三十而立太晚了:爲什麼說二十幾歲纔是人生的關鍵(2)

BT: How do you suggest they track their progress toward their future goals? Are milestones like 21 and 30 important?

BT：您是如何建議他們朝着未來目標不斷進步的？21和30歲這樣的里程碑時刻是不是特別重要？

MJ: Absolutely. Milestones-21, 25, 30, New Year's, birthdays, reunions-are important because they trigger self-reflection. Am I where I wanted to be by this age? Did I do what I said I would do this year? If not, why not. And if not now, when? A savvy 20something who interviewed me recently told me about a question she was advised to ask herself as she Moved through adulthood: "If you keep living your life exactly as it is, where will you be in 3 years?" If you don't like the answer, now is the time to change course.

MJ：沒錯。21歲、25歲、30歲、新年、生日、團聚日——這些都是里程碑時刻，因爲它們能促人反思。到了這個年紀，我有沒有處在自己想處的位置？我年初的計劃完成了沒？如果沒完成，原因又是什麼？如果現在不完成，那麼什麼時候可以完成？最近有個很有悟性的、20出頭的女孩採訪我，她告訴我，有人建議她在這幾年中反覆捫心自問：“如果你保持着今天的生活狀態，3年後的你會是什麼樣子？” 如果得到的答案並不是你所喜歡的，那麼現在就是洗心革面的時候。

One way to keep yourself honest about the future is by making a timeline. At what age would I like to be out of this dead-end job? By when do I hope to be married? How old do I want to be when I try for my first child? It may not be cool to have a timeline, or to admit to having a timeline, but you don't have to etch it in stone. It's just a way of thinking about how your life might, or might not, be adding up.

讓自己誠實面對未來的方法之一是制定一個時間表。什麼時候我才能跳出這份沒前途的工作？我打算什麼時候結婚？我打算幾歲時要第一個孩子？雖然定計劃這事兒聽上去不是很酷，但是，你又沒必要把它刻在石頭上啊。這不過是種幫助你計劃未來人生的方式。

BT: About 25% of recent grads are unemployed, and 25% are underemployed. What is your advice for those who simply can't find a job?

BT：應屆畢業生有25%找不到工作，還有25%的人做着大材小用的工作。你對於那些找不到工作的人有什麼建議？

MJ: Yes, half of 20somethings are un- or underemployed. But half aren't, so my first piece of advice is to figure out how to get yourself into that group. Most often, the way to do this is through what is called "the strength of weak ties." The strength of weak ties is from sociologist Mark Granovetter's work on social networks. What he found was that new information and opportunities usually come from outside of our inner circle. That foot-in-the-door at the company where you want to work isn't going to come from your best friends-your strong ties-or you would already be working there. That job lead is going to come from weak ties, or from people you hardly know. Email your aunt's neighbor or that old professor or your roommate's friend from college.

MJ：沒錯，大約一半的20出頭年輕人不是找不到工作，就是找不到稱心如意的。但也有一半的人找到了。所以，我第一個建議是：想想自己怎麼能從這一半跳到那一半的梯隊中。通常來講，要實現這一點，“弱關係的力量”很重要。所謂的“弱關係”是社會學家Mark Granovetter在研究社交網絡時提出來的。他發現最新的信息和機會往往來自那些你最親密人以外的圈子裏。假如你想去某家公司工作，這個職業機會絕對不會來自你的摯友（即強關係），否則你早就進去工作了不是麼。這個工作機會很可能來自弱關係，或者來自那些你幾乎不認識的人。所以，給你大姨的鄰居、學校裏的老教授、或是大學室友的朋友發個郵件吧，說不定你就得到這份工作了。

That's how people are getting jobs-especially good jobs-even in a tough economy. Most 20somethings hate the idea of asking outsiders for favors, but those who won't do this fall behind those who will. 20somethings who sit on the sidelines because of a bad economy will never catch up with those who figured out how to get in the game.

工作就要這樣去找，尤其是好工作。即使在經濟不景氣的情況下，也能找得到。很多20出頭的年輕人不喜歡向不熟的人求助，於是他們便被那些願意求助的同齡人甩在了後面，因爲坐以待斃是永遠也追不上積極進取的腳步的。

For those 20somethings who already have jobs but who are underemployed, it is crucial to remember that not all underemployment is the same. Be sure you have a job that is allowing you to earn some form of identity capital. Maybe you have a low-rung job at a hot company that adds value to your resume. Whatever you're doing should make the next thing you'd like to try seem more possible.

對於那些雖然找到了工作，但並不滿意的年輕人，你們需要記住一點，那就是並非所有的不充分就業都是一樣的。要確保你自己在乾的是一份能爲你掙得身份資本的工作。比如，你在一家炙手可熱的公司雖然做着打雜的活兒，但它能給你簡歷添金。所以，你現在做的任何一件事，都應該是在爲你的夢想鋪路。