HowToLiveBetter.THE BETTER LIFE HANDBOOK
English
YOUR LIFE, YOUR OWN PACE

Which skills are worth learning?

Explore each chapter to understand the effort, benefits and context.

Read the chapter introduction

This chapter weighs money and time; entry 2 also considers mortality. The first six entries address whether to stay in education. Entry 1 explains which choices Chinese law rules out, entry 2 examines education and longevity, and entry 3 describes the country's educational attainment. Entry 4 covers financial assistance, entry 5 explores alternatives to a general high school, and entry 6 offers a way to calculate the trade-off between studying and working. The next seven entries address what to learn once you have decided to acquire a skill. Official Chinese wage statistics by occupation are difficult to verify individually through public sources, so this chapter sticks to claims with traceable sources: the approximate earnings associated with another year of schooling, how to check credentials, where training subsidies come from, and which features make a skill harder to replace. It gives no monthly earnings figures for individual trades. Entries 14–19 address a third question: once you have chosen a subject, how can you learn it efficiently? These six entries consider time without converting it into money. Entries 20–23 address a fourth question: if you already do professional or technical work, where do you apply for a Chinese professional title, how do the examinations work, what pitfalls should you avoid, and what is the title worth?

Ideas for a better everyday

Choose what fits your life.
⌘ K
Found:23 ideas
Time & energy

Under 16, ordinary employment is not a legal option in China: employers face RMB 5,000 per child per month

Students typically finish junior secondary school at 15 or 16, right around the legal boundary. Hiring someone under 16 for ordinary work is unlawful in China and carries a fine of RMB 5,000 per child per month. An employer willing to do it is knowingly breaking the law. If something goes wrong, you must pursue that employer for medical expenses and compensation; if it refuses to pay or disappears, there may be nobody to cover its obligations.

A Stronger evidenceHigh value
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Include longevity in the education calculation: each additional year is associated with about 1.9% lower adult mortality

Each additional year of education is associated with an average reduction of about 1.9% in adult mortality risk. The association is strongest at ages 18–49, at about 2.9% per year, compared with 0.8% above age 70. People who stay in school often start with greater advantages, so the studies cannot fully separate the effect of education itself from those advantages.

A Stronger evidenceDebated
No costOngoing effort
Time & energy

Before declaring qualifications worthless, look at China's educational attainment: 15,467 people per 100,000 had tertiary education

In China's 2020 census, 15,467 people per 100,000 had education at junior-college level or above—about 15%. Junior secondary education was the largest category, at 34,507 per 100,000. People aged 15 and over had an average of 9.91 years of schooling, just beyond junior secondary graduation. Junior secondary education is therefore a common baseline in China, rather than evidence of a distinctive advantage.

A Stronger evidence
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Check financial assistance before deciding you cannot afford education: tuition waivers, RMB 2,300 grants, and undergraduate loans up to RMB 20,000 a year

China's public secondary vocational schools waive tuition for rural students, urban students in agriculture-related programs, and students from financially disadvantaged households. From spring 2025, the stated annual national grant standard for secondary vocational and general high school students is RMB 2,300. At tertiary level, the undergraduate/junior-college grant standard is RMB 3,700 a year, and annual student loans can reach RMB 20,000. A funding gap may call for postponement or another financing route; it does not by itself settle the case for dropping out to work.

A Stronger evidenceHigh value
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Missing the general high school cutoff does not end your education: vocational routes can lead onward

China's 2022 Vocational Education Law gives vocational and general education equal importance. Secondary vocational schools can offer integrated admission and training with higher vocational institutions. Higher vocational institutions must reserve a share of admissions or use separate examinations for vocational-school graduates. Employers must not erect barriers simply because applicants graduated from vocational schools. A score below the general high school cutoff can mean taking another route, rather than stopping at junior secondary education.

A Stronger evidence
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Compare study and work explicitly: three years of early earnings versus decades of annual income differences

Put both choices on paper. Starting work early gives you three years of earnings in jobs with low entry requirements, once. Continuing education may give you an earnings increment every year for the remaining 30–40 years of working life. Urban Chinese estimates associated an additional year of education with 4.0% higher income in 1988 and 10.2% in 2001. These old figures indicate an order of magnitude, not today's expected return.

B Research support
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Keep a benchmark in mind: another year of schooling has a global average private return of about 9% in annual earnings

Globally, an additional year of schooling is associated with about 9% higher personal annual earnings on average, and women's returns have consistently exceeded men's. This concerns formal schooling, so you cannot simply apply it to a training course. If a course in China costs RMB 30,000 and six months, ask whether its likely earnings effect is comparable to that of another year in education.

