Unexpected pressure

One of 2,000 graduates last year, Zhao never thought one day he would do government work in a rural area.

"Born and growing up in a village," said Zhao, "I dreamed in university that I could stay in the city after my graduation."

Even after he turned down a more lucrative job offer from the Credit Cooperative of China (CCC), he worried he might not be able to handle tough rural life.

Training and work steadied Zhao's determination. "I believe I can do everything well if I put my heart into it," he said, "and the acknowledgment from villagers further increases my confidence."

It took eight interventions between two warring parties before Zhao and the village chief were able to resolve a land sequestration dispute.

"I felt massive pressure, an urgent need to raise the quality of my professionalism, when I saw that even the village head – who had worked in this village dozens of years – burst into flames on several occasions during the mediation process."

The complicated economic, political and personal relations of a village enhanced a graduate's communication skills, said Liu, and taught him something he could never have learned at university.

"Personal connection networks and familiarity with village work is how we graduates are inferior to the old rural officials," Lou said.

Assistant village official work had proven far harder than most interviewees had ever imagined.

"My major is useless here," said Zhao. He was disappointed to witness his own limited impact upon developing the rural economy and increasing villagers' incomes, a goal of the central government's jobs scheme. Zhao's contribution was restricted by geological conditions and financial capital, problems beyond the reach of a poor young student.

A village receives a graduate from a university in a neighboring district or county without little apparent consideration of that village's needs, said Lou. "More reasonable is to assign a graduate whose major meets the demands of the village."

Chemistry major Liu agreed. "My major can do little for my village because the factories already all have technicians."
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