By Alexandra Levit, Author, "They Don't Teach Corporate¹ in College: A Twenty-Something's Guide to the Business World"

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 countless² 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. 我永远都不会忘记大学毕业后的那个夏天，我是多么地失落。在接下来的九年里，我和无数二十来岁的年轻人探讨过。对于要立即找到自己的“天职”，并在25岁之前在某个领域干出一番事业，他们都感到有巨大的压力，

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. 一个更为现实的做法是遵循一些策略来让自己缓慢进入职场。可许多人直到三十岁后才开始去尝试这些策略。学校也许教会了你许多东西，但是职场这套独一无二的法则可能漏掉了。

Hopefully these tips will get you started on the right foot 希望下面这些建议能让你的职业生涯有一个好的开始：

Pick a Career Instead of a Job

是“择业”而不是选择“工作”

Looking for a job haphazardly³, 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? 随意找一份工作，只不过因为你的专业相关或感到工作内容有趣，那么你可能会进入一个对你来说并没有真正吸引力的行业，不用多久你就得再去找工作。何不用战略的眼光来规划你的职业，就像曾规划教育一样？

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. 你可以先作个自我评估，这会让你了解许多你不曾注意到的事情——例如，你喜欢怎样的工作环境、讨厌的工作环境又如何；你认为怎样才算是成功；什么样的工作会让你宁愿忍受几小时的交通堵塞、仅仅为了出现在办公室？了解这些能帮你决定那些职业适合你。

If You Can't Get a Job Right Away, Don't Despair

即使不能立刻找到工作，也不要绝望

If you start thinking of yourself as a victim or allow yourself to lapse⁴ into prolonged negativity, you won't be hurting anyone except yourself. Worrying until you get sick, abusing drugs or denying that you've reached an impasse⁵ won't help either. 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! 如果你开始把自己看成“受害者”，或是长期消极，受伤的只会是你自己。烦恼到生病、吸毒或不承认自己遇到了僵局，这些都是没有帮助的。最好的办法是承认现实、承认自我感受，找一个有富有成效的方法来解决问题。向支持你的人寻求帮助，考虑休息一段时间——毕竟，将来你不会再有这种不用上学也不用工作的自由了。

Network Like Mad in Your Chosen Field

在你选择的领域中“疯狂”地建立联系

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. 许多工作空缺都不会登广告招聘，因为雇主更喜欢任用推荐的人选。和在你的领域工作的人们建立联系的意义是：当一有新机会出现，人们头脑中第一时间想到的就是你。

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 defensive⁶ by asking for a job outright⁷. Instead, show curiosity about their career path and see if they'll agree to lunch or coffee. 你可以调查你所在行业的公司，或者，加入在线社交网站，或是问问父母的朋友和参加相关的职业组织。这些都能帮你建立联系。可以先用电子邮件和别人取得联系，不要明确地提出想获得工作，这会使对方心生戒备。对他们的职业生涯表示好奇；然后，问一问是否能同他们一起吃午饭或喝咖啡。

Hone Your Reputation as a Can-Do, Enthusiastic Employee

为自己赢得一个动手能力强、工作热忱的好名声

Don't have a sense of entitlement -- 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 implement⁸ with her help. 不要认为什么都是“应当”的——你应该对自己的职业发展负责，而不是你的公司。 在向老板提出问题或是抱怨之前，先尝试一切能自己解决的办法。如果你不得不提，也要准备好一个解决方案，这个方案有她的帮助就能实现。

The words I don't have time should never escape your lips. If you know something needs to be done, do it without being prodded⁹. 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. 绝对不该说“我没有时间”这样的话。如果你知道需要做某项工作，应该不用敦促地完成。你的老板很快会把你看成一个靠得住的人、团队的一大资产。如果要做的事情先后顺序有冲突，让老板为你决定。

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职业生涯中的“永远”

How can you master the skills it takes to get ahead without putting any time in the trenches¹⁰? 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! 不从底层做起你怎么能掌握发展所需要的技能？这就好比连狗刨都没学会就想在奥运会上拿金牌。把你刚毕业后的工作看成职业生涯中的临时站点而不是永久站点。也不要急着获得晋升——前方的职业道路由你扛重担的时间会很长。快乐地一边拿着工资一边学习吧，这样获得下一份工作就不费吹灰之力了!