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The problem we are facing
The problem we are facing
In our school, about 80-85% of students don't know what they want to study at university or college after graduating from high school. Many of them ended up going into a business program because their parents already have a business for them to inherit; therefore, a business program sounds like a good fit. As one of the academic advisers in our school, this problems has been bothering me for several years.
Under the high-pressure education system of China, students are required to stay in school for at least 10 hours every day. They barely have time for any recreation, let alone career development. The National College Entrance Exam is the only goal for many. However, every training/program in school should lead the students to a path in which they can make a living, and preferably one they like, if not, then what's the purpose? Here, I want to explore the possible solution standing as a Chinese educator and a former student from the traditional Chinese education system; therefore, the analysis of the current issue would focus more on from a Chinese social perspective.
Job Satisfaction
Job Satisfaction
Galliott & Graham (2015) suggested that students who are more likely to be less satisfied when their career is uncertain. Those students are also the group of students who have fewer opportunities to get access to career education. Thus, they urged schools to promptly offer career information and guidance to the students and their families so that they can make a better transition from school to career.
A study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that only 27 percent of college graduates work in a field related to their major (Abel & Deitz, 2012).
Job Matching Situation
Job Matching Situation
Students should have a clear idea of not only what opportunities exist for them after graduation but also the employment context in their chosen field. Opportunities to explore college majors and associated labour market outcomes should be available to high school students before their application and enrollment in college.
-Majewski, K. R. (2018)
Chinese College* Graduates Employability Report 2020
Chinese College* Graduates Employability Report 2020
The report states that there are 8.74 million graduates in 2020, China. However, under the impact of COVID-19, the recruitment needs decrease by 21.67% and 26.67% for February and March than a year earlier.
The image to the right shows the various reasons for graduates who haven't got any job offer. The number one reason (21.4%) is "I don't know what kind of job I should choose," which followed by the second most popular reason "Didn't meet the requirement of the employers."
The image also indicates that more than 70% of students haven't signed the contract after being offered a job. 36.1% are unsatisfied with the amount of salary offered, while 31.9% of students don't like the positions of the working content.
*College here indicates colleges, universities and trade schools
image from: https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/136843045
"The original concept of a university major is that you choose what you are interested in so that you can get a job that appeals to you. Under the current educational system, however, Chinese students are not exposed to different fields, so we only have a misty idea of our majors when we choose one."
-Zeling, 2017 Global Times
What If I choose the Wrong Major
What If I choose the Wrong Major
Maybe this would seem to have an easy solution in many western universities; however, this would be a real pain if you try to do that in China.
As Tianyi (2015) states in her research about College Major Declaration Policies: How China Can Improve, "Chinese college students have to declare their majors even before they enter their universities. Usually, top students are the only ones allowed to change majors. The whole design of the major declaration process in Chinese colleges puts more restrictions on students.
For example, a student who lists Tsinghua University on his declaration form must also pick out several specific majors he wants to enroll in. Consequently, universities' offers come along with one of those declared majors according to the student's NCEE scores. In other words, the typical major declaration process is completed before students officially matriculate in their final universities.
With all that mentioned, knowing what you want to study and which preferably would be something you enjoy doing after graduation as a career, instead of feeling like you just wasted your time in school seem critically important before you dedicate 3-4 or more years into it.
The choice of changing major is only available for the top students with almost extreme limitations and very few positions.
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