In search of fulfillment

High-altitude builder

Wan Pengjun, 32, has worked in different places in the Xizang autonomous region since 2016. He graduated from Changsha University of Science and Technology in 2014 and started working at the No 2 Engineering Co of the CCCC First Highway Engineering Group Co. He was sent by the company to work in Xizang two years later.

He has worked on different projects in the region from building roads to bridges and public facilities.

"I have thought about working in a big city and having a routine day-to-day job, but I have worked in Xizang for about eight years, and find my job very satisfying," he said.

He has been promoted to be the chief engineer of the company's subsidiary in Xizang and he can make more than 20,000 yuan a month, more than he could make in Hunan.

Getting used to the high altitude has not been easy, and every time he returns to Xizang from his hometown in Changde, Hunan province, he still suffers the discomfort of altitude sickness.

Due to the long distance from Xizang to Hunan, he usually only returns home once a year.

"Everyone makes different choices about which kind of job they want and where they want to work. I have not regretted coming to Xizang, and the company has rewarded me for my hard work, so I am more than satisfied," he said.

Free-spirited official

Yang Yang, 26, plans to work as a government official in a village in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, after she graduates in June.

Yang, who is a third-year postgraduate student at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said she has not considered working at an internet company in Beijing, a popular choice for many of the capital's college graduates, as it does not suit her carefree character.

Yang was born and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan. She misses the beautiful grassland and snowcapped mountains of western Sichuan, so she did not hesitate to seize the chance to work there.

Beijing is a very vibrant city for students to study, but as a working adult, the high housing prices can be formidable for many people from other regions, she said.

"If I work at a company in Beijing, I will feel like I am trapped in my small cubicle. The fast-paced life in the city also means I need to constantly run toward the next target," she said.

She says she wants a more free-spirited life so she can enjoy the beautiful mountains and grasslands with friends during weekends and holidays.

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn