Men sometimes also have those days when their testicles hurt

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I’ve felt a bit lost again recently. Graduated in 2014 with a degree in chemical engineering from a university in Shanghai; holds a master’s degree. The university’s program was ranked fairly well nationally. Unfortunately, this came during a period of decline in the petrochemical industry across the country. Additionally, the undergraduate degree was obtained from an ordinary second-tier university, and the field of study was changed from one’s original major. I felt it was quite difficult to stay in Shanghai, so I didn’t plan to remain there. I had received a few offers from the petrochemical industry before, but I didn’t want to spend my whole life in industrial parks; the lifestyle in factories isn’t what I’m looking for, so I declined those offers. Instead, I came to a small city in the south and worked in the environmental protection sector; the company was fine, though the salary was average. 5,000 yuan per month – after deducting 1,000 for rent and money spent on dating and eating, not much is left. When I go home during the National Day holiday, my family asks how much money I’ve saved; it’s quite embarrassing for someone who spends all their income. The previous year was spent on research and development work; I just spent my time doing routine tasks, basically learning things on my own. Fortunately, the atmosphere in the department was good – when the manager wasn’t around, it was possible to focus on learning things of one’s own. Since there aren’t any particularly complex processes in the environmental protection industry, and the department functions as a R&D platform where work mainly involves designing small furnaces, I learned SolidWorks. From 3D modeling to video production and basic simulation analysis, I’m able to handle these tasks. Recently, I was reassigned to do design work. The current situation is that there’s no one to take care of things or teach people; most people study mechanical design, and they have to rely entirely on themselves, which makes learning go very slowly – it’s really frustrating. Since my family is currently living in Guangdong, they said I could try using my connections to get a job at a petrochemical company there. I kept saying that I needed to learn more skills first, as one must be strong enough to do the job properly, so I stayed behind. But being alone in a foreign place is really tough. I want to leave, but the current environment is really tough. I just graduated a year ago and basically have no experience. If I stay, my life and work become a hassle. Although I’m full of enthusiasm, the surrounding environment simply doesn’t encourage that; most people around me are locals who show up to work half-heartedly, with many of them wearing slippers and loose pants to work. I feel a gap is starting to appear between me and my classmates. What should I do? What have their peers been going through one year after graduation?