Education

Cannot find job? Go back to school

By Wang Chao (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-05 09:41

Tan Weijia, a senior majoring in statistics at Minzu University of China, is already working hard - but not at a job or looking for one.

The 22-year-old has decided to suspend his career search and instead intensely prepare for next week's graduate school entrance exam.

"I think I will have a better chance to find a good job with a master's degree," said Tan, who has been preparing for the exam for more than six months.

"For students in my major, a master's is definitely better than a bachelor's degree - if I get a master's degree, I will probably work in a bank or for a securities company."

Tan said many of his classmates with a bachelor's degree end up in jobs like receptionists at education institutes with a monthly salary of 2,000 yuan.

Many college graduates are joining Tan in taking postgraduate exams as a way to temporarily shy away from the job hunt pressure after employment opportunities shrank due to the global financial crisis.

The consequence of that decision is fierce competition among test takers. According to the Ministry of Education, the number of candidates for the exam has reached 1.4 million, the highest since 2001. Last year the number was 1.3 million.

New graduates also have to compete with young professionals who have also signed up for the exam.

Han Donghui, a professor of philosophy of Renmin University of China, said the choice by undergraduates is understandable.

"Considering the economy, it is an alternative to job hunting. In addition, if students are interested in academia, a master's degree will help them a lot," said Han, who is also in charge of graduate student admissions for the philosophy department.

Yet some professionals warn that postgraduate study does not guarantee a good job and can even be detrimental to a career.

"If they don't have a long-term plan, their master's degree may do them more harm than good," said a young professional surnamed Jiang. He noted that study for a master's degree can take two to three years, a period when students lose work experience that in turn could put them at a disadvantage to many others on the job market.

Although the number of registered candidates hit a new record, some students are still optimistic.

"The institutes estimated there would be 1.8 million candidates," Tan said. "If the official number is 1.4 million, it is actually better than I expected."

But he does have contingency plans.

"Even if I am not admitted by my dream school, I would consider other graduate schools or looking for a job after the exam," Tan said.