At the age of 25, I left the office building and worked as a housekeeper with my mother

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2024-05-27 12:14Posted in Anhui Life Field Creator

Recently

The story of young people's "dimensionality reduction and job hunting" is frequently searched:

Someone has repeatedly failed in their job search,

But after changing my education from undergraduate to high school, I found my dream job;

The first batch of post-00s left the office and changed careers to do housekeeping......

Is "dimensionality reduction job hunting" a waste of academic qualifications and professional skills?

How to face the sense of disparity after salary reduction and demotion?

One connected three young people who were "reducing their dimension and looking for jobs".

Transitioning from the IT industry to housekeeping,

Take the mother who failed to invest to do cleaning together;

Someone returned to his hometown from Shanghai to the provincial capital,

learned to lower expectations and wait for opportunities at the same time;

Someone joins an outsourcing company after being laid off,

No longer think of work as the focus of your life.

Editor: Song Shuang

Editor-in-charge: Ni Chujiao

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Zhang Zhangbao at work

Zhang Zhangbao, 25 years old, cleaner, has been in the industry for a year and a half

I started working as a cleaner in Nanjing at the end of 2022. Before that, I worked in the IT industry for three or four years, doing data recovery, with a salary of more than 10,000 yuan.

At that time, the work was very boring, sitting in the office for 8 hours at a time, and occasionally working overtime and staying up all night. I felt like I couldn't learn anything, so I left in 2022.

As a result, after I left the company, I was even more confused, because there are fewer large companies in the data recovery industry, and I basically work alone, so there are fewer job opportunities, and I can't change jobs in the industry.

I started to try other jobs frequently, and later I worked on construction sites, sales, takeaways, and express delivery. It wasn't until I started cleaning that I found something I was really passionate about.

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Zhang Zhangbao at work (right)

When many people mention cleaning, they will think that it is all the work done by uncles and aunts. At first, I was too embarrassed to mention my work to people around me. But then I thought that it was all about making money, so I didn't care. When I told my friends, they were all surprised, saying how could you, a person with professional knowledge, do this. I won't explain too much, just smile.

My mother used to work as a cleaner and was more familiar with the business than me, and she had also opened a billiard room, snack bar, and Malatang before, and made a lot of money, but the investment failed not long ago and she lost a lot of money. So now, we're just working together.

We get up at 6 or 7 o'clock every day, and then ride to the customer's house, which is usually ten or twenty kilometers. I started work at about 8:30 and finished at 7 o'clock in the evening, working almost 10 hours, and I didn't have time to look at my phone all day.

My work is mainly based on land reclamation and cleaning, which means that after a house is completed, it takes a whole day to do a complete and in-depth cleaning.

In the first month or two, we had no customers, so we added more than a dozen major cleaning groups in Nanjing to take orders in the group. The owners of these groups are outsourced cleaning companies, and they mainly rely on low prices to grab customers, which has led to vicious competition in the industry, and the wages given to us for cleaning are getting lower and lower, and the two of us can earn three or four hundred yuan a day.

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Zhang Zhangbao posted a before and after comparison of cleaning on social media, which attracted many customers

This situation lasted for a month or two. Later, the number of customers gradually accumulated, and my girlfriend began to post some before and after pictures of our sanitation on social media, and the number of customers who came to us in private messages gradually increased. Now we basically work every day, but we also give ourselves 3 or 4 days off every month.

Now 90% of our customers are from social media, and 10% are referred by regular customers on social media. Most of them were young people, about my age and very communicative.

Everyone is very good to us, and often thinks that we are working hard, and buys us water and food and milk tea. I was impressed, but I basically refused, because I felt that I was getting paid, and these were my part.

I was very impressed by a young woman who had already been recommending other clients to me before she had even started cleaning at her house, and she trusted us.

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The house after the land was cleared and cleaned

The standard of our fees is 8 yuan per square meter for ordinary land reclamation and 12 yuan per square meter for fine land reclamation. Our pricing is slightly higher than the market average, but my quality is absolutely guaranteed, customers feel that they are worth their money, and we have always had a good reputation.

I'm a very introverted and shy person. In my previous job, I sat in front of the computer every day, and I did whatever the company asked you to do, and I hardly had to communicate with people. The only thing that needs to be spoken is the occasional reception of customers at the front desk.

But in the cleaning industry, communication is very important, and you need to understand the needs and precautions of customers before you start cleaning. Some people want to be clean on the surface, some people are obsessed with window slots, and some people are more concerned about the dust corners in the cabinet. At first, I was embarrassed to communicate, and there might be one or two orders out of every 10 orders that customers were not satisfied with, and I had to rework them, which was very time-consuming. This situation forced me to improve my communication skills.

