Smash that 'golden rice bowl'

Just five or six years ago, stories like this were still common—

A relative's child worked as a bank teller for a few years, convinced family members to deposit large certificates of deposit, then moved to a back-office role and steadily climbed the corporate ladder, securely holding a "golden rice bowl" with promotions, salary increases, marriage, children, and reaching the pinnacle of life.

Banking was the "golden rice bowl" counterpart to the "iron rice bowl" of government jobs.

While government jobs offered stability, getting rich was still hard. Banking, however, promised stability, good pay, and clear career progression.

At least in the past, this was a widely accepted conclusion.

But now, things are clearly different. Compared to banking jobs, government positions remain the "uncle"—unchanged—but the "aunt" is no longer the same as six years ago.

Even if it's a golden rice bowl, some people are ready to smash it.

01 The Unbearable Golden Rice Bowl

I have a friend who graduated with a master's degree from a top-tier finance-focused university and later joined a joint-stock bank.

Working as a teller was inevitable.

Soon after starting, she realized the jokes online were true: A bank is like an oversized detention center.

Walk through the heavy metal door, put on the uniform with a badge, and spend 24 hours in a confined space under surveillance. You need permission to eat, drink, or even use the bathroom. Every day, you talk to people through glass, and this life lasts for three years.

Source: Tuchong

The good news? Life is regimented, and you save money on clothes. The bad news? It’s like painless imprisonment—worse than being an actual prisoner.

Banks also have endless trivial tasks: meetings, marketing pushes, and hitting targets.

Prisoners get yard time, but tellers have to attend meetings after work. Business hours are 9-to-5, but employees work 8-to-8.

Branch demands mean unpaid overtime—holiday shifts or setting up street booths.

Whether you graduated from a top-tier university or not, everyone does sales. Whether it’s loans or credit cards, you have to beg people to sign up.

It looks glamorous, but she feels bank tellers are worse off than beggars—even beggars don’t harass people for money.

She can’t tell if she joined a bank or a marketing company.

Still, it’s not all bad.

Most tellers are young graduates like her, so they bond easily.

Under heavy pressure, there’s no time for office politics—just camaraderie.

But more people are cracking under the monotony.

When one quits, the idea spreads like a chain reaction.

Recently, a hashtag on Weibo called "Did You Quit Your Bank Job Today?" went viral.

It has 1.02 billion views, 108,000 posts, and 93,000 "inmates"—she’s one of them.

In this forum, young bank employees call themselves "inmates," venting about banking while dreaming of quitting.

Endless overtime, countless sales targets, and all kinds of customer complaints suffocate her.

Many who quit banking go back to school.

But as a master’s graduate, her only escape seems to be civil service exams.

Would that be better? She’s not sure.

02 The Unbearable Construction Site

Like bank tellers, civil engineering’s reputation is "getting worse."

Earlier this year, Beihang University cut its civil engineering master’s program. Later, rumors spread that Tsinghua University would stop admitting civil engineering undergraduates—though it was debunked as merging into a broader discipline, the topic still trended.

This might be civil engineering’s most "highlighted" moment in years.

Its decline is undeniable.

From plummeting enrollment to program cuts, civil engineering is now a "pit." At top schools, the lowest admission scores often belong to this major.

But a decade ago, it was a sunrise industry.

Universities expanded programs, yet admission scores still outpaced many majors. Everyone fought to get in.

Parents saw it as a guaranteed good job.

Back then, studying civil engineering meant easy employment—state-owned enterprises, physical labor, and free room and board.

Now, it’s different.

The only term left for civil engineers is—"bucket run."

They have their own hub—the "Civil Engineering Bar"—with 819,000 followers.

Among its 11.31 million posts, the top topic is when to "bucket run."

Quit or switch careers—just run.

Why?

Because construction sites mean darker skin, endless concrete pouring, and terrible food.

Check out Bilibili creator Damengzi’s three-year transformation for a visual answer.

Three years on-site aged him decades.

One year on-site equals ten in real life.

One story goes like this:

A civil engineer quit and joined a 996 tech giant. On his first day, he cried—he never imagined a job where you sit in an air-conditioned office, play on a computer, and even get a day off weekly.

Critics say today’s youth can’t endure hardship—why weren’t people complaining decades ago when conditions were worse?

True, construction environments haven’t regressed, but work conditions have.

Twenty years ago, China was in a massive infrastructure boom, earning the title "infrastructure madman." Back then, civil engineers were 稀缺人才 (scarce talent).

Civil engineering rivaled computer science. While programmers now chase million-dollar salaries, civil engineers once earned similarly.

Promotions were fast—a term called "three years to chief engineer, five to project manager" was common.

Quick promotions, high pay, and seniority perks made it a "golden rice bowl."

But as the industry saturated and infrastructure growth slowed, projects dwindled.

Civil engineering declined. "Three-five" became "five-eight."

Now, undergrads earn under $15K, and master’s grads make $15K-$22K—no better than peers in other fields.

With young managers blocking promotions, there’s no money or hope—just worse conditions.

On-site, $500 can’t hire a laborer but can hire a civil engineering grad.

"Sinned in a past life, doomed to engineering management."

Behind these jokes lies the bitterness of countless civil engineers.

03 Faded Glory

Banking, like civil engineering, once shone.

From 2003 to 2013, China’s banking assets grew 4.5x, outpacing most industries.

Back then, a bank job was bragging rights.

Lured by the "golden rice bowl," finance majors surged—nearly 20% of graduates annually. Among them, bank hires outnumbered 券商 (brokerages) and 投行 (investment banks) tenfold.

In growth phases, oversupply isn’t an issue.

Tech giants once hired 100K+ yearly.

But now, banks are tightening belts.

Why do banks feel like sales and loan shops? Why worse benefits and more targets?

Because easy money is gone.

Bank revenue comes from three sources: interest spreads, investments, and off-balance-sheet income.

The spread between deposit and loan rates once hit 6%-7%—banks printed money.

Tellers and loan officers drove profits, so pay was high.

Now, spreads are 2%-3%, halving tellers’ value. Hence, cold calls, street booths, and credit card hawking.

In 2011, Minsheng Bank’s chairman said, "Corporate profits are so low, bank profits so high—sometimes we’re embarrassed to report them."

Banks were once ashamed of earning too much.

But this year, China Merchants Bank’s chairman lamented, "What seems ordinary is hardest; success looks easy but is arduous."

Meaning: mediocre results now require Herculean effort.

In 2023, 19 listed banks saw revenues drop 4%—their first decline since going public.

This doesn’t spell doom but reflects frontline pressure.

Many industries are like this—outwardly thriving, but who sees the grunts bearing the weight?

04 Epilogue

Though many scorn bank tellers, for others, it’s an unattainably respectable job.

Though civil engineers joke about earning less than laborers, those laborers envy the stability and benefits of state jobs.

You can only complain about a rice bowl while holding it.

No one wants to smash a "golden" one.

If it’s truly golden, people would bear its weight gladly.

But golden bowls are scarce—even "iron" ones are fiercely contested.

Most cling to clay bowls, afraid to let go.

Are they good? No—but at least it’s food. (End)