A doctorate graduate in electronic engineering from Tsinghua University who took a job as a blue-collar electrician in Shanghai stirred wide debate on the value of academic qualifications in modern China.

Many of his classmates have become scholars and executive managers, which are considered proper professions for someone as well educated as him. Some people think that he is wasting his talent as a blue-collar worker.

This opinion has a big market among the public, as many people's mindsets are framed by the blind superstition about academic qualifications and an ingrained prejudice against blue-collar jobs.

The young man has the freedom to choose what job he takes. Many doctorate graduates work their way up from low-level posts, which actually provide them good opportunities to put their knowledge into practice.

Even if a doctorate graduate chooses to become a scholar, he still needs to start working as an ordinary teacher at a school. It depends on their own efforts whether they can become a famous scholar.

There are many cases of doctorate graduates who cannot adapt to being senior managers or government officials as their first job after they stop studying.

Meanwhile, there are many vocational schools in China that produce a large number of assembly line workers. But the transformation of the economic structure and the upgrading of industries now requires better vocational education.

The education authorities should adjust the education structure to better fit the changes taking place in the employment market. China needs more technicians, and more polytechnic colleges to cultivate better qualified professional talents.

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.