Chinese academic Ding Yuanzhao (丁遠昭), who holds degrees from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Oxford University and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, became unemployed after a Singaporean university decided not to renew his postdoctoral fellowship last year. After losing his job, Ding became a delivery worker. His story has sparked discussions about the relationship between academic qualifications and career choices.
In a video posted on his Weixin account, Ding encouraged senior-high school students to remain calm and not fret about their grades, because everyone would be doing the same job in the future anyway.
Indeed, academic qualifications do not equate to the kind of job one would be able to find, and their approach to life can be the biggest determining factor of the heights they would be able to achieve. Therefore, we should not obsess over academic degrees.
Consider the educational background of many tycoons in China and Taiwan. A Hon Hai Precision Industry Co engineer once asked founder Terry Gou (郭台銘): “Why am I working so hard that my liver bursts, while you are the richest man in Taiwan?”
Gou answered: “First, when I founded Hon Hai about 30 years ago, I gambled everything on my business. It was all or nothing. However, you simply sent out dozens of resumes and then came to work for this company, and can leave any time you want. The difference between us is entrepreneurship versus employment.”
“Second, I chose to enter the market from the connector sector at the beginning and eventually cooperated with Apple after judging that it was the correct decision. Meanwhile, you work in your department, because you are assigned there in accordance with your education and exam results. The difference between us is making decisions versus having decisions made for you,” Gou said.
“Third, I think about how to make profits 24/7, and my decisions could affect the livelihood of tens of thousands of families and the interests of hundreds of thousands of shareholders. You only need to think about when to get off work and taking care of your own family. The difference between us is heavy responsibility versus light responsibility,” he said.
Gou is a graduate of China Maritime College, which was a junior college back then, but he has become one of Taiwan’s richest men. The key lies in his attitude. His willingness to take risks and his excellent business foresight are the main reasons for his success.
Today, more than 90 percent of graduates from top universities in Taiwan work as office workers or school teachers. Most graduates hope to get a job with more money, less work and closer to home. In reality, things often turn out contrary to their wishes, because it is not just big company employees who are under great pressure in the workplace, top school teachers are, too. After all, business performance and teacher promotions can be competitive.
One’s education is not equal to one’s job, and attitude is ultimately the key to success. Stop spending big money on going to “cram schools” just to get into a top university.
Teng Hon-yuan is a university professor.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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