1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 251 Time for Space

As the most important transportation hub in Qi and Lu, Dezhou is actually in a somewhat awkward position.

Dezhou is one of the three major transportation hubs in the Central Plains, but its GDP can only be considered mid-range in the Shandong region... Even after the reform and opening up, its ranking has been declining at a slow and steady pace, and it was finally stuck in the twelfth and thirteenth positions.

Therefore, this city in northwest Shandong is not only not as famous as cities such as Qingdao, Jinan, Yantai, and Weifang, but has also lacked truly competitive and high-value core pillar industries for a long time. Therefore, there is only one formal university, Dezhou College... And this is Dezhou Higher Vocational College, which was established in the early 70s by the merger of Dezhou Normal College, Dezhou Education College, and DZ City Vocational College.

That’s right, the only college in DZ city at that time was still a technical college, and it was a technical college with a short history and without any key majors.

This makes the students of Texas College feel a little uncomfortable.

You know, college students in this era are actually a bit embarrassed;

In terms of the value of their academic qualifications, they were not as good as the undergraduates who were regarded as the chosen ones, and in the 1980s, this gap was even more obvious than in later generations;

In terms of practical skills and professional abilities in vertical sub-fields, they are no match for technical secondary school students.

Therefore, if you want to find a job in a private enterprise or a small local state-owned enterprise after graduation, you will naturally be treated like a treasure; but if you want to enter a large state-owned enterprise or a central enterprise, you will be in a dilemma, and sometimes you will even have no advantage over a technical secondary school student.

In theory, as long as you can find a stable job, it is actually quite good to work in a small state-owned enterprise. After all, unlike those large state-owned enterprises, highly educated talents are still very scarce in small state-owned enterprises at this time... As the old saying goes, it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox!

If you want to make money, it is better to go to a private enterprise. The salary there is much higher than in a state-owned enterprise. If you have some skills, you can earn more in one year than in three years in a state-owned enterprise.

But unfortunately, this is Qi and Lu.

What is even more regrettable is that it is now the late 1980s. Not only are the performance of small state-owned enterprises unstable, but private enterprises are even more unable to protect themselves.

Therefore, this year's situation is probably the most difficult year for the students who are about to graduate from Texas College.

………………

Looking at the gate of her alma mater not far away, Li Li held up the strap across her chest, and squeezed through the small gate dejectedly with a rather large luggage bag on her back. She did not have the excitement of coming back from the internship, nor did she look forward to returning to school to catch up on her professional courses.

Ok……

That’s right, whether it’s undergraduate or college students, a two-stage internship system is adopted in this era.

The first stage, which is the senior/junior year, will be organized by the school in July to August for students to go to various companies for a short-term internship lasting three months. After the internship, they will return to school to study professional courses... This learning process will continue until graduation.

The second stage is the well-known internship assignment after students officially graduate...It is called internship because if the receiving unit is not satisfied with the student's performance during the internship, or is unable to accept the graduate due to its own objective reasons, their files will be transferred back to the school or education bureau for secondary docking and deployment.

Obviously, Li Li's first internship experience was not a pleasant one.

It wasn't that she, a girl majoring in mechanical and electrical engineering, was discriminated against in her internship unit, or that she was criticized by her superiors for not being able to do heavy work, nor was it because the internship evaluation form in her arms gave her a low evaluation;
In fact, as an intern technician, Li Li rarely needs to do any heavy physical work. She only needs to learn and study how the equipment is manufactured and assembled.

The reason why she looked so depressed...

It was entirely because the performance of the company where she had just finished her internship was extremely poor. During the three months of her internship, she only used the machine four times in total. Considering that the other party had not paid wages to employees for nearly half a year, it was estimated that reorganization was not too far away.

That is to say, even if she had not had those quarrels with those foul-mouthed co-workers in the unit in the past three months, and even if the boss who was always sarcastic to her actually admired her, it would be unlikely that she would be accepted by the other party after graduation... It would even be a question whether that unit would still exist by the time she graduated.

