Nearly 80% of surveyed youth prioritize employment prospects when choosing their major | major | youth
With the dream of becoming a chemistry teacher in mind, Xia Fanfan of a university in Fujian resolutely chose the chemistry major when choosing a major. Being a fan of the chemistry major is because Xia Fanfan experienced the charm of natural science in the chemistry practical courses offered at school during his junior high school years. In college, she always discovers the beauty of chemistry. Chemistry is like a magical 'magic'. When I see a battery that has been synthesized for 8 days working properly on the circuit, and when I see lipsticks and hand creams that were originally only seen in sales cabinets being made by myself, I always feel a great sense of joy and achievement.
Chen Chenghui, who filled in "Mechanical and Electrical Engineering" in his volunteer major at that time, had no idea that in a few years, he would dig holes, wire, mix cement, install antennas, build a small radio telescope array, and search for weak signals from the universe on the the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. When Chen Chenghui just graduated from high school, he chose an engineering major that he believed should not worry about employment. After entering university, his extensive knowledge allowed him to find his true interests and he took the postgraduate entrance exam in Astronomy Technology and Methods across different majors. Now he is pursuing a PhD in this field: "The professional skills I have learned are more important than the name of my major."
With the release of scores and cutoff lines for the college entrance examination in various provinces, many college students are facing mandatory questions for choosing their majors. China Youth Daily and China Youth School Media launched a questionnaire survey for college students and new professionals from all over the country to understand their professional choices and learning experiences in universities. A total of 2048 valid questionnaires were collected from students or graduates from 162 universities. The survey results show that when choosing a major, the employment situation is the most important consideration that respondents believe should be given, in addition to the future development of the major, personal interests and strengths.
Employment, personal interests, national and social needs, etc. are the main factors to consider when choosing a major
Li Yanchun, who is studying at Anqing Normal University, described the scene of filling out her application as "at a loss". In her opinion, having just separated from her high school mechanical education, she lacks clear plans for the future and has limited and limited understanding of various majors. In addition, her ability to collect information is poor, and there are no reference examples around her. Therefore, I can only consider the development prospects of various majors through fragmented information on social media.
According to a survey conducted by Chinese youth media, 57.18% of respondents were confused when choosing a major, 22.36% felt very confused, and 20.46% of respondents did not feel confused. The main reasons are unclear personal preferences and strengths, and limited understanding of the profession.
In Chen Chenghui's view, the time and opportunities to explore extracurricular fields during high school are relatively limited, and their understanding of various majors and industries is limited. It is even normal to have stereotypes, and making judgments about things they have not been exposed to may lead to certain deviations. But Chen Chenghui believes that choosing a major is not a one-time deal. At around the age of 20, there are many opportunities for adjustment and trial and error.
Lin Zixuan, who once had a clear goal, gradually changed his mind after attending university. Because he was impressed by the lawyer's demeanor in a film and television drama, he didn't hesitate to fill in "law" in his first choice and write "news" in his second choice at the same school. After being admitted to the journalism major, he minored in law in his sophomore year. There is a significant gap between ideals and reality. Learning law requires mastering many complex and tedious legal principles. Although understanding that these studies are essential to becoming an excellent lawyer, Lin Zixuan quickly realized that the halo of film and television has filtered his character, and he is not suitable for studying law. Instead, he is a journalism and communication major that requires exposure to many new things and interacting with people, which is very suitable for his personality.
The survey results show that when choosing a major, respondents mainly consider personal interests, national and social needs. In addition to seeking advice from family and friends, the internet is also one of the important channels for respondents to inquire or seek professional advice.
Taking into account his strengths and interests, Liu Zhicheng has incorporated computer science and technology, chemistry, and biology into his scope of consideration. After searching for a lot of information online, Liu Zhicheng's interest in "being able to interact with biology" became increasingly strong: "In the end, I formed a fate with the School of Life Sciences at Anhui Agricultural University."
