Why some Chinese students are skipping elite universities amid job market fears
'Good schools had too many applicants for this major, so I had to choose a lower-ranked one to pursue it,' Lu said.
The results for the exam, better known as
the gaokao , have been released over the past two weeks – marking a life-changing moment for students like Lu.
Now more than ever, students are opting for majors with strong job prospects over prestigious universities. A focus on immediate employability and job security is eclipsing long-term aspirations and personal interests.
Driving this trend is a growing
oversupply of college graduates , intensifying competition in the job market amid a challenging economic climate.
Computer science has long been a highly popular major, Lu said, but the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) – widely expected to create new job opportunities – has fuelled even greater demand over the past couple of years.
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