成功先从打零工做起

[从小事和低微处做起一个专科生的求职经历]1998年我从中南民族学院法律系专科毕业的时候，内心一片迷茫。一来专科生的就业压力已十分明显，二来临近毕业却突然获知，国家将正式取消毕业生包分配制度。我原来自恃是国家计划...+阅读

从小到大兼职和打零工的经历，是我所受教育中至关重要的一部分。这些工作具有某种坐在教室里根本体会不到的真实感。它们帮助我学到了职业道德的重要性、学会了独立，也使我认识到，现实世界中的许多工作场所有多么艰苦。

The part-time and temporary jobs I had while growing up were a vital part of my education. There was an authenticity about them that sitting in a classroom entirely lacked. They helped to teach me the importance of a work ethic, independence, and just how tough many real workplaces are.

我担心，21世纪的青少年中有这类经历的人太少了，因此他们无法那么全面地发展自我。

I worry that too few 21st-century teenagers get this type of experience and that they are less well-rounded as a consequence.

我记得，上世纪70年代末的一个复活节，我在结束了第一天的工作后坐在浴缸里。当时，我在一个小型制造车间打工，任务是从早到晚地翻转车床上的金属杆。上班第一天的下午5点，我的手已经起了水泡、磨掉了皮。

I can recall sitting in the bath after my first days work one Easter holiday in the late 1970s. The job was in a small engineering workshop. My task was to turn metal rods on a lathe all day. By 5pm on my first day my hands were blistered and raw.

虽然我读的是公立学校，但我的成长环境非常舒适，从来就没做过像样的体力活。开始打工那周的周末，我领到了一个带玻璃纸窗口的信封，里面装着作为薪水的现金，约有40英镑。凭自己的努力赚到那些钱，为我带来了巨大的满足感。我感觉自己几乎是个有钱人了，而且也已长大成人。

Although I went to a state school, I enjoyed a fortable upbringing and had never experienced a proper labouring job. But at the end of the week I got my pay in cash in a brown envelope with a cellophane window. It was about 40. Earning all that through my own efforts was hugely satisfying. It made me feel almost rich, and grown up.

以前每个圣诞节，我都会担任村子里的临时邮递员，帮忙发送每到那个时候就会如雪片般寄来的包裹和贺卡。由于那时还没有互联网和手机，因此作为保持联络的一种途径，英国皇家邮政(Royal Mail)要比今天重要得多。你必须很早就开始工作，但一般到了午饭前后就能把当天的任务完成。

Every Christmas I used to work as a temporary postman in my village, helping to deliver the seasonal alanche of parcels and greeting cards. This was before the inter and mobile phones, so the Royal Mail was a much more important way to keep in touch than it is now. You had to start very early, but you generally finished your round by lunchtime.

最糟糕的情况是下雨。碰上雨天，你还是得完成任务，即使那需要