Chapter 8 The Higher the Education Level, the Better

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Taking a responsible stance, Zhang Yuan organized his thoughts and began, "The current pillar industries are Space Botany, Space Industry, and Nanomaterials Science."

"Space Botany, which means cultivating superior Mutant Plants, these plants are widely used for growing food, extracting industrial raw materials, and in medical fields."

"However, the minimum educational requirement to work in this industry is a graduate degree... I guess that's the case."

"A master's degree, huh..." Ye Qingqing frowned and muttered softly.

She actually quite liked plants, all kinds of flower and herb cultivation, both enjoyable and rewarding, with high pay. But hearing this educational requirement made her somewhat hesitant.

Zhang Yuan continued, "The space industry system is even more massive; basically, there are all kinds of sectors, and the top-level manufacturing has been moved to the Moon. Low gravity and an oxygen-free environment are more suitable for developing heavy industry. The latest generation of Photon Chip technology is produced on the Moon."

"There's a huge talent gap in this area, with higher-end being various Engineers and lower-end being Mechanical Technicians. For these, at least a graduate degree is needed."

"Further down are technical workers, the minimum requirement is a bachelor's degree from the 995 type..."

"995..." Ye Qingqing stared, repeating once more.

The 995 program was a major decision made by Xia Country at the turn of the century, with a total of 40 universities selected, basically the best universities in Xia Country.

She involuntarily stuck out her tongue, "This kind of school, definitely won't be able to get in..."

Zhang Yuan continued, "As for research in Nanomaterials, the academic requirement is even higher, you can't manage without a doctoral degree. Even in the production workshop, the technical workers also need 995."

"Oh, if you graduate with just a bachelor's, you can only be a worker..." Young Uncle murmured, also startled. "And it has to be 995!"

Workers in Space City were much more valuable than those on Earth; an annual salary of several hundred thousand wasn't easy to get.

Zhang Yuan quickly added, "Oh, and there are various service industries in Space City, after all, people can't just work, they also need to rest and entertain. For girls, for instance, doctors, nurses, and the like, if they're excellent enough, they can still go to space. Artificial Intelligence hasn't been able to fully cover these fields yet."

"The acceptance rate is about one in a thousand."

One in a thousand!

Ye Qingqing's face turned red; even if she wasn't good at Mathematics, she knew what this number meant.

"...So, if you want a good prospect, you have to do well in university exams, and if there's a chance, it's best to study until you get a doctorate. Anyway, there's no such thing as having too high an education level. Unlike in the old days where PhD graduates couldn't find work, this likely won't happen anymore."

Ye Qingqing's brows already furrowed into a knot; although she knew the importance of studying, at her age not yet having entered society, not knowing the sweet and sour of life, there was always a sense of disinterest in studying.

Studying was really annoying!

Oh dear, if in the future one must study all the way to a PhD, studying for ten years, her heart felt as if inhabited by an angry little bird, wishing to bang her head against the culprit, Zhang Yuan's, face.

"Cousin... what education level are you pursuing?" Ye Qingqing mischievously asked, her eyes rolling.

"Me..."

Zhang Yuan scratched his head, embarrassed, and said, "My major is Space Machinery Engineering... I just graduated with a bachelor's degree, so my degree isn't enough, and I'm just a repair worker. On the spaceship, my daily work is to check and maintain the spaceship, or do some cleaning, very simple work."

"If I learned more, I should be able to take on a higher-level position..."

Saying he was a worker was no big deal when he was one of the few who made it out of a one-in-a-thousand ratio.

Zhang Yuan was always a very diligent person; now, with enhanced Intelligence, he was even more industrious. He had confidence in reaching higher levels within a few years.

"Spaceship repair worker, can you fix things? Fix the air conditioner, fix the television?" Ye Qingqing asked again.

Faced with such a strange question, Zhang Yuan was taken aback; he repaired spaceships, how could he fix air conditioners?

The two were worlds apart.

"Can you fix my dad's broken radio?" Ye Qingqing asked slyly.

With a turn of thought, Zhang Yuan quickly understood what the little girl opposite him wanted.

She was trying to undermine the "usefulness of studying" argument to reduce future parental pressure on herself! And he, Zhang Yuan, inadvertently became the detestable "other people's child."

Smiling inside, this kind of dislike for studying at that age was normal. He had gone through it like that himself; apart from a few exceptions, who likes studying all day?

Did they really think using their brains wasn't tiring?

"That radio is really noisy, honestly noisy! Brother, can you help fix it?"

Faced with the challenge from the little girl, as a... ahem, genius, how could he be stumped by such a basic job?

Fixing things was no big deal!

Zhang Yuan shamelessly said, "The structure of ordinary electronic devices isn't complicated; for the radio, it shouldn't be difficult either."

Young Uncle quickly interjected, "Talking about radios here, first eat, first eat!"

...

After the meal, somehow Zhang Yuan felt a curiosity tickling his heart.

This strange exploration desire continuously urged him to try, to explore.

"Young Uncle, if possible, let me give it a try!"

Young Uncle hesitated for a moment, reluctantly returning to his room to bring out his cherished item.

"It took quite a lot of money to buy it! A small bargain was picked, and if it weren't for this defect, it would have been even pricier..." Faced with his precious collection, Young Uncle was beaming, his face full of pride.

Zhang Yuan was stunned; it was actually a 20th-century antique.

The square radio in front of him, with two long antennas. The black plastic surface was wiped very clean, feeling relatively rough to the touch, exuding a strong sense of history.

Nowadays, people generally referred to the era before the oil crisis as the "Old Era"; the chaotic and regressive hundred years in the middle as the "Gray Era"; and the era after the ignition of nuclear fusion as the "New Era."

Collecting electronic devices from the Old Era had become a new fashion trend, akin to collecting jade antiques.

Young Uncle was one of the fervent enthusiasts.

"Can this still work? It's almost 300 years old!" When mentioning "300," Zhang Yuan inadvertently dragged out the sound.

Hearing Zhang Yuan's astonished tone, it seemed to scratch an itch in Young Uncle's heart, "Of course it can work; it's just a bit loud at first. I'm not sure why there's so much noise; that's the only flaw..."

He took a cassette tape from the safe and inserted it into the radio.

The cassette was certainly an antique too; the image stuck on it no longer identifiable, depicting which star.

After plugging the radio into a specially made power source, it suddenly emitted a stream of static, with the entire device trembling slightly.

"Buzz—buzz!"

It startled Zhang Yuan.

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