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Text/Tang Yahua, Wang Minwan, Li Qiuhan, Zou Shuai
Source: Shenran (ID: shenrancaijing)
Shenrancaijing Original
The annual college entrance examination has come to an end, and the next step is to assign points and fill in the college entrance examination volunteers.
Until now, the college entrance examination is still one of the most important exams in many people’s life. What matters is not just the test scores, but which university you can go to, what major you want to study, and your future life path.
The score cannot be changed, but the choice of major is in your own hands. There was once a message from a bigwig in the venture capital circle, “students after the college entrance examination”, if you choose your choice after the test, don’t be hasty, and don’t let others make the decision for you. The regret of “choosing the wrong major” among college students is more than “not doing well in the test”. regret.
In the early years, a survey jointly launched by the China Youth Daily Social Research Center and Sohu found that 67.0% of the respondents did not know their chosen major when applying for volunteers. 71.2% of the respondents said that if possible, they would like to choose a major again.
However, “the mountains are heavy and the water is doubtful and there is no way, and the willows are dark and flowers are bright in another village”, so is the road of life. Some people, after choosing the wrong major, successfully achieved a counterattack with their own efforts.
Shen Ran chatted with five such professionals. Some of them followed the advice of their parents to choose a popular major in finance, but it was not only difficult, but they also didn’t like it. Millions; some enrolled in the popular computer science major, but only when they arrived at the university did they realize that it was not suitable for them, so they chose to extend from this major and transition to a product manager to achieve a successful career breakthrough.
Some of them did not perform well in the college entrance examination, went to three schools, and were transferred to psychology that they did not understand. In the ideal broadcasting and hosting major, he “saved the country” from the beginning of college, and spent three years after graduation to gain a firm foothold in his favorite industry; some went to “general” schools and studied “general” majors. A salary of 1680 yuan, two active transformations, and self-employment.
I hope that their experience of taking the initiative to change and strive for opportunities can inspire you. The following is their story.
01 I listened to my parents and read the financial courses, and I kept failing.
Transforming the Internet to catch up with a good time
Feifei | 35-year-old Internet practitioner in Beijing
I took the college entrance examination in 2004 and scored 577 points, just 2 points higher than our provincial first-line. At that time, I had no concept of majors. After inquiring about my father, he helped me choose a major in finance. In the end, I went to Nanjing University of Finance and Economics majoring in financial engineering.
It was only after entering the university that I realized that this major requires a strong mathematical foundation. In foreign countries, it is usually only after a graduate student. At that time, only a few universities in China offered this major. A classmate in our dormitory said that before he came to his home, he thought that this major was to repair bank ATM machines and other equipment.
I am a liberal arts student, but we have to learn mathematical analysis, and we have to analyze mathematics textbooks. I can imagine the pain at that time. On the one hand, it is difficult to learn majors, and on the other hand, I am really not interested. I don’t know what I can do with so many math courses in the future, which also led me to fail some courses.
In the middle, I thought about changing majors. At that time, the school’s rule was that only the top students in the major could be transferred. I think it is very unreasonable. If I can get the top few in the exam, do I need to change my major? In the end, I decided to take the postgraduate entrance examination. From the third year of my junior year, I went to the next university to attend a lecture, and wanted to take the postgraduate entrance examination of the journalism department. But due to various factors, it failed in the end.
Fortunately, I passed the make-up exam for the subjects I failed in the end, and successfully obtained the graduation certificate and degree certificate. But after graduating, I was interviewed for bank related jobs and basically failed. In desperation, I was introduced to Ali by my classmates to do operations and international business, because I have always learned English very well.
What I do after work has nothing to do with my major, but in the process of managing the team later, I realized that some statistical principles can help me observe the work of salespeople more scientifically.
