Sharing on Chinese social media, Mr. Phong's story is attracting public attention in this country. The man confided that he has spent more than half his life "selling his face to the ground and his back to the sky", so at this age he has no hope of changing his life. "However, what I am concerned about now is that my son is over 30 but has not worked, staying at home for several years now. Meanwhile, Mr. Hai's son, who is the same age as my son, is married, has children and has a stable business career."

Being the same age, Mr. Phong and Mr. Hai's children played together since childhood, but later on, they gradually kept their distance because of the difference in their educational levels. After graduating from middle school, Mr. Phong's son passed the key high school exam in China, while Mr. Hai's son failed the high school exam and so studied at a vocational college.

After the high school exam results came out, Mr. Hai went to Mr. Phong's house and said: "I always hoped that my child would pass the exam and have a stable job after graduation, so that he wouldn't have to work as hard as me, but now I don't have hope. My child doesn't study as well as your child, so it's hard to change the future."

According to NetEase , after graduating from high school, Mr. Phong's son was admitted to a university in Project 221, majoring in International Finance. "The day my son received his admission letter, everyone came to congratulate him and brought with them the hope that his future would be bright. That day, Mr. Hai also came to my house and joked: 'After your son becomes successful, ask him to help my son'."

But after 10 years, everything changed unexpectedly. After graduating from university, Mr. Phong's son failed the master's exam and went to Guangzhou (China) to work. After 2 years, unable to bear the pressure, his son decided to return home to find a job, but the salary did not meet his needs. "Therefore, my son changed his direction to take the civil service exam, but after failing twice, he stayed home and did not look for a job," he said.

"At the beginning of the year, my son went to the city to find a job, but less than a week later he returned home to continue his aimless life. Although I advised him many times to go to the industrial park to work as a worker, and that after 2 years of perseverance he could become a manager, but not everything he wants can be achieved. At our old age, my wife and I still sell vegetables to support our son who is over 30 years old," Mr. Phong said helplessly.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hai's son now has a stable career, owns a house and a car. After graduating from vocational school, this young man worked in a large factory in Guangdong (China). In the past 2-3 years, he started a business renting drones to farmers for spraying pesticides. As people's demand increased, he expanded his business to many other areas.

"At this age, I understand that a degree opens up opportunities but is not the main factor determining success. I hope that after knowing my child's story, young people and parents will realize the reality as soon as possible. At least they must be able to support themselves, they cannot live a life of indulgence without goals," said Mr. Phong.

When seeing children studying extra classes all day, many people criticize parents for putting too much pressure without knowing that we are struggling to earn money to raise them, while also 'weighing' their mental and physical health and future prospects.