How to choose between 100 million yuan and the county party secretary?

Surprisingly, someone asked Teacher Ma whether to hesitate between "100 million yuan in cash" and "county party secretary." I really didn't expect that.
I suggest those who only see power, face, and social status to watch more local news from your provincial, city, and county TV stations, learn more about the real daily work of grassroots officials, and understand that you have never truly cared about the sacrifices and pressures behind the position of county party secretary, nor do you understand the essence of this job.
Let's not dwell on the monetary value of 100 million yuan, nor on the so-called halo of power; instead, I will honestly tell you what a qualified county party secretary's typical day looks like. After reading, you'll understand how ordinary people should choose.
Wake up around 6 a.m., after a simple wash-up, either go for a morning run or do light exercise to strengthen your body (to keep you alive), or review the day's work priorities in advance, quickly eat breakfast, and be at your post by 8 a.m. Work days are year-round, with no days off; statutory holidays and weekends are mostly on standby or at work, and tardiness, early leaving, or absence are absolutely not allowed.
Because the daily schedule is packed, mornings are fixed for work dispatch meetings, key task deployment meetings, or visiting superiors for research, reception, and business negotiations.
Around 10 a.m., you basically need to head to the front lines—either to townships to research industrial development and rural revitalization, or to project sites to supervise progress, or to schools, hospitals, and communities to check on people's livelihood security, or to enterprises to inspect safety hazards. Lunch is usually a simple work meal at grassroots units or construction sites, resolved in ten or twenty minutes. After a brief rest, you immediately return to your post.
In the afternoon, continue holding special meetings, study key tasks, and deploy rectification work; or receive inspections from superiors, negotiate investment projects; or coordinate to resolve grassroots conflicts and handle various emergencies. There’s hardly any time to breathe.
By dinner time, it may seem like socializing (usually more than one occasion), but it’s all official business—either hosting external business negotiations, or accompanying superiors for research visits. The entire time is spent talking about work, development, and solving problems. There’s no time to eat properly, let alone dine peacefully. Usually, you just grab a few bites quickly, with your full attention on work coordination. You must stay highly focused throughout; if you slip up and offend a guest, all your work is wasted.
Usually, it’s only after 9 p.m. that you finish all external duties and meetings and return home or to the office (sleeping in the office is common). The real work begins then—reviewing various documents overnight, examining work plans, revising speeches, sorting out key issues, planning county development strategies, and handling calls and emergencies at any moment (rest assured, there are always calls every night, whether urgent or not).
If you are a responsible and meticulous secretary, even with excellent work ability, it’s hard to rest before 11 p.m. During critical periods like tackling major projects, handling petitions and stability, environmental safety rectification, or accident response, working overnight and staying awake all night is normal.
At least 30 days a year, you will be working late into the night or all night.
Note that none of these tasks can be taken lightly because you are responsible for guiding all affairs, and you must have a clear understanding of the big picture. It’s not about sightseeing or shouting orders.
Because there are assessments and a county party secretary responsible, this responsibility is never empty talk; it directly relates to your career prospects, reputation, and even lifelong accountability for personal freedom.
The entire county’s economic development, people's livelihood security, safety production, ecological protection, petition stability, major project promotion, and cadre personnel management—all ultimately fall on you. Responsibilities and authority are matched; nothing can be escaped.
If you say you are "uninformed" or "not involved," just wait until a major safety accident, livelihood issue, or ecological destruction occurs within your jurisdiction—that’s a serious dereliction of duty, and you must bear leadership responsibility. If economic data is falsified, achievements are inflated, or relatives and staff use your influence for personal gain, or if you have overly close dealings with business owners during investment and project cooperation, the disciplinary inspection and supervision commissions will immediately investigate. Once verified, being dismissed or removed from office is the least severe punishment; lighter penalties include demotion, and heavier ones could mean imprisonment.
Some people also say that this position involves doing this and that, and compare it to assets worth 100 million yuan. I suggest you learn about the anti-corruption efforts especially after the 18th National Congress—any overreach will get you caught. It’s not something you can escape just by retiring a few years earlier or later.
Some say that the county party secretary has high social status and face. First, experience this position for a week yourself—feel the extraordinary workload and constant pressure of responsibility—before talking about any so-called halo.
This job requires an extraordinary level of health, capable of enduring continuous high-intensity work; it demands exceptional drive and resilience to face complex problems; most importantly, it requires a sincere dedication to serving the people from the grassroots. Without this dedication, you cannot sustain yourself, nor will you have any motivation to work.
Most ordinary people (99%) simply cannot bear this heavy pressure, nor can they afford or want to take on this responsibility.