"Professor Zhang, now that you've mentioned it, I do feel that's how it is. I remember when I first started out, a coworker and I were both welders, and he took up part-time studies while working. Now he works as a welder in a shipyard, and I heard he earns tens of thousands a month."
"That's exactly the point, to advance, you need to learn to improve yourself, plan things out properly. I mean, the money you spend on smoking and drinking is spent anyway, enrolling in an evening college wouldn't cost much more."
"I'm already 38, is it too late for me?"
"It's not too late at all. If you start now, won't you still be in your forties three years from now? You can still work for another twenty years until retirement, and if you're in good health after that, you can continue to work. Look at me, I'm eighty and I'm still working and earning money. With skills, there is nothing to fear."