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1For China’s ‘Good Students,’ 2023 Has Been a Wake-Up Call
For years, young Chinese were told that if they kept their heads down and studied hard, money and success would naturally follow. Now, many are realizing that things aren’t so simple.
Nov 28, 2023, Sixth Tone
When Zuo Gang failed to land a job during China’s graduate hiring season this summer, it didn’t just knock her confidence. It made her question her entire worldview.
Like many young Chinese, the 25-year-old had been raised from a young age to be a “good student.” As long as she kept her head down, followed the rules, and worked hard, her teachers and parents said, money and success would naturally follow.
Zuo had followed their instructions to the letter. She aced exam after exam, winning a place at a prestigious college in Beijing, before going on to pursue a graduate degree.
Then, things went awry. As she prepared to finish her master’s, Zuo sent out a string of job applications — and got nothing back. She didn’t just fail to land her preferred role; she didn’t receive a single offer.
For Zuo, the failure came as a crushing blow. After a lifetime of being a high-flier, she was emotionally unprepared for such a setback. She struggled with anxiety for months afterward: unable to sleep, racked by guilt, and feeling compelled to repeatedly apologize to her parents and teachers.
Fortunately, Zuo managed to pull herself out of her mental tailspin. She eventually realized that her failure to find work wasn’t her fault: With China’s economy still recovering from COVID-19, the job market is brutally competitive and millions of graduates are facing similar challenges.
“I don’t think I made any missteps in planning my career — it’s simply a different era,” Zuo tells Sixth Tone. “In contrast to my parents’ generation, hard work alone no longer guarantees success nowadays.”
