BEIJING, June 13 -- JOB competition in China is so fierce that most undergraduates go for hot majors like finance and business administration. Some, however, opt for minor majors in hopes of big benefits, write Yao Minji and Pang Liwen.

    It's tough at the age of 18 to make life decisions, like career, university and the major that will lead to the ultimate goal: a secure, well-paying job. But that's what young Chinese must do.

    The job is everything, there's not a lot of slack. No flirting with different fields of study, exploring and finding yourself in college - unless your parents are really rich and very tolerant. No counting on prospective employers to find your college background eclectic and intriguing. China's job market calls for diligence, not dilettantes. A bachelor's degree is almost always required.

    So before 10 million Chinese students, including 130,000 in Shanghai, took the National College Entrance Exam last week, they were required to sign up for their major (ranking their preferences) and a university (ranking their preferences).

    A lot of futures ride on the outcome of the exams. High scores mean desired majors and choice schools. Lower scores mean lesser choices, or choices made for them - or no choices at all.

    So, the prudent choice seemingly is to select hot majors that are in demand, such as computer science, finance and management, as these are considered necessary skills for landing a good job.

    While many rack their brains to get into top majors, some deliberately take a different route, the road less traveled. They go for relatively unknown or unpopular majors, such as religion, philosophy, minor languages, even scent research in biochemistry. Others are library science, aircraft piloting.

    Some might choose a "minor" major field, in hopes of getting into a better school - a tradeoff between school and major.

    For some, there are jobs aplenty, as in the booming cosmetics industry, or in helping companies from small countries with minor languages (Greek, Persian) do business in China. Unique background and special skills help. For others, four years of studying metaphysics may help you understand the cosmos, but there's no money in that.

    Scent research

    The Shanghai Institute of Technology is not renowned, but many students and their parents have heard of its School of Perfume and Aroma Technology. They know the niche Scent Research and Crafts major is the only rigorous training for professional "scent craftsmen" in China.

    It's an obscure major, but a first choice for those interested in cosmetics, food and beverage and biochemical industries, says Sunny Gu, who graduates this summer. He hopes to go into industrial design - he was assigned to "scent," not his first choice.

    About 60 "scent" majors are recruited every year and almost all graduates find specialized work.

    "Only a very few people would choose jobs totally irrelevant to their major," says Gu. "It is different from general majors like finance that can help you get all kinds of jobs. Scent research is very specific and technical - if you don't go into the industry, you wasted your four years."

    There's lots of lab work throughout the years. Gu says he wanted to learn to recognize scents and to produce them in the lab, but then he got tired of it.

    "Sometimes, I'm afraid I will lose my sense of smell because my nose got so tired of all the aromas and my brain got bored telling them apart," he sighs.

    Religion

    Fudan University's Department of Religion Studies in the College of Philosophy began to enroll religion majors for the first time in 2000. Around 20 students are enrolled each year.

    The major requires courses in almost all religions/philosophies, such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

    As expected, it's difficult to find a job in a related field. Most seniors either have no job prospects or found work in a very different field.

    One has been recruited by the cosmetics brand L'Oreal, another has joined China Construction Bank. Others will join China Mobile, Shanghai Television Station and accounting firms.

    Four students plan to continue studying religion and philosophy.

    Zhao Fei, who plans advanced religion studies at Beijing University, says religion wasn't the first choice for most of her classmates four years ago. They were assigned to religion after failing to be admitted to study finance, accounting, management and other fields. Two decided to minor in accounting, for better career prospects.

    Zhao, however, is deeply interested in religion, her first choice, and the four years of study led to a more profound understanding of the world.

    "I used to be narrow-minded, but through these years' study of religions and philosophy, I now tend to observe things around me from a different angle," Zhao says. "This is still not enough. I want to know more about the philosophical essence of religions, which I'm really interested in."

    Minor languages

    It's all Greek to most people, but to Qian Yingchao from Shanghai International Studies University, studying Greek is her passport to a career. She has been longing for a job offer from the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, a common route for students majoring in minor languages. Others include Persian.

    "If I don't get the offer, I have two options - to apply for a master's degree from Greek universities or plunge into preparation for next year's national graduate candidates test," says Qian.

    The Department of Greek enrolls around 10 undergraduates every four years. Of the eight graduates of 2004, two were recruited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one as a teacher, two for the Greek Consulate General in Shanghai, one for multi-national corporation, one for Greek government's shipping department in Shanghai. Only one got a job unrelated to the language.

    Four years ago, Qian listed Greek as No. 1 because she was fascinated with the language and culture. Now she is even more passionate.

    Practically, she also faces a much easier job-hunt compared with students in popular majors. Her field is limited, but she doesn't have much competition. She even has more opportunities.

    During the summer of 2006, the Greek Ministry of Education gave Qian a free trip around the European country. The year before, Qian was able to study in Athens University for two months.

    All of her 10 classmates have enjoyed free trips to Greece. In the hot majors, such as finance, 30 to 40 students in one program may compete for one for an exchange program trip abroad.

    Greek majors are also in great demand as interpreters, notably during the Special Olympics in Shanghai, the city's tourism festival and international exhibitions.

    The same goes for other minor languages.

    "As for job-hunting, we don't feel much anxiety," says Qian. Since 2001 all graduates of her department have found jobs.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)