Graduation blues

Ge Donghua looks tired. With a tough job market at the year-end it will be a tough Spring Festival.

葛东华（音译）看上去十分疲惫。年末就业市场的不景气，注定这个春节也不会好过了。

“Looking for a job is exhausting,” said the fresh graduate from Beijing University of Technology. “We have to condescend ourselves to giving up on ideal posts and accepting average jobs. It’s depressing.”

今年刚刚从北京科技大学毕业的葛东华说：“找工作真的让人筋疲力尽，我们不得不屈从显示，放弃那些理想的工作，接受那些平淡无奇的职位，这太让人沮丧了。”

Ge’s graduation blues is shared by the majority of his peers, according to the 2013 Blue Book of China’s Society released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). The report indicates that 70 percent of college graduates see themselves at the mid-lower or lower level in the social stratification.

由中国社科院（简称CASS）发布的2013年《中国社会蓝皮书》显示，葛东华与大多数同龄人可谓同病相怜，纷纷遭遇毕业低谷。该报告显示，七成大学毕业生自认处于社会的中低层或者底层。

With a growing number of college graduates considering themselves to belong to the lower levels of society, experts suggest that students lower their expectations of the job market.

面对自认处于社会低层的大学毕业生人数的增加，专家们建议大学生们应该降低对就业市场的期望值。

As the 2010 Report on Chinese College Graduate Job Pressure, released by CASS, shows, 18 percent of graduates would accept unpaid employment, compared with only 1.58 percent in 2006.

由中国社科院发布的“2010中国大学毕业生就业压力报告”显示，18%的大学毕业生愿意接受零月薪，而2006年的同期数字仅为1.58%。

“The once high-flying college graduates are now accepting the fact that they are not as rare as their predecessors decades ago,” commented South Metropolitan Daily last week.

上周《南方都市报》有评论指出：“这些曾经一腔雄心壮志的大学毕业生们正在接受一个现实，那就是他们不再像几十年前的大学生那样稀缺了。”

Experts say that the expansion of university enrolment since 1999 significantly increased university output while society’s ability to absorb such a great number of graduates has not been fully developed.

专家认为，自1999年各高校实行扩招后，大学毕业生数量急剧增加，然而社会并没有足够的能力来吸收这么多大学毕业生。

Hu Ruiwen, from the Shanghai Academy of Educational Sciences, said that graduates positioning themselves at the lower levels of society is a reflection of the current market demand for college graduates.

来自上海市教育科学研究院的胡瑞文（音译）表示，毕业生将自身定位成社会底层，这也反映出当今市场对于大学生毕业生的需求。

Hu thinks it is inevitable that college graduates face a tough market, with the country’s university education having been transformed from elite education to popular one.

胡瑞文认为，随着中国大学教育由精英教育转向大众教育，大学毕业生面临的就业难题是不可避免的。

“To some extent, universities now shoulder part of the responsibility to produce an educated workforce, rather than just academic talents,” said Hu.

胡瑞文说：“从某种程度上讲，各高校如今必须担负一部分责任，输出受过良好教育的劳动力，而不仅仅是培养学术人才。”

According to a report by the National Institute of Education Sciences, domestic demand for academic personnel from research institutions and universities is about 100,000 per year.

由中国教育科学研究院发布的一份报告显示，我国对于从研究机构以及高校中走出的学术型人才的年需求量约为十万人。

“But there are over half a million postgraduate students entering a job market,” said Hu. “It’s easy to feel disillusioned when one’s expectations meet reality.”

胡瑞文表示：“而每年有超过五十万的研究生进入就业市场。当个人的期望遭遇现实时，很容易产生幻灭感。”

Wang Feng, from the National Center of Education Development Research, agrees. Wang thinks that China’s higher education is now facing a dilemma. It is caught between professional and academic education.

对此来自国家教育发展研究中心的王峰（音译）表示赞同。他认为中国的高等教育正面临着一个困境，夹在职业教育与学术教育之间进退两难。

“The country now needs a great number of well-educated workers to serve its expanding industrial and technological ambitions,” said Wang.

王峰认为：“为了让工业与科技高速腾飞，我国现如今对于受教育工种的需求量很大。”

“At the same time, the education model retains its traditional, even outdated approach, meaning graduates struggle in a market that emphasizes professional skills.”

“与此同时，教育模式却仍停留在传统甚至是有些过时的水平，这意味着，大学毕业生们在一个看重职业技能的就业市场里苦苦挣扎。”