Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

The fiercely competitive national college entrance examinations, known as gaokao in China, ended almost a month ago but still haunt most candidates. As provinces and regions gradually release scores, the 2014 gaokao sitters have begun to apply for universities and choose majors. These days Weibo has been brimming with a myriad of exhortations that persuade them not to choose certain majors, arousing heated debates online.

In these Weibo postings, Web users who claim to be experienced university students are trying to talk these would-be freshmen out of picking majors they think are either boring or useless.

A female university student said, "Never choose to learn computer science as there are so many otaku (computer obsessed, socially inept) boys who can hardly serve as ideal boyfriends."

Another girl persuaded high school graduates not to apply for international trade which, though it sounds quite attractive and promising, actually offers no help when studying abroad.

"Do not choose environmental engineering because you will possibly work at landfills," a graduate warned in a mocking way.

In addition to these online attempts at persuasion, many parents are also talking their children out of choosing majors which, they believe, are onerous, stressful, highly risky, or don't have good prospects for a high income.

Xiang Yuan, from Southwest China's Sichuan Province, who scored as high as 600 in this year's gaokao, wrote a letter through Weibo to a doctor in cardiology at the West China Hospital affiliated to Sichuan University, complaining that her father tried every means to prevent her from applying for clinical medicine. Her father said that being a doctor is an exhausting and high-risk profession and did not make a compromise until she threatened suicide.

There is no denying that in recent years we have frequently witnessed a strained doctor-patient relationship and several extreme cases in which patients even beat hospital staff to death. The shocking phenomenon reflects deficiencies in China's medical system during the country's social transformation stage, which has distorted public opinion on the professional ethics and values of doctors. No wonder a number of high school graduates who are interested in medical science flinch when they consider the hard fact that doctors, and in particular resident surgeons, in China are not as respected and highly paid as in developed countries.

There are many other professions that lack a good reputation or bright prospects. The top scorer in science of Jiangsu Province in this year's gaokao, who had been determined to study journalism at Peking University, changed his mind abruptly after persuasion by the reporter who interviewed him. He was told that working in the media means staying up late in the night, extra shifts and no holidays. The boy, who had once been unswerving in his pursuit of journalism, picked up finance instead. How powerful is it to present all the disadvantages of an occupation before a high school graduate?

The wrangle over the selection of occupations has been staged every summer. Virtually every vocation has its own defects, pressure and risks, and one can never expect an easy job with a great salary, good working conditions and high social status.

Young people, full of energy and ambitions, should be endowed with the freedom to choose majors and careers in line with their own interests. They should keep in mind that they have to start from scratch whatever occupation they decide to take up. Parents can offer advice and guidance for their children in choosing vocations, but should refrain from forcing them to give up what they are passionate about.

Despite being well-intentioned, society at large should not exaggerate risks of a certain profession and send the wrong signals to gaokao candidates. Ultimately, one's own interests are always the best guide.

The author is a Global Times reporter. wangxiaonan@globaltimes.com.cn