In Tibet, a graduate spurns govt job, plants mushrooms

Greenhouses covered with black netting to reduce the harsh sunshine line up like soldiers in a flat area at the foot of Senge Gongla, a snow-capped mountain in the Tramok township of the Tibet autonomous region's Bomi county. Samtan Dondrub is busy watering his fungus field with the help of two villagers.

Samtan is a college graduate and one of the few in his village with the courage to open up a new business rather than hoping for a stable government job like most others.

As the number of graduates increases thanks to higher school enrollments in the region in recent years, the government has been encouraging them to find jobs in the marketplace or start their own businesses — not merely take civil service exams.

After graduating from Shijiazhuang Economic Vocational College in Hebei province in 2017, Samtan, a 26-year-old accounting major, had sought government work for two years without success.

"So many college graduates are seeking government jobs today that it's very challenging," he said. "So I gave up on taking the tests and decided to start my own business."

He has been receiving encouragement and support from the government but "had a tough time convincing my parents, who thought a government job was best," he said.

With an investment of 10,000 yuan ($1,500), he set up six plantation greenhouses on 0.53 hectares of land rented from the village.

"The county government also pays a subsidy for college students who open up new businesses. I have sent my application already, and I heard that I can get 50,000 yuan," he said.

In October, Samtan planted morchella esculenta in the greenhouses. It also grows in the forests around his village. Collecting mushrooms in the summer is a brisk business in his hometown.