When you are older and go to graduate school, the harder you work, the more anxious you become?
Statistics from the Ministry of Education show that in 2022, the number of applicants for postgraduate entrance examinations nationwide will reach 4.57 million, an increase of 21% over last year and 2.27 times that of five years ago.
The enthusiasm for postgraduate entrance examination continued, and the older graduate students in the team also entered the public eye.
They look forward to changing the status quo through further education, but they are caught in new academic pressure and employment crisis due to their "old age".
Older postgraduate students who are "retrograde" are attracting more attention.
A group of people looking forward to change
Zhang Min, 35, is a mother and a master student in psychology at a normal university.
When working as a full-time mother, Zhang Min passed the national second-level psychological counselor certificate through self-study.
However, getting a certificate does not mean that he can get a job smoothly. In order to become a real psychological counselor, Zhang Min chose to apply for a graduate degree in psychology.
"I graduated from a junior college before, and my lack of education has always been a problem for me." After two failed postgraduate entrance exams, Zhang Min finally succeeded in "going ashore" for the third time, and at the same time became an older graduate student in the class.
Since 2014, the education department has lifted the age limit for postgraduate entrance exams.
As the fever for postgraduate entrance exams continues to heat up, the number of older postgraduates has gradually increased and has increasingly become a visible group.
Statistics from Tsinghua University and Peking University in recent years show that graduate students over the age of 30 account for about 20% of the two universities.
Older postgraduates usually have certain work experience and career foundation, and they hope to pursue a higher development platform with the help of postgraduate qualifications.
Among them, some hope to change industries, and do not hesitate to quit their jobs to take a full-time postgraduate entrance examination; some hope to postpone employment for a few years and review campus life; some have scientific research interests and want to combine their majors with their careers...
"I have gained a lot from graduate school, and it can be said that it changed the trajectory of my life." Tan Jun, who just turned 30, obtained a master's degree in law from Southwest University of Political Science and Law last year.
"After graduating, I found a job that was impossible to find when I graduated from an undergraduate degree, and took a completely different life path from that year." He told Banyuetan reporters that during his postgraduate studies, he developed his hobbies and met many good teachers and friends. The plans for the future are now becoming clearer.
The "swinging" "social clock"
"Do things at any age", some psychologists believe that this social "clock" is affecting many people's choices.
For older graduate students, they seem to have bravely jumped out of the "social clock", but they often face the pressure and anxiety brought about by the "swinging" of the "clock".
- "Hard threshold" troubles employment.
Banyuetan reporter found in the interview that "age discrimination" is a high-frequency word in the mouth of older graduate students.
"The age limit for graduate students has been relaxed, but when it comes to employment, the employer has set the age as a hard threshold." As a "post-85" liberal arts graduate student, whenever Tao Xin sees various recruitment information, "no more than I always feel helpless when it comes to the restrictions of 30 years old" and "under 35 years old".
Zhang Hongchun, director of the Student Career Development and Employment Guidance Center of Chongqing University, said that the age threshold directly limits the employment choices of older graduate students.
Enterprises generally set an age threshold of no more than 28 years old when recruiting; if they choose to take the public examination, some older graduate students will also exceed the selection threshold of 35 years old after completing the 5-year grassroots service period, thus missing more development opportunities. .
- "Invisible pressure" affects academics.
Some college teachers reported that because they have graduated for many years, the professional foundation of some older postgraduates is slightly weak. "Some students have almost forgotten their knowledge, and it is always difficult to carry them.
In recent years, many colleges and universities have implemented strict postgraduate withdrawal systems, and older in-service postgraduates who have not graduated for many years have become the focus of investigation.
"When you are older and go to graduate school, you have a lot of worries." Some of them face the dual pressures of workplace and life and have no time to study, or they are not determined to study for graduate school and gradually give up their studies.
- "Peer anxiety" disturbs the mentality.
An older graduate student said that it is difficult for him to mingle with the "young graduate students" who are entering the school, and he has a difference in identity with the "social people" of the same age. "The roommate is four or five years younger than himself, and he is better than himself. If you enter the school a few years later. , I'm almost the same age as the teacher..."
Song, who has been admitted to graduate school through the "four battles", told Banyuetan reporter that whether she is facing younger graduate students or undergraduate students of the same age, she feels that the pace of life has slowed down several times: "People of this age are already I am the mainstay of my family, but I am still looking for my family for living expenses. When I was in my early 30s, I was still a 'noob' in the workplace, and many of my classmates had already entered the management..." She said that in order to avoid embarrassment, she seldom returned to the postgraduate school. Participate in old school reunions, and contact less and less.
Older graduate students, the future is also promising
"With the development of economy and society and the improvement of education level, it is normal for older postgraduates to gradually increase." Fan Yongfeng, a professor at the Department of Education of Southwest University, believes that education and learning are not "patents" for young people, and are necessary for everyone. .
In an ever-changing society, maintaining a passion for learning is undoubtedly a positive life attitude worth promoting.
Respondents said that the older postgraduate group has also brought some new changes to postgraduate education.
Compared with young people in their early 20s, older graduate students tend to have richer life and work experience, more mature minds, and more certain research directions and life goals.
At the same time, the ups and downs of industries in various fields also challenge people's ability to adapt. Some professionals who have worked for many years want to "recharge" and conduct more in-depth research in a certain field.
Older graduate students who return to campus with goals often bring the results of their studies back to the workplace to help social industries achieve sound development.
Experts suggest that all parties in society should let go of their stereotypes about age and create a more friendly environment for older graduate students.
Cheng Dean, a member of the Chongqing Municipal Political Consultative Conference, believes that various age restrictions for admissions may not only constitute "age discrimination" in employment, but also a waste of human resources.
Cheng De'an appealed that in the context of the gradual fading of the demographic dividend, it is necessary to legislate to prohibit age discrimination in employment, and at the same time introduce and improve supporting systems and measures to promote employment, and create a fairer employment environment to promote "people make the best use of their talents". "People do the best they can".
At the same time, he hopes that older graduate students will actively adjust their mentality, constantly improve themselves, and gain greater initiative in the field of life.
(Tan Jun and Tao Xin are pseudonyms in the text; interns Sun Linyue and Chen Shaolin participated in the writing)
Source: "Ban Yue Tan" Issue 7, 2022
Banyue Talks Reporter: Ke Gaoyang