Study can change fate, but not the only way to succeed in life

Illustration: Liu Xiangya/Global Times

Recently, the idea that study can change one's destiny became a hot topic on social media in China. Many netizens shared their personal experiences in this regard. Through hard work, they got opportunities to go to college and finally achieved their life dreams. However, even if some people fail in one exam, they should not lose hope as there are other choices in their lives.

Some netizens who grew up in the countryside successfully passed China's national college entrance examinations, or gaokao, and obtained opportunities to enter institutions of higher learning. Later, some of them continued studying in China or went abroad for their graduate education. After graduation, some became successful in their careers and lived a better life. So they all firmly believe that study can change one's fate. 

"I was the only college student among all my siblings and cousins. Although I haven't achieved anything big, I now have a fairly good job and can go to graduate school or become a civil servant. However, my cousins cannot find jobs, or even if they do, they have to work for a dozen hours a day due to their lower education backgrounds, especially in a small city like ours," one netizen said.

Another one recalled, "My father used to be a bus driver and my mother a hairdresser. I knew if I didn't study hard, I would probably have to learn some vocational skills and live a life like my parents. Later, I was successfully admitted to a normal university through hard work and this year I became a teacher."

A third one also told her story: "When I was young, my family was very poor. I was often bothered by my father's sighs, which seemed like a hammer striking my heart. Every time I heard them, it reminds me that I could only save my fate and help my father by studying hard. Later, I managed to go to a renowned university, enter a graduate school and finally get a stable job. After that, I bought my own apartment, attended a lot of work training and traveled to many places. Without study, I would be still living in my hometown, raising children and relying on my husband to survive." 

Last week, the scores from the gaokao were published. Some students who gained good scores burst into tears because their years of effort finally paid off. This moment is no doubt a significant point in their lives. Their successes are also the best testimony that study can change one's destiny. 

Yet behind their remarkable achievements, it is difficult to imagine how much effort they put in, especially for those who were born in rural areas. Compared with their city peers, many students in rural areas did not have access to the same level of education due to the limited educational resources in a developing country like China, though the uneven situation is being addressed and changed. So students have to put forth painstaking efforts to study in order to gain opportunities for higher education in the big city. Every year, students from around the country, including those from the rural areas, are admitted to China's prestigious universities.

However, not everyone was lucky enough to be admitted. Every year there are always some students who fail the gaokao, and some of them may feel disoriented. Their feelings are understandable, but they should not last long. Going to college is not the only way to succeed in one's life, as there are also many other choices. They might as well regard this adversity as an opportunity to hone their will. 

Anyway, no matter what happens, one should not lose confidence in themselves, nor give up studying because "opportunity always favors the prepared."

The recent TV drama The Road of Life tells a story that gives a good example. The hero Gao Jialin was a young farmer from a poor family in the 1980s in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Failing to go to college, Gao was at first downhearted. But his teacher always spoke highly of Gao's writing skills, so he encouraged Gao to keep writing. Gao gradually gathered himself up and began to write. To his surprise, his novel won first prize in a contest for farmer writers in Shanghai. When he went to receive the award in Shanghai, he met his old friend who recommended him to apply for a job as a news reporter. Through strict competition, Gao was unexpectedly hired thanks to his excellent writing skills. This drama story shows that as long as one persists in studying and always gets prepared for the better, one can change their fate sooner or later.