Chapter 31 Part Four: To study abroad or to bleed

Dear Teacher Xu: On August 31, I saw your true face and tasted your demeanor in Kunming, but I couldn't understand my confusion when I was excited. The study abroad plan that was originally planned to start at the end of this year was also shaken by you. My basic information: Yunnanese, male, 31.5 years old, married and childless. In 1993, he graduated from a telecommunications engineering college, majoring in wired communication, with a bachelor's degree in engineering.Now I am working in a unit with a very strong planned economy and continuous losses in business operations. I am also studying computer application (undergraduate) for the self-examination in colleges and universities, and I am expected to graduate in June next year.

My goal: earn money, buy a car, buy a house, and live a good life. My original idea: First of all, try to get a master's degree in computer science in the United States, work in the United States for 3 to 5 years after graduation, and then consider the issue of returning to China.Secondly, consider working in the coast, studying while working, and not giving up the idea of ​​going abroad. My belief and determination: never give up, never give up, and strive for life. I have two questions: 1. Should I take GRE and TOEFL classes now? 2. How should I choose my future path: leave this former unit with a strong planned economy as soon as possible, or continue to stay here and do the work I don't want to do?

Finally, what I want to say is: Please understand the urgency of a mediocre person who is unwilling to be mediocre.I think, you must be able to understand! Ji Huajin Dear Ji Huajin: Thank you for your letter.I fully understand "the urgency of a mediocre person who is unwilling to be mediocre" and vow to help you.Because in the final analysis, we are all mediocre, including myself.It is only because we are unwilling to be mediocre that we are not mediocre.People who are unwilling to be mediocre, as long as they take action, it is difficult to be mediocre. Mediocre people of the world, unite!

But the serious problem is: the determination not to be mediocre is not enough, there must be a way to get out of mediocrity.When the Titanic sank, everyone wanted to escape, people with sampans were saved, and those who dived with life buoys, although they didn't drown, all froze to death.Their goals are the same, but because of their different methods, the result is life and death, and yin and yang face each other. Sometimes, many people use the wrong methods to pursue the right goals and lose miserably.Giving you the correct method to prevent the tragedy of your struggle is exactly what I want to do for you now.

The analysis of your plan is as follows, I hope you can follow my plan. 1. I do not encourage you to "get to the United States to study for a master's degree in computer science", and even oppose it, maybe strongly.The reason is: the United States is too risky for you. In the early 1990s, the United States was almost the only way for Chinese college students to go abroad.Since ancient times, there has been a road in Huashan. At that time, it may be necessary to fight without fear of risks. A large number of Chinese students went to the United States singing and dancing in this way-although there are more equally outstanding and unwilling to be mediocre who fell on the battlefield of struggle- - They may not be admitted, or their visas may be refused, or their scholarships may be lost.Overwhelmed by the cheers of the winners who flew to the United States, there are more crying losers who are unknown and unapplauded.

Due to the harsh visa system in the United States, there is even such a situation: when students who go to the United States for the pursuit of happiness obtain visas, they often plant the seeds of suffering for the happiness of their families—the spouse’s visa to the United States is refused.Such examples are by no means rare.What I revealed in "Tuqiong Dialogue" is just the tip of the iceberg.Not long ago, a newspaper reported a story about a Ph.D. student studying in the United States, separated from his wife for ten years, struggling on the verge of mental breakdown, divorced, and finally returned from his studies.

I think this struggle story is self-harm, nonsense, an insult to my motherland, self-abuse under the pretense of struggle, and taking the nasty as fun--is China worth all the suffering you have to stay away from?Is the United States worth you giving up so much happiness to stick to it?Abandoning a whole ten years of life to pursue so-called knowledge and academic qualifications, the success you get is no more valuable than those who have completed their studies and established careers in China.This is not studying abroad, this is bleeding (in my smart ABC Chinese pinyin software, studying abroad and bleeding are actually the same pinyin!).

