Now campuses around the country have started recruiting fresh faces for all kinds of clubs. Upperclassmen and experts suggest a hobby-based selection of clubs, which might have a lasting impact on one’s life and career.
Zhang Ling did not get many chances to write stories as an environmental protection major at Jiangxi University of Science and Technology. But this changed when she joined the university broadcast station.
Her daily interviews with students and teachers expanded her horizon. Now she is determined to become a journalist on environmental issues with her degree in environmental protection.
“Journalism changed my life track,” said 22-year-old. “I only wanted to be a science teacher in a local senior high school. But now I am applying for a graduate school in journalism.”
Lan Yujie, professor at Anhui University of Technology, regards Mu and Zhang as good examples of choosing “what I like” instead of “what is practical” in finding jobs and seeking further study.
“Some freshmen don’t know what to choose,” said Lan. “Just following a hobby and doing something you like can easily give you the expertise that make you happy and special.”
Fu Yuheng is now working at a Beijing-based publishing house as an editor. As a freshman at Beijing University of Foreign Studies, Fu wanted to be an interpreter, so he joined the translation club. But he soon found that he was better at editing translated text into an organized format rather than interpreting himself.
Lan further says that joining clubs should not necessarily have a purpose. As part of campus life, a club experience will impact one’s life and career in one way or another.