Hot majors that pay off

Data released by MyCOS Research Institute indicate that petroleum engineering, mining engineering and engineering geology are among the most promising college majors of 2013 in terms of finding a job. Although reasons vary, students in some majors effortlessly adapted to the tough job market this year.

由麦可思研究院发布的一组数据显示，石油工程、采矿工程和工程地质学位居2013年求职季最具前途专业之列。尽管原因五花八门，一些专业的学生毫不费力地适应了今年严峻的就业形势。

Wang Anmin, 23, is a petroleum engineering major at China University of Petroleum, Beijing. He started job hunting in late September and signed a work contract with China National Offshore Oil Corporation on National Day.

23岁的王安民（音译）来自中国石油大学石油工程专业，去年9月底，他开始着手找工作，国庆节时就和中国海洋石油总公司签订劳动合同。

Finding a job isn’t difficult for students in petroleum engineering. Wang estimates that his class has an employment rate of more than 95 percent.

对于石油工程专业的学生而言，求职并非难事。据王安民估计，他们班的就业率达到95%以上。

A major reason for this high success rate is the situation of the Chinese oil industry. “It faces an increasing number of problems. For instance, having passed their peak, most oil fields now need well-educated professionals to carry out secondary or even tertiary recovery, ” says Wang Lin, deputy secretary of the Party committee at the School of Petroleum Engineering at China University of Petroleum, Beijing.

如此高的就业率主要源于中国石油产业的形势。“石油产业面临的问题越来越多。例如，石油开采已经过了顶峰时期，如今大多数油田都急需受过良好教育的专业人士来进行二次、甚至是三次开采，”中国石油大学（北京）石油工程学院党委副书记王林表示。

Other than needing additional talents to tackle existing problems, the geology industry has a huge demand for graduates because it’s one of the focuses of the Chinese government. As Liu Junjie, student supervisor in the Department of Geology at Northwest University in Xi’an, explains, China has a high demand for natural resources, which means engineering geology graduates are needed for geological exploration.

地质行业除了引进新人才来解决现有问题之外，对于大学毕业生的需求量也是十分巨大，因为这是中国政府关注的领域之一。西北大学地质学系辅导员刘俊杰解释道，中国对自然资源的需求很大，这就意味着地质勘探工作急需工程地质学专业毕业生。

Liao Wenchun, 22, is studying engineering geology at Northwest University and will work for China JK Institute of Engineering Investigation and Design after he graduates. “I signed the work contract in the first semester of my final year. Most of my classmates are focusing on their graduation projects as many of them found a job around the same time as me, ” he said.

22岁的廖文淳（音译）正就读于西北大学工程地质学专业。毕业后他将供职于机械工业勘探设计研究院。他说：“早在大四上学期，我就签下了这份工作。眼下，我们班大多数同学都在专心于自己的毕业设计，因为许多人几乎和我同一时间便找到了工作。”

Besides good employment prospects, students in engineering geology have many opportunities to go on field trips, which equips them with practical knowledge.

除了良好的就业前景之外，工程地质学专业的学生还有很多校外实习机会，这样一来便能掌握大量的实践知识。

“We went on field trips during every summer vacation. In the first year we went to Qinhuangdao, in the second to Chaohu Lake, both in Hebei province, each time for 20 days. In the third year, we went on a half-month trip to Shaanxi province, where we visited many places, from Yan’an to the Qinling Mountains, ” Liao said.

廖文淳说：“我们每个暑假都会进行校外实习。第一年，我们去了秦皇岛，第二年去了巢湖，这两个地方都位于河北省，每次实习的时间是20天。第三年，我们在陕西待了半个月，我们去了很多地方，从延安到秦岭。”

“Nowadays employers prefer graduates with practical knowledge, because they settle down quickly in the work environment, ” said Teng Heyuan, deputy secretary of the Party committee in the Department of Audiology at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. Her students are usually approached by employers in their junior year because they are trained to do practical work. Half of their time at university is spent in laboratories or hospitals.

浙江中医药大学听力与言语科学学院党委副书记党总支副书记滕贺圆说：“如今，用人单位更青睐那些具备实践经验的毕业生，因为他们能够迅速适应工作环境。”她所在学院的学生通常在大三时便已经与用人单位打交道了，因为他们接受训练，做些实践性较强的工作。在大学里，他们把一半的时间都花在了实验室或医院里。

“With China’s rapidly aging population, audiology is becoming a very important part of the national health sector. Considering that audiology is a relatively new subject, there is great demand for our graduates in the job market, ” Teng said.

滕贺圆说：“随着中国老龄化的加剧，听力学正逐渐成为国家卫生领域十分重要的一部分。考虑到听力学是一个相对较新的学科，我们的毕业生在就业市场中的需求量很大。”