After working for 7 years, I became a middle-level manager in an Internet company and achieved an annual salary of one million. Looking back, the first reason must be because I caught up with the industry dividend. When the Internet was in a period of rapid growth, my salary basically rose by 50% every year. The second reason was luck. The company I went to, The department I entered, the boss I met, I think there was a factor of luck. When I left Ali, I got all the offers from leading Internet companies. Third, it was my persistence. I would insist on improving my professional level, reading, making friends, and accumulating contacts.
As for choosing a major in college, I think students should take it as their own business. For example, my dad’s choice is not wrong. The major he chose for me is also very good, but it does not match my ability model.
In addition, most students actually need to be guided and educated when choosing a major. Schools should organize students to visit companies and factories to learn about them, or students should consult their teachers to see if there are seniors in the corresponding industry, and simply communicate with them, so that they can have a more intuitive perception.
02 During the internship, I found that typing the code was too painful,
Preparing for the transition from sophomore year
Camery | 30 years old Shenzhen Internet industry practitioner
I took the college entrance examination in 2011, and the score of the college entrance examination was about 30 to 40 points higher than that of the primary school. University, the admission major is computer-related network security major, which was also relatively popular at that time.
However, after entering university, I realized that this major may not be suitable for me. We have to study 7 mathematics courses in our major. I have a lot of hard work and a lot of pressure. In order not to fail the course, I spend most of my time studying except for internships and jobs.
When I did my first internship, I really realized that this major was not for me. At that time, I was a sophomore in sophomore year, and I found an internship in a technical position that matched the profession. During the internship, I felt that the work of typing code was very painful, and I also knew that it was not advantageous to do a technical position by myself.
After this internship, I started thinking about “changing careers”. My idea is that “changing careers” doesn’t mean staying away from this major, it can be extended from this major. Since I can’t get a technical position for the major, can I go to a non-technical position related to the major? In the end, I found the direction of product manager, which can give full play to my professional strength without typing code.
Next, I looked for various materials related to product managers on the Internet to learn, and the internship was also related to product managers. After graduation, I became a product manager.
My career plan is to understand the overall situation of the industry in 1-2 years, understand how to control specific businesses in 3-4 years, slowly approach the direction of experts in 5-6 years, and work in some vertical fields in 7-8 years Become a product expert. In the past few years, I have also followed this path. In order to improve my core competitiveness, I also resigned from the University of Hong Kong to study for a master’s degree in a work-related major.
I have been deeply involved in the Internet industry for many years. When I first graduated, my monthly salary was only 5K. By last year, six years after graduating from college, my salary plus stock, the first time I got more than 1 million after tax, and I currently manage a team of 70-80 people.
In retrospect, I think that I have come this far because I dared to admit my shortcomings. For example, my logical thinking in mathematics may be weak, but I can adjust the course in time, find a direction that suits me, and keep learning and improving.
How should I choose a major after the college entrance examination? I am an intern in our company and an interviewer on the second and third sides of the social recruitment. Every year, I come into contact with tens of thousands of resumes. I also give some fresh graduates job-seeking planning guidance. To choose a major for a good job, you must first understand the industry that will develop well in the next ten years in the market, and then choose a related major. Secondly, it is best to choose a relatively popular major, and on the basis of employment, find a combination point with your own interests.
03 Switched from psychology to cross-border e-commerce,
Entering the workplace is the most important thing to keep learning
Sister Huier | 34 years old, Chengdu, cross-border e-commerce
I took the college entrance examination in 2007. Because of the abnormal performance of the test, I only went to one three colleges.
When filling in the application, I did not have any professional counseling, and filled in the application completely based on the literal meaning of the professional name. At that time, my first choice was related to management, and my second choice was English. Unexpectedly, I was transferred to psychology. When I received the admission letter, I thought it was a liberal arts major, but after I enrolled, I found out that it was actually a science major.
After going to college, I quickly adjusted my mentality and began to study hard, but I was also sure that I would not be engaged in psychology-related work in the future. So when I was in college, I paid more attention to practice, I participated in various activities, and wanted to enter the society as soon as possible to make money.
