Civil servants are not privileged group

Every morning I get up at 6 am, make breakfast for my child, take him to school, and then arrive at my office at around 7:25 am at a government compound.

I'm a civil servant. But just like tens of thousands of ordinary people, I cook, send my child to school, and work at an office. I don't have any so-called privileges, and I don't belong to so-called interest groups.

Recent statistics from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security show that most civil servants at central government departments come from ordinary families. These statistics have caused controversy on the Internet.

But I want to state some facts. Most civil servants do have ordinary family backgrounds, ordinary jobs and lead ordinary daily lives. We have the same joys and sorrows that every person experiences.

A few years ago, a friend of mine who majored in economics found a job at a general office of a local government, a core department working closely with leaders. The job was coveted by many people. Many believed this young and well-educated man would have promising prospects.

He then quit and entered the financial sector. When we met later, he revealed why he resigned: "I couldn't tolerate that meager income." As for the prospects of promotion, he said that regulations on the appointment of civil servants are very strict, and one has to pass a series of tests and assessments.

A young woman I know was recently hired as a civil servant. Her parents were quite proud about this, and she was happy about it too. However, it was not long before she found it hard to adapt to the rigid working mechanisms and strict working performance assessment.

There are numerous examples like this. But many argue that if the job of civil servant is not an exceptional one, why would so many people compete for these positions every year across the nation?

In my opinion, there are various reasons. It's true that many want the relatively stable career and life of a civil servant. But besides, the convenient national network in civil servant enrollment and examination and low threshold for candidates applying for many civil servant positions are also very important reasons.

If the job positions of school teachers, lawyers and doctors were also open to candidates through a national network and did not demand specific qualifications, they would have thousands of applicants too.

In a word, the public should see civil servants in a cool-headed way. Most of them are ordinary people with ordinary lives. Their job is indeed relatively stable, but they encounter happiness and bitterness in their careers just like other people.

On the other hand, civil servants should not care too much about some parts of public opinion that demonize this group. Civil servants should focus on their jobs. In this way, they can leave a tangible and warm impression to the public.