考研之惑:梦想照不进现实 Postgraduate struggle

The number of students enrolled in higher education across the country has been continually on the rise. Last year, 584,000 postgraduate students enrolled in universities nationwide – more than as much as a decade ago.

全国高等教育入学学生数量呈持续增长趋势。去年，全国高校硕士研究生招生人数达到58.4万人，大大超过十年前。

Last month also sees a record high of 1.8 million students taking part in the examinations for postgraduate entry.

上个月，全国硕士研究生报名人数达180万左右，再创新高。

But media headlines in recent years have repeatedly focused on the grim job prospects for postgraduates.

而近年来，有关研究生就业前景黯淡的资讯不断见诸报端。

Life seems to be getting harder for postgraduate students. Not long ago, a master’s degree was more or less a passport to a high-flying job. But in today’s more competitive market, it’s another story entirely.

研究生们的日子似乎越来越难。不久之前，硕士学位或多或少还是拿到金领职位的通行证。但在当今竞争日益激烈的人才市场中，早已今非昔比了。

In a survey conducted by the Graduate School of Education, Peking University and other agencies, since 2009 the employment rate of postgraduates has been lower than undergraduates for three consecutive years, according to the Voice of China.

据中国之声广播报道称，由北京大学教育学院等机构联合发起的一项调查显示，自2009年以来，研究生就业率已连续三年低于本科生。

“Employers nowadays are looking for qualities beyond knowledge and technical expertise. They want ‘softer skills’ including communication, teamwork and initiative,” said Li Mu, a HR consultant at 51job.com, a leading recruitment website.

“用人单位现在更多地关注求职者学术知识及专业技术之外的才能。他们看重的是包括沟通能力、团队协作和创造力等‘软实力’。”来自前程无忧网的人力资源顾问李沐（音译）表示。

“Postgraduates should pay more attention to their skills outside of academia when they hunt for jobs.”

“研究生在求职时应更多的关注自己学术水平之外的能力。”

Zheng Pubo, 25, studied social anthropology at Shanghai University. Although he obtained his master’s degree one and a half years ago, he’s currently working as an operator at a call center of China Merchant’s Bank in Shenzhen. He described his job as “soul-destroying”.

25岁的郑普波（音译）就读于上海大学社会人类学专业，虽然他一年半之前就拿到了硕士学位，但现在他却只是招商银行深圳某话务中心的一名接线员。在他看来，这份工作“十分枯燥乏味”。

“I tried applying for academic positions in universities, said Zheng, “but the feedback indicated that they wanted the applicants to be ‘research active’, which basically means having a dozen publications and well-defined research interests.”

“我试着申请过一些大学里的教师职位，”郑普波说，“但得到的反馈表明他们希望申请者‘在科研领域表现活跃’，也就是说，起码得发表过多篇文章并有明确的研究方向。”

Zheng found his skills of little value outside the academic bubble. Employers often say that he’s overqualified or lacks experience in commercial activities. Eventually, he became completely disheartened.

郑普波发现，他的专业知识出了自己幻想的学术圈外就基本没什么用了。用人单位总是说他学历过高或缺乏从事商业实践的经验。最终，他心灰意冷。

Education and HR experts say that this kind of dilemma is caused by a lack of career planning.

对此，教育学者以及人力资源专家们表示，造成这种困境的原因是缺乏职业规划。

“Before you decide to attend a certain postgraduate course, the main thing that you need to know is what you want to do and research, and how the course will benefit you,” said Shen Changyu, president of the Graduate School at Dalian University of Technology.

“在决定攻读研究生之前，首先要了解的就是你到底想要做什么，想从事哪方面的研究，以及这些课程会给你带来什么益处。”大连理工大学研究生院院长申长雨说。

“There is no point in doing a course that will not help you land the jobs that you genuinely want to do,” he added.

他补充说：“攻读一些不能帮你找到自己心仪工作的研究生专业是毫无意义的。”

Postgraduates tend to have very high expectations regarding salary and benefits. In Beijing, the current average monthly salary for a college graduate is 2,000 to 3,000 yuan. But most postgraduates’ expectations are much higher than that.

研究生往往会对薪金和福利期望甚高。在北京，大学毕业生目前的平均月收入为2000至3000元。但大多数研究生的预期远高于此。

“I am hoping for at least 6,000 yuan a month with a Beijing hukou. Otherwise, my time and money that went into my study will be wasted,” said Li Ji, 25, a postgraduate majoring in accounting at the Central University of Finance and Economics.

“我希望至少6000元月薪并有北京户口，否则，我读研花的时间和金钱就白费了。”来自中央财经大学会计专业的研究生、25岁的李绩（音译）如是说。

Faced with such demanding expectations, many employers have shown a lack of interest.

面对如此高的期望值，不少用人单位兴味索然。

But it’s important to get a foot in the door. “Gain some work experience first, which can help you understand the working world. Lower your expectations and bolster your confidence,” said Chen Yongli, a teacher at the Career Center of Peking University.

不过，先入行并站稳脚跟还是很关键的。“先去积累一些工作经验，这有助于你更好地融入职场。降低期望值，同时增强自信。”来自北京大学就业指导中心的陈永利老师说。