Employment Status and Countermeasures for College Students (Discussing the Employment Situation of College Students Under the Pandemic)

“I graduated and became unemployed” – this was a phrase I had heard even before I entered college. At the time, I didn’t understand how leaving school could lead to unemployment. I thought I would definitely find a good job and start my career. But when I became the “person involved,” I realized it really was “graduation means unemployment.”

1. Employment Status

I originally majored in civil engineering, a department dominated by boys, but as a girl, I refused to believe that gender would hold me back. I thought women could also establish themselves in engineering—gender discrimination didn’t exist!

After completing my courses at school, I began my internship. As a graduate from a specialized college, my job search was anything but smooth—it was full of ups and downs! Most employers now have recruitment conditions such as “relevant work experience,” or they hire interns with extremely low salaries and poor benefits. I considered working on a construction site, but was rejected because I am a woman. Of course, I also thought about choosing to be a small intern, but just out of school, without a stable place to live, no savings, and facing repeated rejections in interviews… all these external factors made my initial determination vanish. Sometimes I even wondered, why did I choose to study engineering? Why didn’t I choose education?…

After leaving school, the ambitious spirit I once had turned to ashes, crushed by harsh reality… In the end, I chose a job that could support myself, doing平庸而无为 (mediocre and unremarkable) tasks. Work was just a means to get off work; every day was a two-point一线 (two-point line), and seeing the future felt悲哀 (tragic).

I changed many jobs, traveled to many cities, met many different people, experienced many helpless situations, and also left behind many memories…

Actually, now that I calm down and think about it, if I had chosen to start from the basics back then, earning a salary that could barely make ends meet, slowly learning, step by step delving deeper, things would probably be different now.

Most of the time, we let external factors affect our future. I hope that those of you reading this article can strengthen your hearts, start from within, remain consistent, and the path ahead will surely be bright!

This article discusses the employment challenges faced by college students, particularly under the influence of the pandemic, and reflects on personal experiences and lessons learned in the job market.