If the sky is loving, the sky is also old, and the Chinese pinyin hides the mystery. To realize the value of life, there are many paths. Do you have to study abroad and study hard?the answer is negative.Do you have to go to America?The answer is - help, it's more dangerous! The risk of studying abroad is something that we at New Oriental have been urging students and readers to be vigilant over the years.I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that appeal.To remind friends who are struggling like you to pay attention to precautions. It is too risky for you to study in the United States.It is because your background is a third-rate university in China, your major is a highly competitive major, and you have lost your competitive advantage among those who study engineering technology at your age, and your freedom of movement is already under the weight of the responsibility of marriage (visiting relatives Visa risk), your English status is definitely not very good (and the improvement of English scores is not accomplished by a beautiful slam dunk, but a marathon).In this case, applying to go to the United States is relatively dangerous.It's hard to get a scholarship, and it's hard to get accepted into a good school.You can definitely get into a regular school, but your visa, your spouse's visa is very difficult.The risk of studying in the United States is related to the huge uncertainty of visas.

Disappointed?Here is the good news too! But you have other options for studying abroad that are less risky. You can go to other countries and the risk will be much lower.These countries include the United Kingdom (one-year master's degree), Australia, New Zealand and Canada.Canada’s student visa does not examine whether you have the tendency to immigrate—she is a country that encourages immigration—but only checks whether your study purpose is clear, whether the funds are in place, and whether the application materials are true—Canada visas are easier to obtain than the United States many.

For you, studying abroad is not about going abroad to pursue high-tech new inventions, but just completing a master's education to improve your employment competitiveness.In other words, your goal of studying abroad is actually just to receive a Western education, so that you can take your education to a higher level.Even a relatively small New Zealand can meet your struggling needs. Going to the above four countries does not require GRE, and TOEFL can also be replaced by IELTS.Not reading GRE, although it is a loss for New Oriental's registration fee, but it is decisive for your struggle.This decision will pull you from the precipice of studying abroad and the dangerous road of Huashan to the flat river, so you can run wildly with your joyful hooves!

