Too often young people get themselves employed quite by accident, not knowing what lies in the way of opportunity for promotion, happiness and security. As a result, they are employed in doing jobs that afford them little or no satisfaction. Our school leavers face so much competition that they seldom care what they do as long as they can earn a living. Some stay long at a job and learn to like it; others leave one for another looking for something to suit them. The young graduates who leave the university look for jobs that offer a salary up to their expectation.

Very few go out into the world knowing exactly what they want and realizing their own abilities. The reason behind all this confusion is that there never has been a proper vocational (职业的) guidance in our educational institution. Nearly all feel their way in the dark. Their chief concern when they look for a job is to ask what salary is like. They never bother to think whether they are suited for the job or, even more important, whether the job suits them. Having a job is more than merely providing yourself and your dependants (受赡养者) with daily bread and some money for leisure and entertainment. It sets a pattern of life and, in many ways, determines social status in life, selection of friends, leisure and interest.

In choosing a profession you should first consider the type of work which will suit your interest. Nothing is more pathetic than taking on a job in which you have no interest, for it will not only ruin your talents but also discourage your desire to succeed in life.

The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until 2021. That delay offers a chance for reflection. The International Olympic Committee wants to make the games more popular with young people. To that end, it is introducing new events, such as skateboarding, surfing and climbing. Why not go further and let national teams compete at video games? Electronic sports such as "Fortnite", are vastly more popular than strange Olympic sports like curling（冰壶）. In fact, they are more appealing than most mainstream sports. Only 28% of British boys aged 16-19 watch any traditional live sports; 57% play video games.

Some may complain that e-sports are not proper sports. Many parents, observing their teenagers sitting on the sofa all day shouting "Quick, pass me the shotgun!" at a screen, would agree. Yet video games are highly competitive, with professional teams that play to packed stadiums. There are perhaps only 200 tennis stars in the world who can make a living from playing in major competitions. By contrast, "League of Legends", a fantasy game played by teams of five, supports over 1,000 on good wages. Its World Championship final last year was watched by 44 million people.

Those against e-sports offer moral objections, too. They are addictive. Prince Harry has called for "Fortnite" to be banned for this reason. They are violent. At a time of global disharmony, it is bad idea to make virtual（虚拟的）killing an Olympic sport. The Olympics aim to promote peace.

Neither of these arguments is convincing. The idea that an activity, rather than material, can be addictive is controversial among doctors, as is the existence of a causal（因果的）link between gaming and violence. And the belief that warlike sports have no place in the Olympics is hard to agree with history. Wrestling was introduced in 708 BC. It is still there.

School children are using mobile phone applications to do their homework, which seem to be increasing during summer vacations. But instead of blaming students for their behavior, we should say no to too much homework. This is important because by using mobile phone applications to do their homework, students don't add much to their knowledge, says an article in Guangzhou-based Yangcheng Evening News. Excerpts (摘录): Using mobile phone applications to do homework is no different from copying from someone else's work. This is the opinion of a vast majority of teachers. Students who seek cell phone apps help to do their homework will pay dearly during major exams when they cannot seek the help of such applications, the teachers say.

The heavy load of homework Chinese students are burdened with — said to be the heaviest in the world — has led to the popularity of these applications.

Senior high school students in China rarely go to bed before 11 pm. A report in Shanghai published recently showed that students in the city on average spend 28.2 hours in class every week, the 9th highest among 65 countries and regions surveyed. Also, they spend an average of 13.8 hours a week doing homework, most in the world.

There is no association between the amount of homework one does and the amount of knowledge one gathers. In fact, research by Australian experts’ shows that the result is exactly the opposite: the more hours students spend doing homework, the less effective they will be in gaining knowledge.

The United States is one of the countries where students do little homework, but that has not damaged the country's academic status in the world. So, it's time that Chinese schools understood this fact and freed students of the unnecessary burden of homework.