The real journey begins after the cap falls

As the final bells rang and cap-tossing celebrations swept university campuses across China and beyond, students bid farewell to their golden school days and prepared to embrace life's next chapter — one filled not only with challenges, but also with renewed purpose and hope.

Among them is Liu Xuan, 25, who recently completed his master's degree in software engineering at Peking University (PKU) and joined Microsoft Suzhou.

Liu's postgraduate years were defined by technical excellence. He completed internships that ranged from writing production-level code at a major tech company to developing investment strategies at a private equity firm.

He values those experiences deeply. "One of the projects I worked on not only helped me land a job but also became part of my thesis. It was both practical and had research value," Liu said. "They helped me better understand what I'm good at and what I truly want."

But for Liu, university life was about more than acquiring technical skills or preparing for the job market.

"Even as a 'polytechnic guy' — who is often stereotyped as being focused mainly on technical skills and practical work — I treasure reading, traveling, and everything that brings me closer to people and the world," he said. "PKU offers a vibrant cultural life — from film screenings and theater to symphony concerts. There was always something to discover."

For others, like Zhang Dongyi, 23, a graduate of East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai, graduation is not an end but the beginning of a lifelong academic path.

He chose to remain at ECNU to pursue a master's degree in literary theory — the same field he focused on as an undergraduate.

"College was a journey," he said. "Not because I traveled a lot — in fact, we couldn't travel much during semesters — but because every book I read and every research project I undertook was a journey of thought."

Influenced by the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, whose emphasis on active societal engagement left a deep impression on him, Zhang believes in connecting with society through the lens of literature.

"Literary theory is not just about analyzing texts — it's about exploring beauty, truth, and the human spirit," he said. "It not only helps us live, but also gives us the power to think, to understand, and to create."

This evolving sense of purpose is also reflected in Wei Xiaolong, a control science and engineering major from Shanghai University of Engineering Science.

For Wei, graduation marked a transition — from youthful exploration to meaningful contribution.

"Graduation means expanding from a personal social circle to the broader society," he said. "It's about moving beyond individual goals to contribute to something bigger, like national development."

Having nurtured a passion for robotics and cyberspace security since middle school, Wei recently secured a job as a software developer at a government department in Shanghai.

Although it took him nearly a year to find a position he truly felt satisfied with, Wei remains optimistic about the value of campus life. "School isn't just about absorbing knowledge — it's where we're allowed to fail, explore, and grow without fear," he said. "As long as I wasn't just playing video games all day, everything I tried was meaningful and helped me grow."

This redefinition of success — measured not by speed but by clarity — also shaped Li Le (pseudonym), a master's graduate from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.

Born and raised in Hefei, Anhui province, Li once believed that success meant landing a high-paying tech job in a big city.

"Back when I graduated from one of China's top universities, I thought success was all about earning more, never making mistakes, and always pushing forward," he recalled.

But after working briefly at a tech company, he began to feel lost. He realized that life had to be about more than just financial gain.

In 2023, he made a bold decision to leave his job and study abroad — a choice that reshaped his understanding of life.

"Living and studying in Sweden gave me new perspectives," he said. "Life there is slower, which gave me the time to focus on my physical and mental health, and reconnect with hobbies I had long forgotten."

Over time, his definition of success began to change. "Success isn't just about achievements — it also includes health, family, and the way we choose to live," he said. "Being ordinary isn't a failure. Sometimes, acknowledging your own limits is part of growing up."

Looking back, Li sees himself as constantly "graduating" from different stages of life. "No phase is ever wasted, and there's no such thing as a wrong path — because there's no single right way to live," he said.

Wei shares a similar sentiment. "It was only after experiencing different things firsthand that I began to understand what I truly want," he said. "Traveling with friends to new cities and staying up all night chatting — those moments aren't meaningless. In fact, they might become the most memorable moments we'll never get to relive."

guojiatong@i21st.cn