Once upon a time, we were told that if we worked hard, we could succeed. Today's employment reality has poured cold water on young people's heads - even a job with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan seems so slim. It's not just a numbers game, it's a reflection of the difficult situation faced by job seekers today.
Existential stress and workplace anxiety have become an inescapable nightmare for the younger generation, forcing them to make difficult choices. Some people take the initiative to cut wages in exchange for relative relaxation; There are people who have suffered repeated setbacks in the job market and have uncertain prospects. Their stories are a microcosm of the survival portrayal of tens of thousands of ordinary people.
Yao Wei: "Deserter" under the 996 convention
Yao Wei is a 35-year-old technician at an Internet company. In order to support his family, he follows the "996" routine in the industry all year round - that is, he works from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, 6 days a week, and only weekends can take a breath.
The high-intensity work rhythm has made him physically and mentally exhausted year after year. "To be honest, my life at that time was: going to work, working overtime, coming home, sleeping, repeating. Yao Wei said helplessly.
In the end, under the double overdraft of mental and physical strength, he chose to take a salary cut. Yao Wei submitted an application for transfer to the company and was assigned to a transactional back-office position. The salary was suddenly cut in half from the previous high, and only 3,500 yuan remained.
"If I were 10 years younger, I might be able to hold on. Yao Wei sighed, "But I'm 35 years old, and my body can't keep up with that rhythm, so I can only choose to give up my high salary." "
Still, he's happy with his life today. Although the monthly salary is meager, the working hours are generous, and the pressure is greatly reduced. Yao Wei can also spare some money to treat himself, such as drinking a 10 yuan cup of coffee at work every day. "Health and personal freedom, time is more important than money. He said.
Chen Si: A fresh graduate's job search
Different from Yao Wei's self-adjustment, Chen Si, a graduate of the class of 2023, is facing a more severe employment dilemma. This young man who has just stepped into the society has not been able to find a suitable job until 7 months after graduation, and he has seen his peers struggling to move forward in the workplace one by one.
"The market is so cruel that even public welfare jobs were once hard to find. Chen Si said helplessly. Indeed, even for public welfare positions with extremely poor benefits, the number of competitors is in the thousands.
Seeing a job in the street office with a monthly salary of about 3,000 yuan, Chen Si signed up through his family connections, but found that the whole process was extremely difficult. First of all, it is necessary to pass the unified examination, but only 5 places are recruited, and the number of people who take the examination is as high as 2,963.
"I never thought that the competition would be so fierce, just for a small salary. Chen Si was worried, "Nowadays, college students are employed, and they have reached a situation where they may not have a way out." "
Sure enough, she was ultimately defeated. And she is not the only one who has fallen into the sand. More young people like Chen Si have lost the bet on employment time and time again.
For them, the first step in adulthood is to hit a wall. The idealism of the past is gradually eroded, replaced by helplessness and confusion. At the beginning of entering society, they have to face the cruelty of survival and the pressure of the workplace.
Two portrayals, the same pressure
The experiences of Yao Wei and Chen Si are the current situation of most people. On the one hand, wages are generally declining, and stable high-income jobs are becoming increasingly scarce. On the other hand, the job market is extremely competitive, and even low-wage jobs are an insurmountable mountain.
In order to seek a quality of life, a veteran like Yao Wei has to voluntarily give up high-paying positions and turn to relatively relaxed jobs; And young people like Chen Si have suffered a heavy blow when they first stepped into the workplace, and their prospects have fallen into fog.
Their stories reflect two major employment anxieties in today's society: declining income levels and employment problems for highly educated groups. A large number of people are beginning to reflect on and reinvent their career paths.
Among Yao Wei's generation, many people chose to "demotion and seek stability" like him, re-examining the value of life, and exchanging salary cuts for psychological balance; The young group where Chen Si is located is facing the dilemma of hitting a wall all the way when he enters the workplace, struggling with the bet of employment.
Low salaries and high-intensity workplaces, unemployment and uncertain prospects have become a portrayal of the survival status of countless ordinary people. Under tremendous pressure to survive, they chose to bow their heads.
Competition for low-income jobs is fierce, and there are thousands of competitors for grassroots public positions with a monthly salary of less than 3,000 yuan. This not only reflects the current tight job market, but also reflects the extreme desire of the general population to "earn money to support themselves".
The reality is cruel and requires a choice
Faced with such a reality, everyone has to make a choice. Someone like Yao Wei took the initiative to "demote" in exchange for psychological balance; There are also people like Chen Si who have suffered from employment walls again and again, and their prospects are gradually drifting away.
Although the choices are different, the pressures they have to face and deal with are the same - the pressure of survival comes from money, from life, and from the heart.
Because of this, we see tenacity and hope in the stories of these ordinary people. Whether they choose to give up their high salaries or repeatedly hit a wall, they are trying to improve or adapt to the current living situation in their own way. This courage not to give up is valuable, because it will eventually light the flame of hope on the road to light.
The road to survival will eventually be clear
There is no doubt that today's employment environment is not optimistic, and the pressure to survive is unprecedented. But we should also understand and tolerate the younger generation, who are in the throes of social pain and are the beaters of the era of transition.
As in the course of history, one generation has always had the mission and responsibility to clear the obstacles for the next. We should encourage young people in their struggles, and we should provide support and help for their struggles, rather than simply criticizing or denying them.
After all, everyone has been a detour and has made difficult choices under the weight of survival. This is the norm and the only way to maturity.
The difficulties faced by this generation of young people today will eventually turn into experience and courage that will illuminate their path to the future. And the choices they made will eventually be remembered as an inspirational story and a role model for life.