When a teen has no idea what s/he wants to be when s/he grows up.
当一个青少年不知道他或她长大之后想做什么时……
Posted Dec 19, 2015
在每期的连载中，我都会回答一封询问职业建议的信。
Dear Marty,
亲爱的马蒂
My mother told me to write to you. I hope that's okay.
我的妈妈告诉我可以给你写信。我希望这能管用。
Everyone always asks me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I have no idea! How does anyone know?
人们总是问我，“长大之后你想成为什么样的人？”我完全不知道！其他人是怎么知道的呢？
Clueless in Cleveland
来自克利夫兰的一个毫无头绪的人
Dear Clueless,
亲爱的毫无头绪的人，
First of all, do you think that with training, you have the potential to succeed in running your own business? You probably can if you are a self-starter rather than a procrastinator, have an instinct for knowing what is and isn't worth spending on and how to get it cheaply, and have the ability and motivation to sell people a product or service.
首先，你有想过培训吗，你是否在自己经营的商业中有成功的潜力？如果你是一个积极主动的人而不是一个拖延者，那么你有可能成功，你有一种直觉知道什么东西值得花那么多钱什么东西不值，如何能便宜地得到它，并且有能力和动力去卖给别人一个商品或一种服务。
The reason I first ask about your aptitude for self-employment is that if you do have it, you'll have more control of your life as well as be able to keep all the profit rather than just the wage an employer will pay you.
我首先问你对自我创业的态度的原因是，如果你真的有这种态度，你必须更多的掌控你的生活，同样也要保持所有的盈利而不仅仅是老板付给你的工资。
If you think you might be good at self-employment, I suggest you get an after-school or vacation job, even if just as a volunteer, at the elbow of a successful, ethical and kind small business owner. That will confirm or refute your self-assessment re self-employment and teach you skills that will be useful whether you end up self-employed or not. Some of the most respected employees are those who are intrapreneurial: those who see profit-making opportunities for the company or non profit they work for and have the drive and ability to see those opportunities through to success.
如果你觉得自己很擅长自我管理，我建议你在放学之后或在假期里找一份兼职，即使仅仅作为一个志愿者，待在一个成功的、有道德的和善良的小企业业主身边。这会证实或者驳斥你的自我评估或自我创业，并且这样还会教给你一些技巧，不管你是否结束你的创业，这些技巧都很有用。一些最受尊重的员工都是锐意改革内部创新的人：他们能够为效力的公司或者非盈利机构看到赚钱的机会，并且有干劲有能力能够通过这些机会看到成功。
If you don't see yourself as successfully self-employed, which of these are you naturally best at: and enjoy using: working with words, people, data, or the arts? With just that in mind, play around, yes, play around at mynextmove.org. (link is external)You'll identify one or more careers that seem like possibilities and learn about them, including what you do day-to-day, salary, and education requirements. When you've identified one or two top choices, try to get an after-school or vacation job or volunteer experience working for someone in that field.
如果你不把自己看成一个成功的个体经营者，这些人（指个体经营者）是天生的就很擅长经营，那么你是不是享受在应用中，和语言、人、数据或艺术打交道呢？你要确定一种或几种看起来有可能的职业并且学习它们，包括你每天都做什么，关于薪水以及教育要求方面的信息。当你确定了1个或2个首要的选择，尝试着在这一领域寻找一份课后兼职或假期兼职工作，或者作为志愿者为某人工作积攒经验。
Do that and you'll probably have at least a tentative answer to, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
那样去做，你可能会得到——“长大之后你想成为什么样的人？”——这个问题的答案，至少是初步回答。
