Imagine a 24-year-old beautiful graduate working at a scruffy, stinking pig farm? Isn’t this image jaw-dropping? Yet it is a real story from China during this job-hunting season.
Fancy graduates like this young woman are usually stereotyped as white collar workers who will wear high heels in some skyscrapers, instead of doing a manual labor job. However, Sun Zhuo has chosen an unconventional path.
“The career is well-paid and matches my major,” Sun explains. “Although I am working on the front line, I am mainly responsible for providing technical support, instead of raising pigs.”
In 2023, over 11 million students are expected to finish their technical college or university education. In Beijing, among new graduates, students graduating with a master’s degree or Ph.D. exceed those graduating with a bachelor’s degree for the first time. Due to the intense race in labor markets, it is reported that many anxious young people are going to temples to relieve their stress, begging for the blessing of buddhas to get a good grade or job.
Some representatives of Generation Z have taken the road less traveled to find nontraditional routes to success.
Emerging ‘gray collar’
The new economy is creating new types of demand. Gray collar workers, a term used to describe those in technical or skilled trade jobs that require both physical and technical skills, are in high demand. However, the deeply-rooted social bias against some of these practical careers is hard to change in a short time.
After class, Luo Diyu wanders around the University of Iowa. (Photo provided to People's Daily)
Luo Diyu, currently studying for a master's degree in speech-language pathology in America, admits that some people around her hold prejudice against her major.
As a novice, she was confused about the career as well, frustrated about miscommunication at the beginning.
"During my senior year, I worked as an assistant at a special education school, taking care of an autistic child. But he refused to have any eye contact with me, let alone have a conversation.”
“If he wanted to get some item out of my hand, he would snatch it directly without asking me.”
However, by the end of her internship, she could see the child's progress, with more frequent eye contact and occasional responses to her instructions.
"This inspired me a lot, because it indicates that I can build trust and emotional bonds with my clients."
There is a saying that gray collar careers are not decent jobs. Yet Diyu doesn’t seem to be bothered.
“With Chinese modernization and social development, I believe the value of our jobs will be recognized by others. “
“But now we have to first regulate the new industry, settling problems like lack of comprehensive theoretical systems,” she explains. “That’s why I came to America.”
Away from first-tier cities
Apart from the rise of gray collar workers, another remarkable change among Gen Z is their growing preference for rural and less developed areas.
A survey conducted by China Youth Daily in 2022 shows that 70.9 percent of the interviewed young people feel that the attractiveness of rural areas has increased, with 64 percent of them appreciating the slow pace of life.
Besides digital nomads, state-owned enterprises, public institutions, and civil service jobs are also popular choices for job-seekers in small cities.
Because of staff shortages, the music teacher Yang Yao now teaches Chinese as well. (Photo Provided to People's Daily)
Yang Yao, 21 years old, became a rural teacher after graduation. She made the choice because living in a small city means lower living expenses and less workload, with more time for friends and relatives.
"Besides, I grew up here, and know it needs high-quality education resources, so it gives me some sense of self-worth, compared to work as a cog in a machine,” she says.
Slashers
Gen Z are also believers in the expression, “Do not put all eggs in one basket.”
In 2018, the second novel by the author Baiyuzhaidiaogong came out. As a sophomore university student, what she earns from that book is enough to cover her tuition fees for graduate studies in America.
On the Internet, she is identified as “writer/student.” This is an example of the so-called “slasher,” who takes on multiple careers instead of sticking to one track.
According to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily, among 1,988 people aged 18-35, 52.3 percent of respondents confirm that there are slashers around them. As digital natives, members of Gen Z disproportionately prefer to take a second job related to the Internet.
Chen Yuxin trains at the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) as a translator and interpreter. (Photo provided to People's Daily)
Chen Yuxin (aka Flipped Mango), with a master’s degree in interpreting, is an influencer on social media with over 150,000 followers. She says that her side hustle helps her acquire many transferable skills.
“I got to know editing and operation strategies well by running my personal account,” she explains. As many industries integrate with the Internet, knowing how to run an account on social media will be a plus for job candidates.
However, for many college students, it is difficult to juggle study and a side hustle. The writer acknowledges that it takes four hours a day to write one chapter.
“The dual-role thing is time-consuming,” Baiyuzhaidiaogong says. “You need to learn to prioritize your tasks and improve multitasking ability”
“But it’s still worth a try,” she adds, “especially when you are not prepared or qualified for a high-salary job. A second job based on your interest is a workaround to improve your well-being.”
Taking a gap year
"Making coffee has made my life more fulfilling. Although the salary is not high, I can at least feed myself while learning new skills, which is quite meaningful to me.”
Chen Yixian cleans the counter after the cafe closes. (Photo provided to People's Daily)
After graduation, Chen Yixian, 22, was not sure what to do in the future, so she decided to take a gap year with a part-time job at a cafe.
Students like her who take a gap year are on the rise nowadays.
Meanwhile, many graduates no longer resist jobs such as cashier, barista, and so on. A newly established Douban group aiming at exploring relatively relaxing manual jobs has grown to more than 30,000 members within four months.
These jobs, though tedious, usually can achieve work-life balance, a concept which has gained popularity among Gen Z.
Of course, manual labor is still fatiguing. Yixian acknowledges that eight hours a day is a great challenge to her fitness, let alone dealing with unreasonable customers’ requirements and complaints.
But during work, she realizes that she is quite capable of leadership and enjoys interacting with people.
“That inspired me to get an MBA in the UK next September,” she says with a laugh.
Cao Neng, director of the Career Development Center of Fudan University's School of Management, believes that it is actually difficult for people in their 20s to map out a specific career plan. In contrast, thinking while taking a part-time job might work.
Another graduate, Shi Menghao, also agrees that some part-time jobs like waiters require high-demand skills in communication, which is a good fit for some people's development.
In the past, people used to believe that a bachelor’s degree could help them live happily ever after. Now, with economic restructuring, all roads could lead to a satisfying work life. Many excellent representatives of Gen Z have shown their wisdom by exploring unconventional careers.