She Didn't Go to University. She Doesn't Regret It. | Choosing Work Over School #02

She never went to university. Years later, she says she has no regrets.

In the second interview of this series, I speak with a female real estate agent who entered the workforce instead of pursuing higher education.

She believes that working early gave her something she might not have gained in school: social experience, an understanding of people, and a firsthand sense of how society works. She also questions whether university would necessarily have led her to the career she has today.

Yet her perspective is not simply anti-education.

She believes that for young people entering today's job market, educational qualifications have become increasingly important, and that continuing education may offer opportunities that were not as necessary for her generation.

Her story raises another question: if you don't regret the path you took, can you still believe that someone else should choose differently?

This is the second story in an interview series exploring what happens when people choose work over school, and how they understand that choice years later.

He Left School for Work. Years Later, Does He Regret It? | Choosing Work Over School #01

What happens when you leave school and enter the workforce before you are ready?

In the first interview of this series, I speak with a former student who left school early and now works as a property security guard. Looking back, he admits that he regrets not continuing his education. At the same time, entering the workforce gave him something school could not.

But he also believes that experience cannot replace everything education offers. Some knowledge, he says, is something you can only encounter in a classroom or a textbook.

He Could Have Gone to University. Instead, He Entered Shanghai's Nightlife Industry.

What happens when someone chooses the nightlife industry instead of university?

In this interview, a former international high school student and Shanghai nightlife worker shares his firsthand experience in the commercial KTV industry-from why he chose to enter, to the daily work structure, team incentives, income differences, and the unspoken rules that shape the industry. He also reflects on manipulation from clients, betrayal among coworkers, and the cycle of internal consumption that is rarely visible from the outside.

Importantly, he describes himself as one of the relatively few people who entered the industry voluntarily, while distinguishing his experience from those who enter because they have no other choice.

This interview is an attempt to look beyond the neon lights and listen to someone who has experienced the industry from within.

She Was 19 When She Was Deceived: A Story of Control, Escape, and Survival

At 19, she was deceived into entering the nightclub industry.

What began as an offer of help online eventually became a situation of control. She was taken away from home, placed under the control of a married man, and left struggling with the emotional consequences of what she experienced. Eventually, she found a way out and returned home.

In this interview, she recounts her experience in her own words.

She hopes her story can encourage young women to remain cautious of online recruitment, recognize that kindness can sometimes be disguised as manipulation, and, above all, protect their independence and stay connected with the people they trust.

This is one young woman's story of deception, control, escape, and finding her way home.

Choose Work Over School #03 | "Studying Was Too Hard. I just went with the flow"

What does it mean to choose work over school and to feel no regret about it?

At 39, he works in a factory after attending vocational school but never going to university.

For him, studying was simply too difficult, while working felt more practical and gave him something to look forward to. He says he doesn't regret it. To him, studying was simply too difficult, while working in a factory feels more tangible, and gives him something to look forward to. Yet when asked about his life choices, he repeatedly returns to one phrase: " just went with the flow."

In this conversation, we talk about why he left education behind, what he has gained from working, and how his views on education have changed-or stayed the same-over the years.

Choose Work Over School #04 | He Didn't Get Into University. So He Learned to start his own business

At 31, he runs his own gym. But getting there was never part of a carefully planned path.

After retaking the Gaokao and still missing the undergraduate cutoff, he entered the workforce instead of university. Before starting his own business, he drove Didi late at night, delivered food, and worked as a badminton coach. When he finally opened his gym, the pandemic arrived soon after-and brought heavy losses.

Looking back, he says he regrets not having gone to university. Work, he admits, has been much harder than he imagined.

Throughout our conversation, one word keeps coming up: "熬" - the power to endure.

Choose Work Over School #05 | A Factory Owner on School, Skills, and His Child's Future

He runs a factory and believes that traditional education is not necessarily the right path for everyone.

In our conversation, he argues that studying should not be forced on students who struggle with it, and that learning a practical skill can sometimes be more valuable than pursuing an academic path without interest or aptitude. He believes everyone should have "one skill" they can rely on, and hopes his own child can find one too.

The conversation becomes more personal when we talk about his child, who has struggled with school and is no longer continuing through high school. For him, this is not simply a question of whether his child should study, but of what kind of ability can eventually help them build a life of their own.

Choose Work Over School #06 | She Had to Leave School. She Wants Young People to Have Another Choice

Born in 1975, she grew up in a family that could not afford to keep her in school. Getting to school meant walking along mountain roads, and by the time she reached middle school, she left education and began working.

Her early years in the workforce were difficult.

She remembers wanting to leave the factory but being unable to simply walk away, eventually leaving with almost nothing. Decades later, she has no desire to return to school herself-but she still believes young people should study.

For her, education is not only about academic knowledge. It can also mean having more choices about what kind of work you do and how hard you have to work to make a living.