"Because my college entrance examination scores were not particularly ideal, I decided to choose a school first and then a major. After determining the schools that might be admitted, Li Yanchun focused her efforts on choosing a major.". After careful consideration, English major and Radio and Television major entered the "finals circle" by searching for the strengths and employment prospects of each major through the school's official website and related apps, and then taking into account one's own personality traits and hobbies to narrow down the selection range. In the end, she was admitted to the Radio and Television major at Anqing Normal University as she wished.
Professional choice is not a one-time deal
The strong learning atmosphere in university has also transformed Liu Zhicheng's attitude towards the field of biological sciences from interest to passion. In the second semester of my freshman year, I joined a life science competition team, mainly engaged in research on maize disease resistance genes. After more than a year, we achieved excellent results in the competition. In his opinion, among the many reference factors for choosing a major, the most important one is interest. "The biology innovation experimental class I am in was independently applied for by a group of students who have a strong interest in agriculture. Almost every student has participated in scientific research or entrepreneurial practice projects."
According to a survey conducted by China Youth School Media, 10.94% of respondents are very satisfied with their major, 25.83% of respondents are relatively satisfied, 47.17% of respondents think it is relatively good, 13.48% of respondents are not very satisfied and believe that their major is not what they aspire to, and 2.59% of respondents do not like their major.
Last year, Zhenyu, who graduated from a university in Henan, chose to pursue a master's degree in finance, which he aspired to. When filling out his college entrance examination application, he had to compromise on his major choice in order to maximize the utilization of his scores. Although he was successfully admitted, he found himself uninterested in the major he had chosen through countless hardships. In contrast, Zhenyu is more interested in economic knowledge and enjoys the process of participating in economic activities and understanding the laws behind the market. "When you realize that the working principle of the world is not complicated, you will feel a great sense of achievement." This strengthens Zhenyu's determination to cross professional postgraduate entrance examination. He started preparing from his sophomore year, collecting a list of books and required courses in finance, obtaining skill certificates, and even developing a detailed study plan.
Even when studying a major that you enjoy, there may be times of frustration. After failing the first postgraduate entrance examination, Zhenyu had the idea of giving up studying finance. But soon he realized that he couldn't detach himself from this profession. "Economic phenomena are everywhere in life. I just wanted to buy an ice cream, but all that flashed through my mind was the explanation of inflation, thinking about whether to raise or lower interest rates.". The finance major has already integrated into Zhenyu's life, but he ultimately adjusted his mindset and devoted himself to reviewing World War II. After landing in World War II, Zhenyu tirelessly began his internship at a securities company, where he could interact with financial practices every day, and he was very happy.
According to a survey conducted by China Youth School Media, 25.84% of respondents would seek opportunities to switch majors when they lack interest in their field of study. 24.92% of respondents would self-study and attend more courses they are interested in. 29.18% of respondents would improve their abilities in the direction they are interested in by participating in extracurricular training. 31.61% of respondents would try to take the postgraduate entrance examination across different majors. 28.57% of respondents would seek internship opportunities in their field of interest. 35.56% of respondents would aim at their own interests, understand their employment needs, and make every effort to do so. 46.81% of respondents chose to take a step by step approach.
After truly studying mechanical and electrical engineering, Chen Chenghui realized that this was not the direction he was very interested in. However, with the original intention of "learning the most practical skills", he was very dedicated to studying the course. What excites him is that "university is a place where you can learn a lot of things without paying a lot of costs." During this golden period, he "crazily" absorbed various knowledge and skills that he was interested in. By chance, a friend demonstrated to him how to use a computer and software to cooperate with wireless devices to receive radio signals and display corresponding spectral images, which aroused his great interest. Quickly, he self-taught and obtained an amateur radio operation certificate, and obtained an amateur radio license. When studying related equipment, he found that radio related equipment is also related to radio telescopes. After a period of exploration and reflection, Chen Chenghui, who was obsessed with this and deeply immersed in research, decided to switch to studying astronomical techniques. Chen Chenghui believes that even if you find that your major doesn't match your preferences, you don't have to lose heart. Learn basic subjects and professional skills well, and explore different directions in your spare time. Even if you can't find your interests temporarily, you can still prepare for job hunting and have more opportunities to transform into your favorite field.
