Fudan University Graduate Drops Out to Start Business, Sparks Debate

On March 20th, the topic of “985 Graduate Dropout Selling Snacks” became a hot search on the internet. A graduate student from Fudan University in Shanghai dropped out of school and started selling mashed potatoes, sparking controversy online.

According to the report from Cover News, in the lineup of stalls at the East Gate of the West Campus of Sichuan University, a young “boss” with a hint of youthfulness attracted special attention.

The stall owner was a graduate student in the Department of Public Health at Fudan University just a year ago. He decided to drop out in February last year and after a year of unemployment, he finally decided to set up a stall selling mashed potatoes.

The stall owner, Fei Yu, said that since officially setting up the stall on March 10th, he has already built two fan groups, with the majority of members being his former classmates. “On the first day, many acquaintances came to support me. I sold out all the mashed potatoes in just over an hour, with sales revenue exceeding 700 yuan.”

Fei Yu admitted that the pressure mainly comes from societal judgment. “My parents feel a bit embarrassed in front of relatives and friends. They think that after studying so many books and putting in so much effort, it’s a pity to choose to run a stall.”

In recent years, it has become an undeniable fact that it’s difficult for Chinese university graduates to find jobs, and the situation is becoming increasingly severe. Nearly half of last year’s graduates were unemployed upon graduation. This year, an estimated 12.22 million university students are expected to graduate. In this context, many highly educated talents have to “downgrade” their employment and take on jobs that were previously considered mismatched.

On March 20th, “985 Graduate Dropout Selling Snacks” once again sparked discussions online. Some say, “Being young, there’s no fear of trying and failing.” More others express, “It’s a bit of a pity for a 985 graduate to drop out… even if the net income is 700 per month, it’s less than 20,000.”

Some criticize the media, saying “Is it worth boasting about a daily sales volume of 700 yuan in the catering business?” “Sales revenue is not profit.” “Is it worth mentioning the sales from the first day when there were mostly acquaintances?” “Just wait and see after a week. In this kind of business without thresholds, after about a week, you’ll have a bunch of homogeneous competitors competing with you, and then prepare for price wars and under-the-table tactics.” “The key is, how sustainable is this kind of work?”

Others say, “Even if you have a degree, you can still do these jobs. If you don’t study, your future choices will only become fewer. Don’t promote dropping out of school.”