職場雙語：成功先從打零工做起
從小到大兼職和打零工的經(jīng)歷，是我所受教育中至關(guān)重要的一部分，
職場雙語：成功先從打零工做起
。這些工作具有某種坐在教室里根本體會不到的真實感。它們幫助我學(xué)到了職業(yè)道德的重要性、學(xué)會了獨立，也使我認(rèn)識到，現(xiàn)實世界中的許多工作場所有多么艱苦。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.
我擔(dān)心，21世紀(jì)的青少年中有這類經(jīng)歷的人太少了，因此他們無法那么全面地發(fā)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.
我記得，上世紀(jì)70年代末的一個復(fù)活節(jié)，我在結(jié)束了第一天的工作后坐在浴缸里。當(dāng)時，我在一個小型制造車間打工，任務(wù)是從早到晚地翻轉(zhuǎn)車床上的金屬桿。上班第一天的下午5點，我的手已經(jīng)起了水泡、磨掉了皮。
I can recall sitting in the bath after my first day’s 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.
雖然我讀的是公立學(xué)校，但我的成長環(huán)境非常舒適，從來就沒做過像樣的體力活。開始打工那周的周末，我領(lǐng)到了一個帶玻璃紙窗口的信封，里面裝著作為薪水的現(xiàn)金，約有40英鎊。憑自己的努力賺到那些錢，為我?guī)砹司薮蟮臐M足感。我感覺自己幾乎是個有錢人了，而且也已長大成人。
Although I went to a state school, I enjoyed a comfortable 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.
以前每個圣誕節(jié)，我都會擔(dān)任村子里的臨時郵遞員，幫忙發(fā)送每到那個時候就會如雪片般寄來的包裹和賀卡。由于那時還沒有互聯(lián)網(wǎng)和手機，因此作為保持聯(lián)絡(luò)的一種途徑，英國皇家郵政(Royal Mail)要比今天重要得多。你必須很早就開始工作，但一般到了午飯前后就能把當(dāng)天的任務(wù)完成。
Every Christmas I used to work as a temporary postman in my village, helping to deliver the seasonal avalanche of parcels and greeting cards. This was before the internet 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.
最糟糕的情況是下雨。碰上雨天，你還是得完成任務(wù)，即使那需要來源：考試大花上四個小時。干到最后你會渾身濕透，你的郵件也好不到哪兒去。記得有一天，我真想把許多郵件一扔了之，但隨后我又提醒自己，那么做是一種嚴(yán)重的犯罪。
The worst aspect was rain. If it was wet, you still had to finish the task, even if it took four hours. You ended up soaked, and your post wasn’t much better. I remember being tempted to chuck a lot of post away on one day, but was reminded that doing so was a very serious offence.
每次開車路過曼哈頓第八大道上氣勢不凡的'郵政總局，我都會想起冒雨辛苦工作的郵遞員。郵政總局門前題有這樣一段鼓舞人心的文字：“無論雨雪炎熱，還是漫漫黑夜，都阻擋不了這些信使迅速完成指定投遞任務(wù)的腳步。”
I think of postmen struggling in the rain every time I drive by the splendid Eighth Avenue general post office in Manhattan, and see the evocative inscription, which reads: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
我做過的另一份暑期短工是在一家制藥廠制造潤滑啫哩，
資料共享平臺
《職場雙語：成功先從打零工做起》(http://www.szmdbiao.com)。在當(dāng)時那個年紀(jì)，我對人們?yōu)楹问褂眠@種產(chǎn)品只是一知半解。員工們的胸?zé)o大志令我感到震驚。沒有人把所從事的工作看作事業(yè)：那不過是謀生手段而已。他們臟話不離口——女性員工也不例外——而且大多數(shù)人討厭自己的工作。不過，我還是很喜歡以他們?yōu)榘椤?br /> Another summer job was working in a pharmaceutical factory making lubricant jelly. At that age I was only vaguely aware why people used it. I was shocked at the lack of ambition among the staff. None of them saw what they did as a career: it was simply a way to earn a living. They swore all the time – including the women – and most of them hated their jobs. Nevertheless, I enjoyed their company.但我認(rèn)識到，找到一份從周一到周五都能樂在其中的工作，是充實生活的關(guān)鍵要素。癡迷地尋找一種令我期待——而非懼怕——周一早晨的謀生之道，成了我的一項使命。
But I realised that finding something to do that you love from Monday to Friday was a vital ingredient to a fulfilling life. It became a mission of mine to pursue obsessively a livelihood where I could look forward to Monday morning rather than dread it.
在大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)系念一年級時，我利用假期在倫敦圣瑪麗醫(yī)院(St Mary’s Hospital)為一位聲名顯赫的教授工作。他當(dāng)時正在研究心血管疾病與長期服用避孕藥之間的關(guān)系。我擔(dān)任實驗室助理，而我的老板有點像個暴君。我的主要任務(wù)是分析人體排泄物。那份工作令我打消了從醫(yī)的念頭，甚至連給人打工的念頭也沒了。
As a first-year undergraduate studying medicine, I worked at St Mary’s Hospital in London for an eminent professor during the vacation. He was studying the connection between cardiovascular disease and extended use of the contraceptive pill. I was a lab assistant and my boss was something of a tyrant. My main role was to analyse human excrement. It helped put me off medicine as a vocation, and indeed working for other people.
大學(xué)期間，我為一家流動迪斯科舞廳擔(dān)任DJ，在從學(xué)生聚會到婚禮等各種場合打碟。有了自信之后，我為自己添置了轉(zhuǎn)盤(Turntable)，陶醉于努力工作、玩音樂、結(jié)識女孩子和賺錢的組合之中。我意識到，作企業(yè)家才是我要找的答案：你可以掌握自己的命運，并因付出努力而得到回報。我與幾個同伴一起，在當(dāng)?shù)氐囊患乙箍倳?jīng)營每周一次的舞場。這樁生意從一開始就實現(xiàn)了盈利。我發(fā)現(xiàn)，做生意能給人充分自由，還能激發(fā)創(chuàng)造力。
While I was at university I worked as a DJ for a mobile discotheque, spinning the discs at everything from student gigs to weddings. Once I gained confidence, I acquired my own turntables and loved the combination of working hard, playing music, meeting girls and earning money. I realised that being an entrepreneur was the answer – you could control your own destiny and you received the rewards for your efforts. With partners I ran weekly dances at a local nightclub. It made money from the start, and I saw that running a business could give you enormous freedom and creative stimulation.
對我而言，假期短工和校外兼職令我學(xué)到了人生經(jīng)驗，獲得了學(xué)校正統(tǒng)教育永遠(yuǎn)無法賦予的洞察力。我很想知道，本專欄讀者的孩子中，有多少人在上學(xué)期間還在帶薪工作？人數(shù)恐怕不夠多吧。
For me, holiday and student jobs provided lessons in life and an insight that academic, formal education could never match. I wonder how many children of the readers of this column will have paying jobs while studying? Not enough, I fear.
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