By Alexandra Levit, Author, “They Don't Teach Corporate 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 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. 我永遠都不會忘記大學畢業後的那個夏天，我是多么地失落。在接下來的九年里，我和無數二十來歲的年輕人探討過。對於要立即找到自己的“天職”，並在25歲 之前在某個領域乾出一番事業，他們都感到有巨大的壓力，
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. 一個更為現實的做法是遵循一些策略來讓自己緩慢進入職場。可許多人 直到三十歲後才開始去嘗試這些策略。學校也許教會了你許多東西，但是職場這套獨一無二的法則可能漏掉了。
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並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，就像曾規劃教育一樣？
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. 你可以先作個自我評估，這會讓你了解許多你不曾注意到的事情——例如，你喜歡怎樣的工作環境、討厭的工作環境又如何；你認為怎樣才算是成功；什麼樣的工作 會讓你寧願忍受幾小時的交通堵塞、僅僅為了出現在辦公室？了解這些能幫你決定那些職業適合你。
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. Worrying until you get sick, abusing drugs or denying that you've reached an impasse 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! 如果你開始把自己看成“受害者”，或是長期消極，受傷的只會是你自己。煩惱到生病、吸毒或不承認自己遇到了僵局，這些都是沒有幫助的。最好的辦法是承認現 實、承認自我感受，找一個有富有成效的方法來解決問題。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。