Now I have a much more cheerful personality, and I can even talk to my uncle and aunt when I go shopping.

I have never been prejudiced against manual work, I think that whether it is an office or manual labor, everyone has a position for everyone, and it is all based on labor to make money, there is no difference.

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The house after the land was cleared and cleaned

Cleaning has always been my hobby. Although it was tiring to do cleaning, it was very comfortable to live in after cleaning, and I felt that the efficiency of doing things at home has improved.

I don't think this job is boring at all, and I can see the scenery on the way to work. The most important thing is that cleaning is a very healing thing, you can watch a place go from dirty to clean, and my value can be seen on the bright side, which is very fulfilling. Whenever I see a guest come in after the cleaning is done and say, "Wow, it's so clean and bright," I feel very happy.

For me, there are two aspects of work that are very important, one is the sense of fulfillment and the other is making money. The previous job, like a robot, was a repetitive person and work every day, with no sense of accomplishment at all, all for money. And now both are almost realized.

Now my mother and I can earn 30,000 yuan a month, which is higher than our previous job. Five insurances and one housing fund are paid by themselves. Our salary is half a cent, my family is from Huai'an, Jiangsu, and in Nanjing, in addition to rent and living expenses, I can save three or four thousand a month.

I still want to make more money, I have an uncle who does home appliance cleaning, I also learned home appliance cleaning before, but I haven't done it, I plan to let him come over, and we will expand the business to home appliance cleaning.

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Outside of work, Zhang Zhangbao prefers to stay at home

In my previous job, I only went home once a year during the holidays, but now I spend almost every day with my mother, and I feel that I know her better.

My mom and I both feel sorry for each other. She is 49 years old this year, and I watched her gray hair and wrinkles become more wrinkled, and I hope to find a suitable person to replace her in the future and let her rest. My mom felt that although I made more money, I was too tired, and felt that I still had skills in me, and wanted me to look at other jobs. I told her that I think the situation is pretty good, I like cleaning very much, and I don't want to do anything else. Although there are only two people at the moment, I hope to form a professional team in the future, and this industry will still develop.

I don't see any young people doing cleaning in Nanjing, but I think it is very advantageous for young people to do cleaning.

First, young people are energetic and work more quickly; Second, there are many young customers in Nanjing, and we have better communication between young people and young people. As long as they don't feel dirty and don't feel ashamed of the job, then there's no problem.

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Flower

Hua Hua, 36 years old, software testing engineer, has been in the outsourcing company for 7 months, based in Beijing

I started working in an Internet company for 8 years at the age of 28, and when I was busy, I often used 996, and I almost regarded the company as my home.

In June 2023, there was a problem with the company's operating conditions, and the international company of more than 1,000 people was laid off to only twenty or thirty people. I'm an old man in this company and the most familiar with the business, so it wasn't until September that the last batch was laid off. In my position, in the end, there was only one young male colleague with strong ability and low salary.

At that time, I was facing a 35-year-old crisis in the workplace, and I knew before I was laid off that I would definitely not be able to stay, and every day was a feeling of imminent death.

There should have been more than 200,000 yuan in compensation, but the company really had no money, and it has not received a penny until now. I felt as if I had been abandoned by a "scumbag" and was devastated.

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Huahua is 36 years old this year

After being laid off, I went back to my hometown Qingdao for a few days and took my children to live by the beach for a few days. At that time, I was not in a good state every day, and I was afraid that I would pass on the bad mood to my children, so I quickly returned to Beijing and started looking for a job, and there was almost no gap period.

The most important thing about starting to look for a job so quickly is the pressure my mother put on me. She is a very internal friction type, because when she was in her 30s, she experienced the largest wave of layoffs in the Northeast, and she never worked again after being laid off. She felt that women had to have jobs, didn't support me at home to watch the children and do housework, and didn't want me to be a housewife like her.

Another part of the reason is also the pressure of money. I am from Qingdao, I took out a loan to buy a suite in Qingdao, and now my family is renting a house in Beijing. Our monthly mortgage and rent add up to about 12,000.

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I cried in a café after being laid off, and I was moved by the waiter

I submitted forty or fifty resumes, only 5 made it to the interview, and in the end I only received an offer from 1 outsourcing company. The reason is also very clear, most companies prefer to find men with a bachelor's degree or above, 26 or 7 years old, and about three years of experience. As a woman in her thirties with a family, I am in the worst condition.

This company, I don't think I will come during the interview, and I am even more reluctant when I receive the offer. I never thought that I would enter an outsourcing company, firstly, the outsourced employees would be treated differently by full-time employees, and secondly, the salary would be reduced by about 30% for the same position as the previous job.