When I was about to graduate, I went to a Fortune 500 foreign company to do a data analysis internship. In my opinion at the time, it was already a very good job. In order to stay, I go back from get off work every night and study for two or three hours. My superiors saw me as being honest, hard-working, and reliable. I originally graduated in June, but they sent me an offer in April. Every salary increase in this company is based on the maximum salary increase.
However, after working in this company for three years, I have always had a voice in my mind that I must come out and see the outside world. So, I chose to quit my job as a travel consultant. For the next three years, I spent most of my time traveling, going to more than a dozen countries. Although I didn’t make a lot of money, I met a lot of people and accumulated a lot of customers.
In 2016, I thought that doing travel consulting was not a long-term solution. When I was considering transformation, I learned that cross-border e-commerce was very popular, and I joined a cross-border e-commerce platform without hesitation.
To be honest, I didn’t understand this industry at all when I joined, and I needed to learn from the beginning to the end, to understand the platform, the business model, and the knowledge of product brands. I don’t wear makeup before, I don’t know anything about the products they sell, and I often go to my clients for advice.
However, with the storage of early customer resources, in the first year of cross-border e-commerce, the annual income was more than 100,000. In 2018, the company promoted me as the deputy general manager of marketing, enjoying more rights and interests. At the same time, I also encountered the platform growth period, and the annual income reached the level of one million. During the peak revenue period, my monthly commission can be up to 22W, and the team’s sales in one day can reach 4 million. Of course, the epidemic has a great impact on our industry, and the current income has basically halved, but I am still optimistic about the prospects of this industry in the future.
Looking back now, in fact, choosing a major in college only accounts for a relatively small part of my life, and I am very open to it myself. Entering the workplace, it is more important to keep learning and keep thinking.
04 Missed the broadcast host but read marketing,
After graduating, spend three years “curve to save the country”
Luoluo | 27 years old, Beijing Film and Television Industry Practitioner
I took the college entrance examination in 2013. When I was in high school, I wanted to take the art exam, learn broadcasting and hosting, and want to work in the film and television industry, but my family always disagreed. I live in a small fifth-tier city. When I was taking the college entrance examination, I thought, I must go to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai to see the world and broaden my horizons.
When I filled out the voluntary program, based on my scores, I quickly settled on a school in Shanghai. The first major was journalism, at least it was related to the industry I wanted to do, but later I was transferred to marketing.
Without thinking about the major I wanted to study, I quickly made it clear that I wanted to “save the country from the curve”, develop my personal skills in college, and do things that would help my future work. So when I was in college, I had a very full line every day, I would do a lot of part-time jobs, and I participated in many activities. I also volunteered at the Shanghai F1 racing competition, and participated in entrepreneurial competitions on campus.
The “curve to save the nation” is a long road.
There was an opportunity. During the summer vacation of my sophomore year, my friend and I went to Beijing to start a business and started an advertising company. I didn’t think too much about it at the time, so I regarded it as an internship experience, but because of this I met a screenwriter in the film and television industry. After he knew about my entrepreneurial experience, he admired me very much, and we kept in touch after returning to Shanghai. Later, he planned to do a film and television project by himself, and wanted me to be his production assistant. I readily agreed, and that experience has grown me a lot.
In 2017, after graduating, I came to Beijing to look for a job, but because my undergraduate major did not match, I searched for more than two months, but still could not find a job related to film and television.
The cost of living in Beijing is high. I recognized the reality and went to a company to be the assistant to the president. Half a year later, I resigned. At that time, I saw an opportunity on the Internet to participate in an online film festival as a project partner. It was not a stable job, but I still chose to go.
This experience has helped me a lot, I have met many people in the industry, agents, actors, directors, screenwriters, and accumulated some contacts in the industry. When the project was about to end, the boss of a film and television company I had interviewed with took the initiative to find me, and I got a business job.
I have been with this company for two years. With the development of this company, I also got some opportunities to do projects. Later, I focused on film and television production, and received some third-party services from film and television companies. In 2019, I also independently took over a project for the company, I made a movie, and it was quite a sense of accomplishment at the time.
