u/Impressive-Force3701

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well.

I'm currently learning Mandarin at a language institute and will take the HSK 1 in January. My plan is to do a Master's in China, but before committing several years (and a serious amount of money) to it, I want to understand what really happens after graduation.

My core question: as a foreigner with a Master's from a Chinese university, can I realistically find a job and stay in China? Or are opportunities so scarce that most people end up going home feeling like the degree led nowhere?

So I'd love to hear how it works in real life:

1. If you studied in China as a foreigner, what happened after you graduated? Did you stay, how long did the job hunt take, and how did you land your first offer?

2. Which industries and roles are actually open to foreign grads right now, and what starting salary is realistic? Since I'm not a native English speaker, I assume teaching English is off the table. Is that right?

3. What Chinese level do employers really expect? Is HSK 5 or 6 the real threshold, or does it depend on the role?

4. How much do the university, the field of study and the city matter? Is it noticeably easier in Shanghai, Shenzhen or Guangzhou?

5. Are companies generally willing to sponsor a fresh graduate's work permit, or do many of them (especially smaller ones) avoid the paperwork?

6. If staying doesn't work out, how much is a Chinese Master's plus good Mandarin worth back home or elsewhere, for example with Chinese companies operating in North Africa or the Middle East?

Personal stories, including the ones that didn't go well, would help me far more than a general "it depends." And if you were in my shoes today, what would you do differently?

Thanks a lot for your time!

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well.

I'm currently learning Mandarin at a language institute and will take the HSK 1 in January. My plan is to do a Master's in China, but before committing several years (and a serious amount of money) to it, I want to understand what really happens after graduation.

My core question: as a foreigner with a Master's from a Chinese university, can I realistically find a job and stay in China? Or are opportunities so scarce that most people end up going home feeling like the degree led nowhere?

So I'd love to hear how it works in real life:

1. If you studied in China as a foreigner, what happened after you graduated? Did you stay, how long did the job hunt take, and how did you land your first offer?

2. Which industries and roles are actually open to foreign grads right now, and what starting salary is realistic? Since I'm not a native English speaker, I assume teaching English is off the table. Is that right?

3. What Chinese level do employers really expect? Is HSK 5 or 6 the real threshold, or does it depend on the role?

4. How much do the university, the field of study and the city matter? Is it noticeably easier in Shanghai, Shenzhen or Guangzhou?

5. Are companies generally willing to sponsor a fresh graduate's work permit, or do many of them (especially smaller ones) avoid the paperwork?

6. If staying doesn't work out, how much is a Chinese Master's plus good Mandarin worth back home or elsewhere, for example with Chinese companies operating in North Africa or the Middle East?

Personal stories, including the ones that didn't go well, would help me far more than a general "it depends." And if you were in my shoes today, what would you do differently?

Thanks a lot for your time!

Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.

Some background: I have a bachelor's degree in economics, not IT or computer science, and I currently run an ecommerce business where I make about $500 a month selling products. I can put in 8 to 10 hours a day toward learning something new.

I want to pick up an AI-related skill that I could get genuinely competent at within about 3 months, use to make real money online in a way that's ethical and legit, and eventually turn into an actual service or small business. I've been looking mainly at two directions: building and selling AI agents for businesses (automation, lead gen, customer support bots), or "vibe coding", using AI coding tools like Cursor or Claude Code to build and ship websites or small apps for clients without a traditional programming background.

Given I'm coming from an economics/ecommerce background with zero coding experience, which of these two would actually be realistic to land paid work from within 3 months, or is there a better-suited path for someone like me? Would rather hear from people who've actually done this than get more theory.

I have bipolar disorder, and I recently went through a very unusual episode. I had not slept for two days, and I became much more impulsive than usual. I ended up going to a sex worker, which is something I would normally never do.

I am a religious person, and this was actually the first time in my life that I kissed someone. Unfortunately, it happened in this situation, and I deeply regret it. I didn’t even enjoy it — afterward I mostly felt guilt, anxiety, and sadness.

There was no sexual intercourse. I only kissed her on the mouth (without tongue), neck, chest and legs, and she touched my penis with her hand. I am now extremely afraid of sexually transmitted infections, especially herpes and HIV. I keep checking my body and worrying about every small sensation.

What makes me feel even worse is that I’m afraid of somehow transmitting an infection to my parents or grandmother. I feel depressed and ashamed because of my religious beliefs, and I keep thinking about what happened.

Has anyone with bipolar disorder experienced something similar during a manic/hypomanic episode? How did you deal with the guilt afterward, the health anxiety, and the fear of repeating this kind of impulsive behavior?

I would really appreciate advice on how to move forward and prevent something like this from happening again.