My husband also hopes that I can take another month or two off so that I can see more opportunities. But then I compared the job search status of my former colleagues and realized the reality. Our position is very competitive, and most of my former colleagues can't find a job with a higher salary than mine. Many people, even if they sign a contract, it is a short-term contract of 3 months or 6 months. I persuaded my husband that if you are idle anyway, you might as well try it first, and then find another one if it doesn't work, don't get along with the money.

I joined in mid-October. The content of the work has not changed, and it is easier to get started.

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On the way home from work, Huahua took pictures of the evening sky in Beijing

As outsourced employees, our "position" in the company is not as good as that of full-time employees. Five insurances and one housing fund are paid according to the minimum wage, there is no year-end bonus, holiday benefits, and lottery, and we cannot participate. But fortunately, there is no performance appraisal for outsourced employees, and the work is relatively easy.

Some full-time employees will not respect the outsourced employees and feel that you are inferior. But in fact, there is no difference in your ability, and even the outsourced staff may be better.

For example, a few days ago, due to lack of time, there were some quality problems in the product, which was obviously a process problem, but the full-time employee pushed all the problems on me. I had an urge to quit if I couldn't.

But after thinking about it, I decided to continue because I also tried to invest in a few companies, but I didn't get any response. This year's interview is even tighter than last year's. In Beijing, there are basically no test posts this year, and even the outsourcing requirements are getting higher and higher, and many of them require academic qualifications of 985 and 211. I have learned about other positions, such as operation positions, or self-media editing positions. But I don't have much experience, I'm basically a novice, and I don't have the courage to change positions.

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Flowey takes her children to play in the countryside

My child is now two years old, and he will go to kindergarten next, and he will spend more than 3,000 a month. I also plan to enroll him in a physical fitness class, dozens of class hours, about more than 10,000 yuan.

My spending has been downgraded quite a bit. The money spent on children must not be less, so it can only be reduced to us adults. I used to save two or three months to buy a bag, but now I don't. I used to have a dozen or twenty lipsticks, but now I only have one I like and I use it all the time. I used to travel at least three or four times a year, but now I do it almost once a year.

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He was laid off and traveled to Chongqing

My husband is also in the Internet industry, but the salary is higher than mine, in fact, if I don't work, I can save some money, and there is no pressure, but I can't save money.

In my last job, I had a strong sense of belonging, and I was always dedicated to it, even if I worked overtime, I was very passionate. Now I use this job as a tool to make money, and the work must be done well, but I am not so ambitious, and I will often think about whether there is any other way out.

Now I still have some savings that I can save a little bit of money every month, and whenever I feel like I'm having a hard time at work, I'm a lot happier looking at the deposits.

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Miao Miao

Miao Miao, 28 years old, bidding agent, returned to Xi'an from Shanghai to work for 3 months

I resigned from Shanghai in 2023 and returned to my hometown in the provincial capital. Although my current salary is only 1/4 of what I used to be, I have learned to lower my expectations while waiting for opportunities, and I hope that my future life will be the same as my previous living standard in Shanghai.

I've been in Shanghai for 6 years, and I never really planned to stay forever. I've always felt that people who are wandering away from home will have to go home sooner or later.

When I first went to Shanghai, I promised to stay for a year and go home, but I didn't want to go back. At that time, I had a very stiff quarrel with my parents, from the close contact at the beginning, to not talking for a month, and they started to quarrel as soon as they called.

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After the naked resignation, Miao Miao traveled around the country

After resigning from the company in Shanghai, I first traveled in China for two months. I would be very sad if I really packed my stuff and left Shanghai directly, so I put everything in Shanghai and bought a high-speed rail ticket to travel around the country. I wanted to create the illusion that I was traveling, not leaving Shanghai.

When I actually left Shanghai, I was still very reluctant to give up. On the high-speed train, an hour after the departure, I finished crying a pack of tissues. Friends have sent greetings: If you don't fit in, come again, we all miss you; If the capital turnover is not open, send us a message......

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On the high-speed train back to her hometown after leaving Shanghai, Miao Miao finished crying a pack of tissues

After returning to my hometown for 10 months, I started to look for a job. In just 2 months, I interviewed more than 20 companies. Basically every one of them passed. I think the reason why it is easier to find a job is because my previous work experience in Shanghai is a plus. Many companies even doubted the authenticity of my resume and asked, "You have worked in Shanghai, why are you willing to return to Xi'an?"

Before I came back, I didn't know much about the working environment in Xi'an, and I was looking forward to finding a job for seven or eight thousand. When I was looking for a job, I found that some companies had an office space of less than 100 square meters, and they were not as large as their own home area; The number of employees can be counted on one hand; For the same position, I received a salary of 15,000 yuan in Shanghai, and I could only give 3,500-4,000 yuan here; Many companies do not have a provident fund, and those who can pay must first pass the probationary period.

