Which kind of professional vocational field is most ideal? Why would employment-seeking specialized professionals get the red light? And how should colleges and universities set up their departments for specialized study? In 2010, the Yangtze River Delta Student Employment, Entrepreneurship and Higher Education Professional Advance Preparation Seminar convened at Wenzhou University. At this seminar, there were about 30 college and university administrators of inter-related fields from six eastern Chinese provinces. They came to spread information about the job market regarding the study of specialized fields.

Surprising Results

The seminar published an investigative report that describes the employment situation for university graduates for the years 2006 to 2009; this includes university undergraduates and the statistics of high employment positions for every type of vocation, as well as the number of unemployed. The study found that engineering was the main course of specialized vocation for undergraduate students, and that management was the discipline that had the highest number of employed professionals. Furthermore, it found that amongst top professionals, surveyors who work in the development of natural resources are in high demand. Professionals working in the textile, food products, shipping and transportation industries, as well as engineers, are also in great need by society, and have the brightest prospects in terms of employment. 

However, what may be unanticipated – and even astonishing – to some, is that specialized university undergraduate majors in French, English, medicine, economics and international economics and trade have all been given the “red light” in terms of employment, and are at the bottom of the rankings in terms of unemployment. This is in addition to the fields of computer science and technology, art and design, business administration, accounting and electronic information engineering. The number of unemployed six months after graduation for these ten specialized fields is the highest at 103,800 people, making up a third of the total number of unemployed university graduates.

Searching for answers

Why is it then that these ten specialized fields are considered “in demand,” even as those seeking employment still encounter the “cold shoulder”? Experts think that different vocations have different reasons. The main reason why the threshold for study of French and medicine is so high is because, at the undergraduate level, this education has just begun, so students are not yet qualified. Therefore, these graduates will encounter “difficult employment.” Also, the specialized fields of English, economics, international economics and trade all have a high unemployment rate amongst graduates, because only in recent years have colleges and universities opened up these departments all over the country. As a result, the enrollment for these departments has become disordered, creating a talent market in which the supply does not exceed the demand for specialized personnel. This disordered enrollment is set to saturate the market with too many specialized professionals within a short period of time.

Experts propose that an analysis of the specialized field employment environment should be carried out to help students understand the culture of the professional workplace. It is understood that for these specialized professionals who have stopped working after having found a job within six months of graduating, 84% of them will have voluntarily resigned, while only 6% will have been dismissed by the company or organization. It is for this reason that the majority of university students are deemed to have low work stability, and are indeed too ambitious in reaching for what is beyond their grasp. Therefore, college and university education should encourage students to make more accurate registration choices, assisting with career planning and promoting the adaptive capabilities of the students.

Experts remind students and parents that when selecting a major they should not blindly choose what is most “in demand.” Instead, they should understand the conditions and employment requirements of the vocation they are interested in and combine this knowledge with their own personal interests, hobbies and specialties in order to come up with a rational decision.
 

Source: edu.ifeng.com
 

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