In fact, if it was just because of this reason, she would not be so depressed. After all, the internship unit and the unit where she will be assigned after graduation are not the same thing, and the internship salary of only 24 yuan per month is really not very attractive to her (at this time, the internship salary is 50% of that of a formal employee in the same position).

What really frustrates her is that, according to the information fed back by her classmates, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people in their major to find suitable jobs. Even if they do find one, the current performance of those jobs is really heartbreaking.

Hey……

I shouldn't have studied this major earlier. My mother is right. Why should a girl study mechanical and electrical engineering?

Li Li sighed depressedly, feeling deeply anxious about her future.

She has been interning in the company for three months and is actually very clear that it is not that she really cannot find a good company with her major, but that she, as a college student, cannot be favored by those good companies; and judging from the current situation, even if she is assigned to a company that suits her major after graduation, it will most likely be a failure in two or three years.

Hey ~
If I had worked harder, I would have been admitted to a bachelor's degree.

If God is merciful, he would allow those good companies to give our school some places... Even if I just have to sweep the toilets, it is better than living in constant fear!

Just as Li Li was feeling sorry for herself like an immature little girl, two tents that were about to be set up in the square and the crowds of people crowding in front of the tents suddenly caught her attention.

Huh?
Fall special recruitment meeting?
Southwest Drilling Company One?

What is this ghost?

This year's internship has ended, the time for graduation assignment has not yet arrived, and the professional courses have not yet been completed. How could the school allow any unit to come in and do any special recruitment?
With a curious look on her face, Li Li squeezed into the crowd with her luggage on her back...

………………

"Hello, leader. I would like to ask, what does your unit do?"

The tent had just been set up when a boy squeezed into the crowd, looking at Zhang Bo, who was wearing a woolen windbreaker, with curiosity... I don't know if it was influenced by Miss Mu, but woolen windbreakers are almost becoming the standard for grassroots leaders in Momo Baitou.

As a person who had been through it, Zhang Bo understood what these juniors valued the most. Therefore, even though he had some objections to Yang Mo's decision to appoint him to host this special recruitment meeting, he was still very patient in front of these students who were no more than two years younger than him. However, he used very concise words: "Southwest Drilling Company No. 1, a member of the Qilu Petroleum System, a medium-sized central enterprise, and its direct superior unit is the Southwest Petroleum Bureau."

Central enterprise! ?
Or the oil system?
The nearly one hundred students who were surrounding them took a deep breath at the same time, and the heat in their eyes was enough to set the two tents on fire.

Who doesn’t know that the oil system is a top-notch unit these days?

Its efficiency is so good and its work is so stable that it is even better than those of steel mills and supply and marketing cooperatives with better reputations.

And the direct superior unit turned out to be the Southwest Petroleum Bureau...

Although I don't know why a petroleum company in Shandong has a direct superior in the southwest, I can tell from the name that the administrative level of this company is definitely not low.

Fortunately, a good company has finally taken a fancy to our college!
At this moment, many students actually felt tears welling up in their eyes.

"60 vacancies for public welfare volunteers/reserve clerks? What kind of position is this for in your unit? Why haven't I heard of it before?"

The boy who spoke first, after a brief excitement, looked at the sign in front of Zhang Bo and asked with a puzzled look on his face.

This vague and somewhat misleading position is really confusing.

As people who have already experienced three months of internship, boys naturally know that large state-owned enterprises at this time rarely assign jobs directly to college graduates like them. They will be selected and screened before being assigned jobs based on actual needs... Anyway, you can just think of yourself as a brick and go wherever you are needed.

Therefore, it is normal that the other party’s recruitment poster does not contain specific job titles.

But the problem is that the description of "reserve clerk" is very problematic.