Senior brothers and sisters suggest that one should not only analyze oneself, but also understand society
According to a survey conducted by Chinese youth media, respondents believe that to help high school graduates better choose their majors, universities can introduce more majors and employment directions; Enhance comprehensive quality education in primary and secondary schools to help young people better understand and understand society; Introduce volunteer application guidance for graduates after the college entrance examination; Wait a minute.
Li Yanchun Hui believes that filling out voluntary applications is an important milestone in life, which requires the joint efforts of universities, families, and society. Each high school can invite alumni who have studied and graduated from university to share their experiences on campus. Universities can provide more professional information and advice on filling out college applications for new students on new media platforms. "Bilibili has a 'My Volunteer' column, and Tiktok will also launch a live broadcast in colleges and universities. University professors and seniors can also conduct more science popularization on social media at ordinary times.".
However, respondents also suggest that prospective college students should be cautious about information on online platforms. 70.65% of respondents believe that social media platforms have mixed information, and they need to make their own judgments while watching more; 59.42% of respondents believe that online advice rarely considers personal traits and needs to be combined with their own situation; 47.07% of respondents believed that it provided a lot of useful information; 36.23% of respondents believe that some information is misleading and needs to be treated with caution.
Chen Chenghui believes that some professional introductions may be biased with the "colored glasses" of the introducer, whether it is describing the professional situation, employment prospects, or "pitfall avoidance" guidelines. He suggests that prospective college students who are choosing a major should not only introduce their major, but also read more about the industry stories and stories of industry professionals in a certain industry, in order to gain a richer and more comprehensive understanding of the industry.
Reviewing her own experience of filling out her own preferences, Li Yanchun believes that it is important to avoid falling into cognitive misconceptions due to fragmented information. "Especially in the hot environment of filling out college entrance examination preferences, the complex information environment further tests the information recognition ability of new families. Do not blindly follow or arbitrarily exclude certain majors based on stereotypes of 'popular' or 'unpopular'. It is necessary to see and listen more, collect reliable and sufficient information, and establish a foundation for decision-making."
According to a survey conducted by middle and young school media, 78.32% of respondents suggest evaluating their preferences and strengths and weaknesses when choosing a major; 70.90% of respondents believe that it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the employment direction of their intended profession; 58.79% of respondents suggested consulting industry professionals more about the professional status and prospects; Wait a minute.
"In addition to interests, it is also important to consider the compatibility between the major and oneself." Liu Zhicheng suggests downloading the training and development plans of various majors on the official website of the university. "You can ask yourself whether you will like these courses and whether the training goals of this major are in line with your future career plans. To avoid being too idealistic in the selection process, you can also ask senior students around you for experience.". Zhenyu, who had once been willing to sacrifice himself for his favorite major, also holds the same view. "In addition to paying attention to interests and considering the career in the long run, it is also important to investigate the employment prospects, difficulty of taking the postgraduate entrance examination, and the proportion of guaranteed admission to the target university." Zhenyu also hopes that younger students who are filling out their applications will not be too anxious. They should understand that in any school or major, continuous efforts are needed and will not be a one-time solution.
Lin Zixuan suggests that younger students should not only analyze themselves, but also gain a better understanding of society and develop career plans. "Try to understand the needs of the country, society, and the employment situation of the target profession as much as possible. If there is no special way to understand during middle school, then it is necessary to intern more in university, try different fields, and even try industries different from his own profession." Now, he is about to intern in the human resources department of a securities company, starting a new attempt.
Having chosen a major that resonates with his personal interests and the direction of national development, Liu Zhicheng's determination to take root in agriculture has become even stronger. "I hope to engage in scientific research in the fields of plants and crops, and make my own contribution to the development of biology and agriculture in China." Liu Zhicheng mentioned that he will actively encourage his younger students to apply for his major. "Currently, the country attaches great importance to rural revitalization and agriculture, and the employment prospects of agricultural majors are also very broad. Interested students are welcome to come to agricultural colleges to study and realize their dreams.".
Reporter Bi Ruoxu from China Youth Daily and China Youth Network Intern journalist Luo Xi Intern Yang Zilin