Later, the film and television industry was hit, and I switched to an e-commerce company and then a new media marketing company. I have a job with a good salary. At the same time, I also take on some projects, as a life producer and co-producer. .
It took me three years or so to gain a foothold in the industry. Without studying the counterpart major, I feel that the reason why I can get to this point is that firstly, I have done something practically and seriously, which is a key factor to be supported and recognized by others, and the second is because I can toss when I just graduated.
In the process of applying for a job, you may not be able to achieve your goals at this stage, but you can’t be discouraged, you have to fight for the opportunity yourself.
05 Go to college to “fish”, enter the workplace and hang out,
Start a business after two transformations
Maggie LIU | Shanghai 33 years old
Manager of Magic Maggie Vintage&Coffe
I took the college entrance examination in 2006. At that time, my college entrance examination score was 20 points higher than the first grade, which was not ideal compared to my normal level.
I am a liberal arts student, and the schools I can choose from are relatively limited. In the end, I took one grade and went to two schools in Hangzhou, majoring in tourism management. Throughout the university, I had failed courses and retakes. Even when I finally graduated, I had to issue a dissertation to make up credits to get my degree certificate, and I did not pass CET 6.
I am the kind of person who “would rather be a phoenix’s tail than a chicken’s head”. Looking back now, I went to a normal school and read a normal major in college, which made it hard for me to get motivated. After entering the workplace, I showed a completely different state from when I was in school. I chose challenging jobs all the way, and I worked hard to enter a very good company at the time, until I started my own business in 2017.
In the first two jobs, I was doing hotel management-related work, which was regarded as a professional counterpart. In the last semester of my senior year, the counselor offered a position as a personnel assistant in a five-star hotel in Hangzhou. We had more than 20 people submit resumes together. After the final interview, I was recommended for a better position. Assistant to the Marketing Director. At that time, the counselor said that among all of us, only I took the initiative to ask him what the specific requirements of the position were after seeing the job opening information.
This opened a door in my career path. In all subsequent job applications, I will read the job description very carefully to understand the background of the company, and I will first judge whether I meet the requirements of the other party.
For example, when I switched from the hotel industry to the real estate industry, the company I wanted to work for was a top ten real estate group in the country. With my zero background and education, it was a dream to apply for a job. At that time, I prepared my resume very carefully, and I also prepared 30 English questions that may be asked in the interview. Later, when there was no offer notification, I also made a SWOT (an analysis method) for myself, comprehensively analyzed my advantages, and sent it to the company. Finally got this opportunity.
Entering real estate is a big turning point. In my last hotel job, I learned that the salary for being in management is not very good, and that was the moment when I decided to leave the hotel industry. That leader is my benchmark, and I can only get such a small salary to achieve that position, which makes me lose confidence in the treatment space of this industry.
Under the circumstances of average family conditions and general educational background, my first job was in a hotel, and I earned 1,680 yuan a month, then I earned 4,650 yuan a month in a real estate company, and it only rose to more than 6,000 yuan two years later. Later, after I got an opportunity to work abroad, my annual salary increased to 400,000 in 2015. In 2017, I started my own business, and now I am a luxury store, and the economic situation is gradually improving.
Now I still read books on economics, including college textbooks. I especially regret that I didn’t study hard in college. If I read those textbooks carefully, I might be more comfortable with starting a business now. I want to tell young people who think they have chosen the wrong major that textbooks have a reason for them to become textbooks, and that there are many things that can be learned in any major.
Even if you graduate from a major you don’t like, life is not a final word. In the first few years of work, the most important thing is to accumulate contacts and experience, not money. Because when you accumulate to a certain level, money will come naturally. The starting point is not the most important, because this society is not closed, you will definitely have contact with people, no matter how low your starting point is, you will encounter many new opportunities in the process. Many nobles may be unexpected to you.
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