According to the current rules, no matter you are an undergraduate or a college student, as long as you are converted to a regular employee, you will automatically obtain the status of a clerk. The only difference lies in the level of clerk you are assigned and the actual benefits you enjoy.

So, what does "reserve staff" mean? A contract worker without a permanent position?

And when this doubt is linked with the words "public welfare volunteers", the doubt becomes even stronger... It gives people the feeling that this central enterprise actually just wants to recruit a group of disposable contract workers to deal with some public welfare projects.

Hearing the college students in front of him chattering out their questions, Zhang Bo waved his hands and said, "Classmates, you are thinking in the wrong direction. You might as well think about it. If we are really just looking for some contract workers, why would we come to your Texas College specifically, and would your teachers allow us to hold a special recruitment here?"

This question immediately stumped the students present. Unlike in later times, colleges and universities at this time were very careful about their reputation and paid much more attention to their students. They would never allow those companies to recruit students who had not yet completed their professional courses as contract workers for some unknown reasons.

Seeing the students speechless, Zhang Bo pursed his lips and said, "Besides, students, think about it. As a central enterprise, every graduation season, countless colleges, technical schools, and technical secondary schools are desperately trying to send their students to the drilling company, and many of them have no requirements for the establishment... If we really just need contract workers, why would we run dozens of kilometers in this cold weather to come to your school?"

"Moreover, as a central enterprise, the drilling company needs to pay attention to its social impact. Do you think we would risk endless trouble to come and fool you?"

The students were stunned again after hearing this. After looking at each other, the boy who asked the question first scratched his head and said, "Um... Leader, what's the matter with you being a public welfare volunteer and a reserve clerk? What kind of work do you do? Why are you writing them together?"

Zhang Bo smiled and said, "Actually, these two positions are interdependent."

"To put it simply, our drilling company wants to respond to the Hope Project that the country has just launched and recruit 400 teachers for the schools we have just donated... After all, you may not know that compared to those classrooms under construction, in most rural areas right now, the children are more in need of teachers."

"So, our drilling company's special job fair this time is to recruit volunteers who are willing to teach in Hope Primary Schools... to be precise, short-term volunteers."

At this point, Zhang Bo took out a document with an official seal and placed it on the table for the students to read: "The reason why they are called short-term volunteers is that according to the new regulations issued by our company, volunteers who have taught in Hope Primary Schools for three years and have not given up or behaved badly during the teaching process will be transferred back to the company's logistics or office departments after the teaching is over, and will be given formal staffing and the treatment of section officers;"

"Of course, we also fully respect the personal choice of every student. If after three years of teaching, you feel that teaching those knowledge-hungry children in Hope Primary School makes you happier and allows you to realize your self-worth, then we will also help you coordinate subsequent personnel relations... Of course, even if your final personnel relationship is no longer with the drilling company, we will still give you a fairly generous special subsidy every month through official channels. After all, the salary of volunteer teachers is indeed not high, and you are recruited by our company, and we will never watch you simply pay."

"So, now you know why the name of this position is so strange... In a word, whether you want to become a long-term volunteer or become a formal employee of a central enterprise depends entirely on your own choice after three years; but it should be emphasized that no matter what you choose in the end, the company will never neglect you."

Li Li used all her strength to squeeze to the front of the crowd. After looking at the copy of the document with the accounts of the general manager's office of the drilling company, Momobaitou, and the personnel department, she almost believed it immediately. Then she asked uncertainly, "But many of us are not majoring in education. We don't even have a teaching certificate. Can we go to teach?"

Zhang Bo smiled and said, "Indeed, according to the regulations, you cannot become a teacher without a teaching certificate. You can only do temporary teaching at best... But we have taken this into consideration." At this point, Zhang Bo signaled Li Li to put down the bag behind her so as not to affect the students behind her. After the girl put the bag on the ground, he smiled and said, "First of all, the 100 Hope Primary Schools fully funded by the drilling company have just started to select sites and lay foundations. It will take at least three or four months before they are completed. Even if you pass the interview successfully, you will not be able to take up the post immediately;"

"We have confirmed with the Education Bureau that there are teacher qualification exams in November and March every year... Although you will definitely be too late for the exam in November this year, you will still be able to prepare for the exam in March next year."

