Graduates diversify career paths

However, as his peers were able to recite the sentence quickly and confidently, Wu's competitive side kicked in, and he practiced the mantra countless times until it became muscle memory.

Because of his competitiveness, curiosity and willingness to venture into unknown territory and learn new things, he was promoted to the head of a branch in May.

Apart from learning how to be a proper server, he also learned about accounting, human resources, cost management, restaurant operations and how to cook that signature dish of stir-fried pork with pepper.

In a similar situation to Wu, Xiao Yang, a 27-year-old civil engineering master's graduate from a university in Henan, now crafts whimsical flatbreads shaped to look like video game and cartoon characters. He sells them from a stall near a primary school in Zhengzhou.

After leaving a brief, unsatisfying job teaching physics not long after graduation, Yang discovered his talent on an idle griddle in his father's restaurant. By manipulating the dough and pan, he was able to fashion a wide range of flatbreads in amusing shapes that quickly caught on with local children.

"Seeing the kids so happy gave me a sense of accomplishment, and that motivated me to keep going," Yang said, adding that he sells around 20-30 flatbreads daily.

His unexpected popularity spilled onto short-video platform Douyin, where he quickly amassed over 160,000 followers captivated by the quirky breads and his interactions with the kids.

For Yang, his degree hasn't been wasted; it's a tool applicable to any job, he said. "It's not embarrassing. Doing something well proves that education helps every job."