Jason Lu’s parents never went to university. So when the 25-year-old was accepted into a masters program studying translation in Shanghai, they were “very proud,” he says, hoping that his qualifications would one day lead to a good job. “They are getting older and older and want me to look after them.” However, due to a “terrible” jobs market, as Lu puts it, he is delaying looking for work and instead applying for scholarships to gain a PhD.