"Secondly, as I said before, the 2 Hope Primary Schools scattered across the villages were all fully funded by our drilling company, with a total aid amount of million yuan... This does not include the subsequent operating expenses for maintenance;"

"With such an unprecedented scale of aid, our drilling company has been praised by the leaders and naturally obtained certain special policies... So, even if you fail to pass the teacher qualification examination in March next year, it doesn't matter. As long as your teaching attitude is positive enough, you can teach with confidence. If you fail the exam in one year, you can take it in two years. If you fail the exam in two years, you can take it in three years!"

At this point, Zhang Bo's tone was appropriately heavy: "My fellow students may not know that, unlike cities where everything is very particular, most primary school teachers in rural areas nowadays may not even have a junior high school degree. It is common for primary school graduates to teach in primary schools. But even so, there is still a severe shortage of teachers there;"

"To be frank, even if you don't pass the teacher qualification exam, you are still rare teachers for rural children. Not to mention that our drilling company has special policies to take care of this, even if we don't... those township officials will definitely not sit idly by and watch you get blocked!"

Li Li, who was born in the urban area, nodded as if she understood what was said, but did not ask any more questions. Instead, she picked up a photo album on the table and began to look through it... Those were photos that Yang Mo had specially asked people to take in various villages and townships. The photos also contained the current situation of rural classrooms and the real situation of those school-age children.

Li Li didn't ask any more questions, but another girl asked her own question: "But boss, it's too difficult to teach in remote areas for three years before you can get a regular position... Even state-owned enterprises can't have such a long internship period. My previous internship company said that as soon as I graduate, I can report there and become a regular employee!"

Hearing the girl's entanglement and reluctance, Zhang Bo said with a serious expression: "Student, let me emphasize again that these three years are not an internship period, but your social practice period!"

"Besides, don't think it's too much to take three years to get a formal position."

"All of you students have some internship experience, and you should know the value of being formally employed by a central enterprise. You should also know that it is very difficult to obtain the status of a section officer... Even among undergraduates and students from prestigious universities, after going through layers of screening, less than 30% of them can finally become regular employees."

"Do you understand the meaning of this?"

Many students suddenly looked unnatural. They certainly understood what Zhang Bo meant. As a mediocre college student, it might not be a big deal for them to work in a state-owned enterprise to earn money, but if they wanted to get a formal position in a state-owned enterprise right after graduation, people would probably look down on them... Not to mention college students like them, even undergraduates who did not graduate from famous universities might not be looked down upon.

There's no way. The treatment in this kind of unit is too good. The children of the unit haven't even found a job yet, so how could they just give it to outsiders?

Seeing many students look a little ashamed and angry, Zhang Bo's heart tightened, and he immediately changed his face, and his tone became a little unhappy: "And classmates, don't think that these three years of teaching are to make things difficult for you... As a senior who is two years older than you, to be honest, if possible, I would like to teach for three years in exchange for a place as a reserve officer."

Eh? ?

Seeing the deep frustration and envy in Zhang Bo's tone, a group of students looked at his clothes in surprise... A woolen windbreaker with a suit, a perfect cadre outfit. He must be at least a regular employee with a promising future. Why would they envy the so-called reserve clerk position?

Zhang Bo sighed heavily when he saw this. "My fellow students, you may not know that these three years of teaching are definitely tough... After all, the conditions in many rural areas are really bad. Not only are there many poisonous mosquitoes, but even drinking water has to be carried from miles away."

