high population growth, resulting in fierce competition; in other words, it was similar to the baby boom in the United States. This is a law of history; no one can do anything about it. The characteristic of the baby boomer generation is that, from birth to death, they faced intense competition throughout their lives; it was difficult to find good jobs, and getting into good schools required extreme effort in the exams. We have all seen what’s happening in the United States; an entire generation has lived their whole lives in such conditions. Japan too. A person with an average level of intelligence, if born in 1995, can get into No. 8 Middle School ； If he was born in 1985, it would be tough for him to get into No. 35 Middle School. That’s the way it is; it’s not the fault of individuals who don’t work hard – it’s simply because we live in a poor era. Therefore, when looking for a job these days, I think the most important thing is to ensure that by the time you are 40–50 years old, you still have a reliable source of income and the competitiveness to succeed. That’s indeed the case. When looking for a job these days, the specific starting salary and the nature of the position aren’t that important; what matters is whether your choice will enable you to remain competitive among people of your age by the time you’re 40–50, or even more competitive than you are now. Our parents’ generation was perhaps a bit better off; they could work as ticket sellers even after retiring in their 50s, but things might be worse by the time it’s our turn. 　 So how should one make a choice? The answer isn’t actually difficult. First, choose a industry and stick with it; over time, you will become more valuable in that industry. By \"industry,\" I mean the broader categories of fields. For example, I started working as a fund analyst at the age of 24, and at 30 I changed to work in securities research; both of these fall under the finance sector, so that’s acceptable. But you can’t say that one starts working with electronic instruments at the age of 24 and then changes careers to engage in grain and oil trading at 30 – these two areas have nothing in common. Once you enter the grain and oil industry, you’ll always be 10 years behind others; no matter how smart you are, you won’t be able to achieve the best competitive advantage. Second, choose an industry sector that can thrive in the long term. In other words, this industry will definitely still need so many people in the future, so there won’t be structural unemployment. For example, industries such as banking, defense, agriculture, and so on (of course, we’re talking about the advanced levels in these fields). Although some of these jobs seem to offer low salaries and status, and people are reluctant to work there, by the time you reach 40-50 years old, the value of your work in these industries becomes evident. At that point, many others will envy you as they won’t be able to enter such fields. You are the happiest. Third, choose a field with a high level of technical complexity; avoid occupations such as drivers, chefs, or junior accountants – roles that meet the first two criteria but in which no skills can be developed, and where anyone can take your place. Therefore, the following areas require particular careful consideration: 1, real estate. Needless to say, 10 years later, demand for real estate will drop sharply, prices will fall significantly, and everyone in the industry will lose their jobs. 2. Foreign companies. Many students are attracted by the high salaries offered by foreign companies right after graduation, and they hope to work there until around the age of 40, aiming to become leaders in those companies or within their industries. But it should be noted that only a few people manage to become leaders; most young people, once they enter the workforce, are replaced around the age of 40 by younger and cheaper labor forces who were hired at that time. As a result, foreign companies will mercilessly drop you, forcing you to switch to private enterprises to continue working; your income and status will drop significantly, and in some cases you might not even find a place to work. 3. Civil servants who do not perform substantive work, as well as staff in public institutions. These places are relaxed, not tiring, offer good and stable incomes; as a result, they become highly competitive, and ultimately it’s laziness that drives the competition. If you think about it, if you do a job like drinking tea and reading newspapers until the age of 40, and then there are personnel changes, what else can you do? Even if not unemployed, one is most likely to only earn the lowest salary level until retirement. 4. The so-called “management trainees”. The name is nice to hear and sounds good too. Essentially, it means that once you join the company, there isn’t a position available for you right away; you’ll have to wait for a while. If you perform well after two years, they’ll give you a position and let you start from scratch. If not, you’ll be dismissed after those two years, as I’ve only signed a two-year contract with you – so you won’t be able to do much about it. In reality, the “management training” programs in many renowned companies operate in this manner. So, in that case, it’s actually better to start working on a specific position right from the beginning; the more skilled you become in your field, the more difficult it will be for anyone to surpass you, as you’ll then be the most experienced. For example, one might focus on research related to digital rectifiers during their master’s studies, and after graduation go to a company to work specifically in this field. One’s income and status may be relatively low before the age of 30, but by the age of 50, that person will be in a very valuable position; at that point, those who envy them can only do so – no one will be able to surpass them. Don’t think that 50 is still far away; in fact, planning and preparation should start as early as one enrolls in master’s studies, or even sooner. As I just said, our generation has to face intense competition throughout its entire life, from birth to death. Moreover, these people even went to the United States to wage another front of conflict there, which has caused chaos in the U.S. as well. Therefore, if the initial choice of path is made correctly, one can quickly leave behind a large number of peers who are just as intelligent and hardworking but who make mistakes in terms of their understanding of career prospects and social realities. There are quite a number of confused people in this regard at Tsinghua. Of course, this means that one will have to work hard when young, learn much more than others, and spend more time in their field of expertise, delving deeper into it and putting in more mental effort. If you’re not afraid of hard work, then you can be very happy in the second half of your life ； Otherwise, if one starts retirement by being a very idle civil servant now, it will lead to endless problems in the future. One must think in the long term. Some people might say: By the time we’re 50, perhaps society will have changed, the job market and living conditions will have changed, and everything will be different. I’ll just take things one step at a time; there’s always a way when you get to the mountain. Many people have this mindset, but it’s actually hard to say for sure, because after all, so many people born in the 1980s have already come into the world, with their mouths open, waiting to be fed. The baby boomer generation in the United States and Japan experienced numerous economic crises, **, recessions, political instability, as well as periods of prosperity; the problems associated with a large population, high unemployment rates among people in certain age groups, and difficulties in finding employment remain persistent and difficult to change. From this perspective, China should be the same. In short, as college and graduate students at top universities, they should truly contribute their efforts to the development of ** in the future, learn as much as possible, take on the most challenging and demanding positions in the industry, and not all choose easy jobs – only in this way can ** have a chance of success ； In the other hand, for the stability and happiness of oneself and one’s family in the future, it is also necessary to think things through carefully in this regard.