2. Do you want to leave your current unit or continue to stay? My answer is also very simple, leave this unit as soon as possible, the sooner the better! Because, in this place where the color of the planned economy is strong, the freedom, space and personal opportunities for young people to struggle are less.For many years, we have preached that individuals must contribute and sacrifice for the country and the collective, but this ideology is increasingly untenable today.Since our tens of thousands of state-owned enterprises that condense too much and do not represent advanced culture and productivity are facing systemic losses and bankruptcy, why should the most advanced young intellectuals in society sacrifice their best interests in life to pay for them?Since the socialist market economy is the direction of China's future development stipulated in the Chinese Constitution, the marketization and free circulation of "talent", the core factor of the market economy, represents the direction and trend of young people's life development. It is in your personal best interest, it is best in your family's interest, and it is best in your society's interest to leave this place.Only by satisfying the development needs of each individual to the greatest extent can the Chinese nation develop the whole nation. The topic is a bit heavy for my liking.However, during the two sessions in 2003, Xinhua News Agency reported that Qi Faren, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the chief designer of China's "Shenzhou" series of spacecraft, made a major criticism of the institutional problems in state institutions.This report is not long, and the full text is reproduced as follows: (Xinhua Net, Beijing, March 11, by Jiang Guocheng) Although the treatment of intellectuals in state institutions has improved significantly in recent years, there is still a market for the "official standard" phenomenon that has existed for many years, and some young technical backbones cannot concentrate on their work. Research and development work. The scientist who once served as the president of the China Academy of Space Technology and the commander-in-chief of the manned spacecraft system said with emotion that the phenomenon of "official standard" affects the enthusiasm of many intellectuals to serve the country and affects the stability of the scientific research team. He said that five or six years ago, intellectuals were paid less, which affected some scientific researchers to concentrate on research. Just like the society at that time, some of their technical backbones also asked to go to foreign companies, go abroad, or leave national projects to engage in civilian products. "Now, the situation in the country is better, and our treatment has been improved, but a new situation has emerged. Some people are more willing to go to the management department. Why should they go to the management department, because it is the official position that makes trouble." He believes, "Officials The standard has affected the stability of the front-line professional and technical backbone team, and we must pay attention to it. Otherwise, after a few years, our manufacturing industry will have to introduce foreign retired technicians to make up for the gap, which will affect our country's scientific and technological undertakings." He suggested The state has established an incentive mechanism to encourage young backbones engaged in professional and technical work to be able to concentrate on working in the frontline grassroots positions for 10, 20, or even a lifetime.Give them corresponding treatment and honors according to their performance.As long as professional and technical personnel do a good job and make outstanding contributions, their income can reach or exceed that of directors, deans, and ministers.Only in this way can they produce results. From this report, we can see that the so-called official standard actually systematically promotes a value orientation that is contrary to advanced culture.It is not difficult to learn the Three Represents, but it is difficult to implement them in all walks of life and fields! When honor and duty call (patriotism, I hear, runs in your blood and mine), we will not hesitate to give up all personal interests, including life.However, when the official position and the old system call out the soul, we are more responsible to choose the future, the advanced, the freedom, and the interests in the name of national rejuvenation and social development! When the offerings fled from the altar one after another, in fact, the temple would wake up in the music... A little off topic.But the reason why I want to clarify this issue here is because, as far as the talent market and opportunities are concerned, young people in China today are facing a very special situation and need to make a very conscious choice. This is an era in which multiple systems coexist, various opportunities are advancing side by side, talent values ​​are unequal, talent profits are not equal, interest protection is not balanced, regional differences, unit differences, and system differences are rampant. In this era, the requirements for talents have brought unprecedented challenges.Choose and be chosen, lead and lag, challenge and accept, leave or stay, "exist or die", to be, or not to be... 3. Future planning If you are not used to the culture and system of this unit, I suggest you leave.Regarding the system, I have a golden word here: you either adapt to it, use it, and surpass it; you can either leave it, forget it, or quit it... At the cauldron of fate, we will either be hammers or we will be anvils... That's not what I said.This is what Goethe said.Be a hammer, and you can strike the anvil with clang and order; be an anvil, and you can meet the hammer calmly and sincerely.The only thing you can't do is that hapless lump in the middle who accepts the dastardly barter of hammer and anvil... So, your future should be: 1. If you stay, try to do your job well, and pursue the maximum value recognized by the system within the value system of this system.As long as you recognize it, it will recognize you.Be a system insider like a fish in water.I don't know that there was Han, let alone Wei and Jin, and it was possible to cultivate fields in Taohuayuan. 2. If you don't want to do this, leave as soon as possible, and pursue the greatest value you think within the value system outside the system.Choice requires vision; choice requires courage to act! 3. Between the domestic postgraduate entrance examination and the master's degree abroad, I encourage you to study abroad.Because domestic tuition fees may be relatively low, but the postgraduate entrance examination also requires a huge time cost; at the same time, the problem of the postgraduate entrance examination is: for a mature professional like you, the purpose of continuing education is not to make a living, but to improve.From employment competitiveness to industry leadership improvement.Going abroad will definitely satisfy your pursuit better than taking the postgraduate entrance examination. 4. To study abroad, do not go to the United States.Pass the IELTS test and consider going to a country with lower tuition fees in the Commonwealth of Nations to study for a one-year master's degree to complete your dream of Western education.At the same time, let the episode of going abroad, which is like everyone will get measles, end.No more tormenting you. 5. Find a job after a master's degree, regardless of domestic or foreign.Working abroad, you are the overseas assets of the Chinese nation, earn more money and send it to your mother, the motherland.When you return to work in China, you are the most advanced productive force in Chinese society. Work hard, and while changing your own destiny and creating your own future, you are actually changing and creating the destiny and future of Chinese society. congratulations! Xu Xiaoping