A Stronger evidenceHigh value
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Before paying for a certificate, check the national qualifications catalogue and registered assessment bodies

Some Chinese providers use labels such as “new occupation” or “skill grade” to charge unauthorized fees and issue dubious certificates; some impersonate recognized institutions. The human resources ministry has run a campaign against these practices. Before enrolling, check the occupation's status in the National Vocational Qualifications Catalogue, whether the issuer is a registered assessment body, and whether certificate numbers can be verified on the official platform. An unrecognized certificate can make the registration fee a waste.

A Stronger evidence
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Explore subsidized training before paying a commercial provider

From 2025 through the end of 2027, China plans more than 30 million subsidized training attendances. Funding can come from employment subsidies, unemployment insurance, companies' employee education budgets, and other sources. Scarcer occupations and more expensive training can attract larger subsidies. Employees should ask their employer first; others should check the local human resources bureau's catalogue before choosing a course.

A Stronger evidence
No costSome time
Time & energy

Favor skills involving practical work and judgment on site when considering automation risk

One US estimate classified about 47% of jobs as highly susceptible to computerization; later task-based estimates were much lower. The study identified three obstacles for machines: physical dexterity, creativity, and social interaction. Work requiring physical presence, nonstandard environments, and immediate judgment tends to be harder to replace than fixed procedures centered on information processing.

B Research supportHigh valueDebated
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Before learning a skill, check whether it has recognized grades and whether employers reward them

China is promoting a new eight-level vocational skill system and encouraging companies to link pay to skill grades. Outstanding workers may have their grade recognized without the usual seniority requirements. This is a policy direction, with substantial variation between places and employers. A skill with a national occupational standard and a progression route at least offers a basis for discussing pay increases by grade.

B Research support
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Check local shortage and subsidy lists instead of equating online salary claims with demand

Local training subsidies depend partly on occupational shortages and training costs, so their size can provide a clue to local demand. Online claims about monthly earnings usually come from advertised salaries or personal accounts. Successful earners are more visible, and the figures often omit working hours, commuting, occupational illness, and seasonal fluctuations.

C Experience & consensus
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

For a comparable investment, favor short courses that lead to a specific job

Chinese policy supports short, practical training that can lead quickly to employment, as well as vocational colleges' micro-programs. Ask one central question: after completing it, is there a specific job you can apply for? A program taking six months or a year and then requiring you to “build experience” costs more time than its advertised duration suggests. Write an exit condition before starting: how far will you go without finding work before stopping?

C Experience & consensus
Small costSome time
Time & energy

For a Chinese professional title, identify your occupational series and level, then find the appropriate application route

China's professional-title system has 27 occupational series, each with junior, intermediate, and senior levels. Applicants generally progress level by level. Employees usually apply through their employer after review and internal publication of their materials. Private-sector workers can use designated application service points, personnel service agencies, or industry associations. Eligible freelancers apply for reviews organized by local human resources authorities.

A Stronger evidence
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

Some junior and intermediate titles, including accounting, are obtained through national examinations

In some Chinese professional series, passing the national examination establishes the junior or intermediate title without a separate review. Accounting is one example. Assistant accountants need at least senior secondary education; intermediate accountants can qualify with a bachelor's degree and four years of accounting work, or a junior-college qualification and five years. Some existing occupational qualifications can also be recognized as corresponding titles.

A Stronger evidence
Small costSome time
Time & energy

Avoid fraudulent title agents, ghostwritten papers, and false materials: titles can be revoked and misconduct recorded for three years

In China, a title obtained through false materials, ghostwritten papers, or plagiarism can be revoked. Misconduct is recorded for three years and entered into the national credit information system. A false undertaking in an application can bar further applications for three years. Human resources authorities also investigate agents' misleading promotions, sham reviews, and forged certificates.

A Stronger evidence
No costQuick and easy
Time & energy

A professional title does not automatically raise your pay: ask how assessment and appointment connect at your employer

In China, titles inform hiring, appraisal, and promotion, but earning a title and being appointed to a matching position are separate events. Public institutions generally assess within their authorized staffing proportions, linking the two more closely. Employers without position-based staffing management can separate assessment and appointment, so a title may bring neither a matching post nor extra pay. Moving employer or region can require reassessment or confirmation.

B Research support
No costQuick and easy

Take a little time to go deeper

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