Job Discussion Forums

[jevons_lee]

I am a junior college student in east China ,JiangSu Province .Next year I will graduate from university and two choices are in front of me ,looking for a job or go in for NPEE(national postgrad entrance examination),no matter which is hard to me.Sometimes I feel at loss because of the unpredictable future,and it is said that Chinese job market is full of competition ,a very horrible one instead of very fair.And therefore I am resolved to sit for NPEE hold next spring,to avoid the too-early-entry into society .So I have to put all on the exam~~~~

[kimo]

Jevons, welcome to the state of the world in 2004. I believe you are Chinese, right? In your short life the economy here has been expanding rapidly, but from now on it appears you are going to have to struggle with that which we from the West are already well acquainted with, competition for a smaller number of jobs than there are applicants for.

Look at America right now for example. There is an election this year and much of the outcome will revolve around jobs, or the the lack thereof. We live in an automated society and the shear purpose of automation is to create efficiency and decrease the number of people on the payroll.

What can you do? Well, probably you are doing the right thing to continue your studies, however that may not be true if you are a technician or something. What else can you do? Well, first remember, that bosses in companies which must compete against other companies want to hire "for what you can do" NOT "for your guanxi with somebody in the company." Make yourself valuable. Learn a variety of skills that give you flexibility. And don't ever forget that in this world from now and into the future you will need to continue learning and reinvent yourself over and over!

Just my opinion! Good luck!

[Ger]

Go for the postgraduate entrance examination, when you qualify for a postgrad course, work part-time. Then when you graduate as a postgrad. get a job and do more part-time professional courses - law is a good profession.

[Roger]

Dear Jievons,
first of all: my respect to you! You have a remarkably good command of English - far superior to the level of most experienced English teachers from your home country!
As you know, competition eliminates also-rans. There are far too many who hold a degree, and are unable to read an English newspaper, let alone communicate in that language - some of these people will have to find other jobs.
In the meantime we have to accept some unfairness: newly-graduated English teachers will find it extremely tough on the job market. Strangely enough, many underqualified or disinterested applicants still get teaching jobs - to the detriment of people like you.
But as time goes by, the truly gifted and dedicated ones will be recruited, and the slackers will have to go sweep the roads or do some other productive work. You know, of course, why this unfairness obtains - we call it "guanxi".

Perhaps, as an interim measure, you can gain some valuable insight and experience working in a hotel or tourism-related enterprise, solidifying your English communication skills and establishing a track record.
The future is with schools that operate according to international norms, and you will have a head start over those also-rans mentioned above.

[jevons_lee]

hehe~~To begin with,thanks for your appreciation .When it comes to English ,I have to attribute it to my elder brother,who is for study in Canada now .Without him,I can hardly put English into practice ,and chances were I would consider it as what others saw,just as a certificate for one's degree,instead of a tool with which I can communicate with others .In the meanwhile,I am fond of LINUX,one OS like UNIX,you see,and the most difficult problem facing me is that majority of it is written in English,not Chinese,although some have been translated into Chinese.Therefore I do recognize the significance of making use of English ,but not only for study.
Sorry for off the point ,recently the job situation of international economics & trade is not so bad as I imagined,according to our teacher.No matter what happens,I will firmly stick to my plan,NPEE!

[nolefan]

I will second and third just about everybody's comments. My own advice will revolve around mobility.... China is a big, big, big, big land....be open to new ideas and be open to relocate if you want that good job!

Many people complain about a lack of jobs in their country and how they have to go overseas to work ( americans, canadians, french,...) At the same time, their countries complain about the lack of qualified workforce.....

[nomadic]

jevons_lee:

If you're interested in Linux, you could always take a look at "Red Flag Linux" ( http://www.redflag-linux.com, which was created at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and supported by the government.

Also, if you're anywhere near Tianjin are like science, there is the Nankai University Institute for Scientific Computing ( http://www.nku-isc.org ), which probably uses Linux on their large computer systems.

Best wishes,
- nomadic

[Roger]

If I am wrong, please, do correct me: methinks I have read a post by jevons Lee in which he claimed his English is not up to scratch, and that without his Canada-based brother he couldn't possibly post any messages on any English board.
So, why should he care whether there are English teacher jobs out there?