Throughout the interview, I kept compromising and lowering my expectations. I knew that there was really no way to do it, so I gave it up. In the end, I joined a relatively good company: ranked in the top 20 of more than 2,000 local companies, and just joined more than 4,000 companies, and I may reach my previous expected salary if I persist.

I'm a person who loves to record and share. I posted my experience on social media, but I didn't expect to meet many young people who returned to their hometowns from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Then I pulled a group, and now there are 500 people, and it's full.

We organized five or six offline gatherings to exchange ideas about the problems we faced back home, encourage each other, and give advice. One of the common problems I've found is that salaries are discounted.

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Miao Miao posted her experience of returning to her hometown from a first-tier city on social media.

Received more than 1000 comments,

Some question, some wait, some encourage

I am now engaged in the bidding agency position, and as I work in Shanghai, the main customers are government agencies and institutions, and they will entrust us to find suitable suppliers when they have new projects to bid.

Although it is the same position, the salary is much lower. The basic salary in Shanghai is 8,000 yuan, in Xi'an it is 4,000 yuan, the commission for a project in Shanghai is 1,000 yuan, and the project in Xi'an is only two or three hundred, and the projects are much less. In addition to the rent and living expenses, not only is there no left, but 2,000 yuan is paid backwards every month.

In addition to the salary gap, the most difficult thing for me to accept is that the formalism here is too serious, resulting in low efficiency. A day's work can be done in an hour, but you have to be at your desk on time and on point, pretending to be doing something. Missing some of the flexibility and freedom of the previous company in Shanghai, after all, this position is just to do the project well and get things done.

There was a time when it was very difficult for me to communicate with my leaders, but in a small company, there were many processes, and I always spoke half of the words every time I asked for advice, and I saw that the leaders in the workplace were not low. Leaders in Shanghai will pay more attention to efficiency, and ask questions and tell you the solution immediately and accurately.

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Miao Miao's station

When I first started doing this job, I was in a very bad state, and when I went to work, it was like going to the grave. Every day when I get out of the subway, I ask myself, have I really accepted my current life? Can I really accept such a low salary?

My whole person was in a bad state, and I was bored with what I was doing, and I gradually felt that I really needed to start saving myself. For example, when I was too idle at work, I opened the document, started writing articles, updated self-media, and looked for various ways out. I am not willing to live the life I am living now. I plan to give myself two years to see if I can achieve the same standard of living in Xi'an as in Shanghai.

One of the great benefits of working in Xi'an is that you are closer to your family. My hometown is in Yan'an, Shaanxi, and it takes about two and a half hours by high-speed train from Xi'an. I actually go home as often as I do in Shanghai. But my parents think I'm a lot closer. They saw my actions and their relationship with me eased a lot.

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Now Miao Miao goes to the free park on weekends

When I was in Shanghai before, I liked to go to exhibitions, dramas, concerts, and talk shows on weekends, but now I rarely go to it, and I think that if I go to see a drama, 200 yuan is my salary for a day. I'm happier now, and I'll go to the free park on the weekends to empty my brain, which is good.

Now on weekends, I also have a side hustle that is not very mature, that is, I occasionally set up a stall and sell small toys and snacks. The income is actually not bad, when I didn't join the company a year ago, I went to put it for 20 days and earned 10,000 yuan.

Many people are asking me, why don't you set up a stall when you can earn more than you can at work? Maybe I'm more concerned about what other people think, and I don't want to be the kind of person who doesn't have a job.

I have also set up a stall in Shanghai, and many stall owners in Shanghai may be teachers, lawyers, and engineers, but in Xi'an, many people have to set up stalls to survive. If I choose to set up a stall often, I am worried that others will think that I just have no professional skills and an unstable job.

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Miao Miao cooks with her roommate

Once, when I was setting up a stall, I met a girl who went to work as a kindergarten teacher after graduating from university, but because she was too hard to bear, she had to go to the stall. As we chatted, she muttered something that if I could have an easy job, I would be content to earn 100 yuan a day. I was shocked to hear this figure at the time, it turned out that many people's goal may be 4,000 yuan a month is enough.

So I'm no longer anxious about salary now, and I have a "rotten" attitude. In Shanghai, because everyone is better than you, you tell yourself that I need to be more motivated, but now I don't feel like I have to work too hard.

My solution is to feel the moment. I think the people who come back from outside can stay in Xi'an very calmly because they have a certain degree of relaxation in their bodies and have learned to grasp the rhythm.

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