"But speaking of opportunities, they are really great... As long as you can make it through these three years and are willing to transfer back to the drilling company, not only will you be able to become a regular employee immediately, but you will also be given priority to work in departments such as Momo Baitou and Xintai Management Company;"

"That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that as long as you have these three years of teaching experience, if nothing unexpected happens, you will be considered a key target for training by the company!"

"Hey~ You haven't officially entered the society yet, and you don't know how important it is to enter the leadership's field of vision for your personal development... The company's top management attaches great importance to this Hope Project. As long as you become a member of the teaching support work, your name will immediately appear on the leadership's desk;"

"I'm going to tell you something you may not believe, but if I could, I would also like to be one of these teaching staff...To work hard for three years in exchange for a bright future, how many people in the company can't even get it!"

The students who had little social experience looked at each other in bewilderment, their hearts pounding, yet they couldn't help feeling confused.

"Well, leader, we are nothing more than college students, and our majors are not even relevant... Is these three years of teaching experience so important?"

The boy at the beginning asked everyone's question.

Zhang Bo laughed self-deprecatingly when he heard this, then lowered his voice and said, "Classmates, do you know which school I graduated from?"

The students shook their heads.

Zhang Bo sighed: "I graduated from Qilu University, which is considered a good school in Qilu... although I studied Chinese."

Hearing that the other party was a graduate of Qilu University, all the students suddenly became restrained, and then nodded in unison... At this time, Qilu University had not yet replaced the female president, and its reputation was very famous. As the only two 985 universities in Qilu, its status in the minds of Qilu people is no less than that of Tsinghua University and Peking University.

Looking at the reactions of his juniors with some emotion, Zhang Bo sighed, "But you know what? If I hadn't been lucky enough to encounter the new Momo Baitou of the drilling company, I would probably have returned to my alma mater after the internship, just like my classmates, waiting for the second job assignment... You can imagine how difficult it is to get into a drilling company."

When the students heard this, they all gasped... Graduates from Qilu University can hardly get a job in a drilling company?

Zhang Bo smiled and shook his head: "I originally thought that the company had very strict requirements on the academic qualifications and professional skills of new employees... But later I found out that I was wrong!"

"Except for technical jobs, the company actually doesn't care what school you graduated from, what major you studied, whether you are an undergraduate, a college student, or a graduate student!"

"To be honest, for company leaders, no matter what school or major you graduated from, once you join the company, you are a rookie who knows nothing and needs to learn everything from scratch... I know this may sound uncomfortable to everyone, but objectively speaking, this is also the truth, especially in government agencies."

“So, you all know why these three years of teaching experience are so valuable… For the company leaders, since everyone is a rookie, they will definitely value those new employees who have a sense of social responsibility, are more hardworking, and have a more competent mind!”

"These three years of teaching are like a whetstone and a mirror... To be frank, anyone who can survive these three years and receive a positive evaluation is a good candidate worthy of key training, no matter which unit he or she is in!"

At this point, Zhang Bo looked at the younger students in front of him meaningfully: "Such a simple truth, even a newcomer like me who has been in the company for less than two years can understand it, so it is impossible for the company's leaders not to understand it, right? Moreover, there are more than 10,000 employees of all kinds in the drilling company... Although these 400 teaching quotas seem a lot, if you compare them with the number of employees in the drilling company, you will know how valuable these quotas are!"

When the students heard this, they felt their blood boiling. Just when a few students who were eager to try wanted to ask some more specific questions, they started to sign up.

A female voice suddenly came: "I've decided, I want to go to teach!"

Everyone turned around and saw Li Li, a petite girl with ordinary looks.

Li Li hugged the photo album tightly in her hand and looked at Zhang Bo seriously: "Leader, I don't care whether what you just said is true or not, and I don't care whether the company will really give me a position in three years... Count me in for this teaching trip!"

