Young workers decide to go it alone

Lu then became a voluntary teacher at a Chinese school in Thailand.

"Living in Thailand made me rethink my life and realize that I had to regain the passion for work," she said.

During her time in Thailand, she took daytime online courses in business operations and gave Chinese lessons to children in the evening. Lu also earned 2,000 to 10,000 yuan a month from time to time as a freelance travel adviser.

However, she started to worry when she saw her former university classmates being promoted, earning high salaries, buying property, and getting married.

As a result, Lu obtained a professional certificate to operate new media — receiving 10 job offers after applying for 20 positions within two weeks.

Armed with what she learned from the courses and voluntary work, she returned to Hangzhou in 2019 to work as operations supervisor at a domestic maternal and infant products brand.

However, after working at the company for two years, she decided to pursue flexible employment again — this time making detailed plans and preparing about nine months in advance.

"I kept asking myself what I would do for a living without relying on any particular company. I eventually decided I wanted to be an operations consultant offering professional advice on product operation and promotion," Lu said.