Choose a job, maybe choose a lifestyle

Lao Mo graduated from the Normal University major and began a long journey to find a job. Many cities in the Pearl River Delta were opened, but the positions within the establishment were never successful. In the end, I successfully interviewed the middle school in my hometown county. It is also a school with good conditions in the county and can solve the staffing problem, which is a good thing. But Lao Mo's heart became entangled. I remembered a few years ago when I had just graduated and was looking for a job. I could understand her complicated feelings. Maybe her inner struggles were much more complicated than mine a few years ago. From the perspective of others, as a graduate student, she should have a promising future, and no matter how bad she is, she will not be able to return to her hometown county. This is like ideal and reality being two mirrors, showing each other clearly. Of course, Lao Mo didn't mention this, but I could feel that worldly opinions were influencing her judgment.

Her dilemma is still the most common problem faced by every college student when they graduate, whether to choose a big city or a small city. Competition in big cities is fierce. After several fierce battles, she still failed to get a formal teaching job as she wished. In fact, it is obvious that competition in big cities is fierce. Everyone wants better development and a better life, so big cities are naturally the first choice. If Lao Mo had to choose to live in a big city, he could only work as a substitute teacher or go to an educational institution. In addition to the unresolved staffing problem, the benefits of going to educational institutions are still very impressive. If you choose to return to your hometown county and solve the staffing problem, the school will definitely focus on training in the future. Graduate students are still rare in small counties. In Lao Mo's words, none of the recruiting schools expected that graduate students would come for interviews. I had a deep chat with Lao Mo, and the final result was as I expected. She still chose to return to her hometown county. Lao Mo became Teacher Mo, and I hope that one day, she can become Lao Mo.

A few years after graduation, I think about it now. Choosing a job may mean choosing a way of life, and there may not be any good or bad. Some people like to live in peace and quiet, so they choose to live in a small city where the pace of life is relatively slow and the life pressure is not so great. Some people are born with an entrepreneurial spirit and hope to realize their ambitions one day, so they choose first-tier cities with relatively more opportunities and challenges. Of course, many people follow the crowd and stay in first-tier cities. If you ask them why, you can’t say it’s because they like it. Maybe it’s because I can’t go back to my hometown. After all, there are differences in development between cities, and most employment opportunities exist in big cities.

A few years after graduation, I suddenly discovered that the pace of life of the students who chose to return to their hometowns and small towns for development was much faster than those of us who stayed in first-tier cities to work hard. They marry wives and have children, and they become house slaves and car slaves. Most of them either work within the system or join family businesses. Those of us who stay in first-tier cities, in our free time, scroll through WeChat Moments and watch them showing off their wives, children, and sightseeing trips. We envy them for enjoying the beauty of life without haste. In fact, why don't they envy us who stay in first-tier cities, envy us to experience a different world, to challenge ourselves differently, to achieve the things we boasted about all those years ago?

In recent years, many people have lamented the hometown they cannot return to and the big city they cannot integrate into. But most of us still choose to work hard in first-tier cities. For those of us who come from ordinary backgrounds, this may be the closest place for us to realize our dreams. This process will be difficult and may be long, but the process of realizing our dreams also explains the meaning of our dreams. The scenery on the top of the mountain is beautiful, but the scenery on the road is equally attractive.

No matter whether it is a big city or a small county, there is no good or bad, only whether it suits you or not. Home is where you feel at ease. Choosing a job means choosing a way of life. When you are indecisive, just think about what you want in life. Whether you are leaving a big city or returning to a small county, I wish you everything you wish for in this life.