I will never forget how lost I felt the summer after my graduation from college, and in the nine years since, I've spoken to countless 20-somethings who feel incredibly pressured to find their true calling immediately and build a successful career in a particular field before their 25th birthdays。

　　我永遠都不會忘記自己在大學畢業的那個夏天是多么得失落。在接下來的九年里，我和無數二十來歲的年輕人探討過壓力巨大的問題。這些年輕人想要立即找到自己的“天職”，并在25歲之前在某個領域干出一番事業。

　　A more realistic challenge is to ease yourself slowly into the work world by following a few strategies that many people don't try until they're well into their 30s. School probably taught you a lot of things, but the business world's unique set of rules may not have been part of the story。

　　一個更為現實的做法是遵循一些策略來讓自己平緩地步入職場，可許多人直到三十歲后才開始去嘗試這些策略。學校也許教會了你許多東西，但卻可能沒教你職場這套獨一無二的法則。

　　Hopefully these tips will get you started on the right foot:

　　希望下面這些建議能讓你的職業生涯有一個好的開始：

　　Pick a Career Instead of a Job 是“擇業”而不是選擇“工作”

　　Looking for a job haphazardly, because you majored in something or because you saw a listing that looks somewhat interesting, you'll risk getting started in a career that holds no real appeal for you, and then you'll have to leave it to find something else. Why not plan your career strategically, just like you planned your education?

　　隨意找一份工作，只不過因為它與你的專業相關或感到工作內容有趣，那么你可能會進入一個對你來說并沒有真正吸引力的行業，不用多久你就得再去找工作。何不用戰略的眼光來規劃你的職業，就像曾規劃你的學業一樣？

　　Start by doing a self-assessment that teaches you things about yourself that you might never have thought about--for example, what you like and don't like in a work environment, what defines success for you, and what type of work would make you want to sit in traffic for hours just for the privilege of showing up. Knowing these things can help you determine which occupations could be a good fit for you。

　　你可以先做個自我評估，這會讓你了解許多自己不曾注意到的事情——例如，你喜歡或者討厭怎樣的工作環境；你認為怎樣才算是成功；什么樣的工作會讓你寧愿忍受幾小時的交通堵塞、而僅僅為了出現在辦公室？了解這些能幫你決定哪些才是真正適合自己的職業。

　　If You Can't Get a Job Right Away, Don't Despair 即使不能立刻找到工作，也不要絕望

　　If you start thinking of yourself as a victim or allow yourself to lapse into prolonged negativity, you won't be hurting anyone except yourself. The best strategy for moving on is to recognize the reality of the situation, acknowledge your feelings and find a way to cope productively. Reach out to your support systems, and consider taking some time off--after all, you'll never have the freedom of being between school and work again!

　　如果你一開始就把自己看成“受害者”，或是縱容自己長期消極，那么受傷的只會是你自己。最好的辦法是承認現實、認清自我感受，找一個富有成效的方法去解決問題。向支持你的人尋求幫助，考慮休息一段時間——畢竟，將來你不會再有這種不用上學也不用工作的自由了！

　　Network Like Mad in Your Chosen Field 在你選擇的領域中“瘋狂”地建立聯系

　　A huge percentage of job openings aren't advertised because employers prefer to hire people through word of mouth. Developing relationships with people working in your field, then, means that you're top of mind whenever they hear of a new opportunity。

　　許多工作空缺都不會登廣告招聘，因為雇主更喜歡任用推薦的人選。和在你的領域工作的人們建立聯系，這意味著一旦新機會出現，人們頭腦中第一時間想到的就是你。

　　Learn about new contacts by researching firms in your industry, joining social networking sites like LinkedIn, asking your parents' friends, and joining relevant professional associations. Approach individuals by e-mail first, and don't put them on the defensive by asking for a job outright. Instead, show curiosity about their career path and see if they'll agree to lunch or coffee。

　　你可以調查你所在行業的公司，或者，加入在線社交網站，或是問問父母的朋友和參加相關的職業組織。這些都能幫你建立新的聯系。可以先用電子郵件和別人取得聯系，不要明確地提出想獲得工作，這會使對方心生戒備。對他們的職業生涯表示好奇，然后，問一問是否能同他們一起吃午飯或喝咖啡。

        Hone Your Reputation as a Can-Do, Enthusiastic Employee 為自己贏得一個能干、工作熱忱的好名聲

　　Your company isn't responsible for your career growth: you are. Only approach your boss with a problem or complaint if you've explored all options for resolving it yourself. When you do, be prepared with a solution you could implement with her help。

　　你應該對自己的職業發展負責，而不是你的公司。在向老板提出問題或是抱怨之前，先嘗試一切自己能解決的辦法。如果你不得不提，也要準備好一個解決方案，這個方案有她的幫助就能實現。

　　The words I don't have time should never escape your lips. If you know something needs to be done, do it without being prodded. Your boss will quickly come to see you as someone she can count on and a huge asset to the team. If you have conflicting priorities, ask your boss to help sort them out。

　　絕對不該說“我沒有時間”這樣的話。如果你知道需要做某項工作，應該不用敦促地完成。你的老板很快會把你看成一個靠得住的人，而且是團隊的一大資產。如果要做的事情的優先級有沖突，讓老板為你決定。

　　Don't Think of Your First Job as the Be All, End All to Career Stardom 不要把自己的第一份工作看成職業生涯中的永遠

　　How can you master the skills it takes to get ahead without putting any time in the trenches? That's like saying you could win an Olympic medal in swimming without learning to doggie paddle first. Look at your first post-college positions as temporary stops on your career path instead of permanent ones. Don't be in such a rush to get promoted either--you have a long career life ahead of you to shoulder the heavy burden of being on top. In the meantime, enjoy getting paid to learn everything you can so that snagging your next job isn't quite as challenging!

　　不從底層做起你怎么能掌握發展所需要的技能？這就好比連狗刨都沒學會就想在奧運會上拿金牌。把你剛畢業后的工作看成職業生涯中的臨時站點而不是永久站點。也不要急著獲得晉升——前方的職業道路由你扛重擔的時間會很長。快樂地一邊拿著工資一邊學習吧，這樣獲得下一份工作就不費吹灰之力了！