Zhang Bo looked at Li Li with a somewhat surprised expression. He didn't understand why the other girls were either hesitant or resisting, but why this junior girl with a calm expression was the first to sign up?
Li Li glanced at the curious eyes around her and smiled gently: "Don't think too much, I just feel that after studying for so many years, I should finally fulfill my original dream. This has nothing to do with salary and benefits, nor does it have anything to do with whether I am on the payroll or not... Although in the past, I never knew what I wanted to do, but now... I think I have found it!"

After saying that, Li Li looked at a photo calmly, closed the photo album in her hand, and then carefully put it back on the table.

Zhang Bo looked very carefully and realized that the photo Li Li had just seen was a photo of an old district in Yimeng.

In that photo, a few children wrapped in straw skirts, holding plaster blocks, squatting on the ground, looking at a broken and worn Chinese textbook and writing seriously on the stone slab by the river, looked particularly glaring...

………………

A few hours later.

In the brightly lit office, Yang Mo was reviewing a thick stack of documents on the table.

"Duoduoduo~"

Following a knock on the door, Qin Xin, who was responsible for the coordination of various departments, walked in.

"Chief, here are today's recruitment results... As you expected, more than 7 people from seven colleges and universities signed up in just one day. Not only did it exceed the company's plan, but we still need to conduct screening and elimination."

Qin Xin handed several lists to Yang Mo respectfully, which was totally unlike the attitude of a deputy section chief.

Hearing this, Yang Mo just smiled and said, "It's normal. Students these days are still very eager to teach. Not to mention the bait of a job, even if there is no job, they are very willing to go to teach!"

After taking a quick glance, Yang Mo put the list aside and asked, "Have the supply contracts for the seven universities been signed?"

Qin Xin nodded: "Five companies have already signed the supply and marketing contracts for winter vegetables, and the remaining two have also agreed to it. The contract will be signed tomorrow or the day after tomorrow... After all, each university has a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 70 central enterprise recruitment quotas, which is still very attractive."

Yang Mo nodded and calculated in his mind. The total number of students in the seven universities was about 60,000. Adding holiday benefits and daily losses, at least two to three thousand tons of vegetables could be consumed in a month, which was considered a good result.

Although Qin Xin knew that this trip had yielded fruitful results, he still had some concerns: "Section Chief, we have signed long-term agreements with these universities, which means we have to recruit so many graduates every year... Although opening up channels with these universities has indeed solved some of our urgent needs, what will we do after three years? Do we really have to make those 400 students regular employees?"

The so-called accounts cannot be calculated in detail. If this standard is followed every year, it will be an extremely terrifying number... Not to mention every year, even three years later, how to accommodate the first batch of students in aid education will be a difficult and headache-inducing problem.

To be honest, Qin Xin really didn't know why Wang Yinuo and Vice President Feng approved this plan that was clearly a dead end...Didn't these people consider the consequences?

Upon hearing this, Yang Mo smiled softly, and then handed a cigarette to Qin Xin: "Old Qin, I think you worry too much... I dare to bet with you that in three years, it would be great if 300 of these students are willing to come back... Don't forget that people are emotional creatures. As long as our subsidies are in place, these passionate young people will definitely not want to leave their students, and those fellow villagers who want to support them!"

Qin Xin shook his head: "But even if only 300 students are willing to come back, we still can't absorb them... Section Chief, the drilling company really can't come up with so many quotas to accommodate them!"

Yang Mo laughed and lit the cigarette in his hand: "Old Tan, I have to criticize you for this... You are now a cadre at the section level after all, you have to look at the problem from a development perspective!"

As he spoke, Yang Mo glanced at him meaningfully: "There aren't that many positions available to accommodate those students right now. Will there really not be that many available positions available to accommodate them three years later?"

"Old Tan, you have certainly heard of cases of using space to exchange for time, but you still need to understand more about using time to exchange for space!"

Exchange time for space?

Qin Xin, who had no idea that this was how things were done in later generations, fell into deep thought when he heard these words...

(End of this chapter)