let me explain. it actually began when i met with the uc just after my appointment was announced in the winter of 2007. then the questions continued when i had lunch at kirkland house, dinner at leverett, when i met with students in my office hours, even with some recent graduates i encountered abroad. the first thing you asked me about wasn't the curriculum or advising or faculty contact or even student space. in fact, it wasn't even alcohol policy. instead, you repeatedly asked me: why are so many of us going to wall street? why are we going in such numbers from harvard to finance, consulting, i-banking?
聽我解釋。提問從2007年冬天我的任職被公布時與校方的會面就開始了。然後提問一直持續，不論是我在kirkland house吃午飯還是在leverett house吃晚飯，或是當我在辦公時間與學生會見，甚至是我在與國外認識的剛考來的研究生的談話中。你們問的第一個問題不是關於課業，不是讓我提建議，也不是為了和教員接觸，甚至是想向我提建議。事實上，更不是為了和我討論酒精政策。相反，你們不厭其煩問的卻是：為什麼我們之中這么多人將去華爾街？為什麼我們大量的學生都從哈佛走向了金融，理財諮詢，投行？
there are a number of ways to think about this question and how to answer it. there is the willie sutton approach. you may know that when he was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, “because that's where the money is.” professors claudia goldin and larry katz, whom many of you have encountered in your economics concentration, offer a not dissimilar answer based on their study of student career choices since the seventies. they find it notable that, given the very high pecuniary rewards in finance, many students nonetheless still choose to do something else. indeed, 37 of you have signed on with teach for america; one of you will dance tango and work in dance therapy in argentina; another will be engaged in agricultural development in kenya; another, with an honors degree in math, will study poetry; another will train as a pilot with the usaf; another will work to combat breast cancer. numbers of you will go to law school, medical school, and graduate school. but, consistent with the pattern goldin and katz have documented, a considerable number of you are selecting finance and consulting. the crimson's survey of last year's class reported that 58 percent of men and 43 percent of women entering the workforce made this choice. this year, even in challenging economic times, the figure is 39 percent.
對於這個問題有多種思考和回答方式。有一種解釋就是如willie sutton所說的，一切向“錢”看。你們中很多人見過的普通經濟學教授claudia goldin 和larry katz，基於對上世紀70年代以來的學生的職業選擇的研究，作出了差不多的回答。他們發現了值得注意的一點：即使從事金融業可以得到很高的金錢回報，很多學生仍然選擇做其它的事情。實事上，你們中間有37人簽到了“教育美國人”；1人將去跳探戈舞蹈並在阿根廷從事舞蹈療法；1人將致力於肯亞的農業發展；另有1人獲得了數學的榮譽學位，卻轉而去研究詩歌；1人將去美國空軍接受飛行員訓練；還有1人將加入到與乳癌抗戰當中。你們中的很多人將去法學院，醫學院或研究生院。但是，和goldin 和katz教授有據證明的一樣，你們中相當一部分人將選擇金融和理財諮詢。crimson對於上屆學生的調查顯示，在就業的學生中，58%的男生和43%的女生做出了這個選擇。今年，即使在經濟受挑戰的一年，這個數據是39%。