For further education or job hunting, one must say goodbye to the \"game of relying on one’s parents\"”

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In today’s challenging job market, the proportion of role played by personal capital and social capital in the competition for employment – that is, whether \"qualities and abilities are more important\" or \"having a powerful father is more important\" – is increasingly becoming a key indicator to measure the degree of fairness in a society. 　　According to MyCOS, a domestic education and employment research institution, its survey titled “Survey on the Job Hunting and Work Skills of Chinese University Graduates Class of 2009” shows that compared to children from managerial families, children from disadvantaged urban backgrounds lag far behind in terms of both the quantity and quality of their educational opportunities as well as their employment prospects. In the race to seek social identity and achieve a better life, family background has become an increasingly prominent \"invisible hurdle\". (China Youth Daily, June 26) Many people are likely aware of such a reality, or even have experienced it firsthand. A friend who is still searching for a job under the scorching summer sun has confided in me his troubles. After going through various rounds of preliminary screening, he made it to the final interview at a financial institution, but the interviewer’s words that \"only those with extensive social connections in the local area will be hired\" sent chills down his spine. 　 These days, a popular phrase called the “parent-power game” is widely spread on the Internet: \"In a society where the gap between the rich and the poor is becoming increasingly evident, young people think that if they are smart and capable, it’s better to have a ‘successful’ father.\" ”In response to this, some comments even state that \"relying on one’s family background has become a rule of social interaction; there’s no need to complain about having a less favorable family background. If you feel you’re not qualified to participate in this ‘game’, then try to ensure that your son can take part in it in the future.\" ” 　　The blatantly unfair \"parental power game\" is already causing dissatisfaction, while the attitude of tolerating or actively participating in this unjust game is even more concerning. 　　It should be noted that every young person striving for further education or a job possesses two types of capital: human capital and social capital. Among them, human capital stems from an individual’s level of education and qualitative capabilities ； Social capital, on the other hand, comes from a family’s “background” and “relationships”. 　　Focusing on character and competence, with human capital as the main criterion, is the selection standard that schools and enterprises should follow when seeking talent. 　　In today’s challenging job market, the proportion of role played by personal capital and social capital in the competition for employment – that is, whether \"qualities and abilities are more important\" or \"having a powerful father is more important\" – is increasingly becoming a key indicator to measure the degree of fairness in a society. 　　When both social surveys and personal experiences suggest that \"it’s better to have a father with success than to be good at studying oneself,\" for those from peasant families or urban disadvantaged groups who are part of the \"second generation of poor people,\" simply because their parents lack access to money and power, they have no chance of gaining access to pathways for upward mobility in society ； For those from the “second generation” who possess substantial social resources, their future can be easily secured through the game of relying on their family connections. It’s not fair. China’s development and progress ultimately depend on the hard work of ordinary workers; by depriving their children of the opportunity and hope to surpass their parents, it is, to some extent, a way of robbing them of hope. 　　Young people who have no one to rely on most desire a fair and just environment for social competition. Therefore, reducing the importance of relying on one’s family connections in the processes of entering school and finding a job is not only necessary but also urgent.