雙語財經新聞 第44期:高學歷是好工作的敲門磚嗎?
College graduates who took a detour1 around the weak job market by going back for advanced degrees are beginning to emerge from those programs — and finding job prospects aren’t much better than they were a couple of years ago. The jobless rate for 20- to 34-year-olds with master’s degrees, though well below the overall 9.5% U.S. average, was 4.2% in June, the Labor Department said Friday, up from 3.9% last year and 2.9% in June 2007, before the recession started.
The economy has started creating jobs 一 albeit2 at a slow rate — in recent months. But those with new master’s degrees often aren’t at the front of the line to get them, say experts. One reason: They frequently compete for jobs that require those advanced degrees with older workers who have the advantage of more work experience.
近幾個月，美國經濟巳經開始緩慢地創造就業崗位，但專家說,新拿到碩士學 位的人要競爭這些崗位並不具備優勢。比如，他們角逐要求有高學歷的崗位時，一 起競爭的常常還有年紀較大、擁有更多工作經驗的人。Caitlin Johnson, 23 years old, may soon find herself among them. A 2009 graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in computer — science and engineering, she said she was unable to land any of the 10 positions she applied for. So she opted3 to stay at MIT for her master’s in engineering. Having just finished her first year of the two-year program, Ms. Johnson said she might look for a job at the end of the summer to start after she completes the degree next year. But finding graduate school more appealing4 and facing a job market that remainsweak, she said she would most likely go on to earn her Ph.D..
23歲的凱特琳?約翰遜可能很快就會發現自己屬於其中的一員。約翰遜是麻省 理工學院計算機科學與工程專業的2009屆本科畢業生。她說自己申請了 1晰工作， 但一個也沒能到手。所以她留在了麻省理工繼續攻讀碩士學位，如今兩年的課程剛 剛讀完第一年。約翰遜說，夏季結束時，她可能會去找一份明年修完學業後人職的 工作。但她說，她覺得研究生院更有吸引力,而且就業市場還是不景氣，所以她最有 可能的還是接着讀博。
Should Ms. Johnson decide to opt for the job hunt instead of more schooling, she likely will face stiff competition. The number of 20- to 34-year-olds with master， s degrees in the labor force in June was 12% higher than it was two years earlier. And first-time grad-school enrollment rose 4.5% in 2008 and 6% in 2009 across the country.
約翰遜如果決定找工作而不是繼續讀書,有可能會面臨慘烈的競爭。在6月份 的勞動人口中，20到34歲的碩士學位持有人比兩年前多了 12%。另外全美研究生院 的初次入學人數，2008年增加4.5%，200鄉增加了 6%。To be sure, some advanced degrees remain in hot demand, such as those in business and finance. “It depends on the actual degree and the field you，re going into,” said Liz Pulliam Weston, an author and personal -finance columnist. “You shouldn’t just assume if you got a degree, you’re one step ahead of anybody else.”
需要說明的是,一些高等學歷的需求仍然很旺盛,比如商業或金融類專業。圖 書作者、個人理財專欄作家維斯頓說，這就要看實際水平和你要進人的領域，你不 能簡單地認爲拿到了學歷,就比其他任何人領先了一步。Still, more education continues to mean more earning power down the road. In 2008, 25- to 29-year-olds with master’s degrees earned on average $7,954 more than those with bachelor’s degrees annually, according to the Census Bureau. But that difference could narrow as more qualified candidates take lower-paying positions in a tight job market.
但是,學歷越髙還是意味着以後掙錢的能力越強。美國人口普查局數據顯示， 2008年，25到29歲碩士學位持有者的年收入 平均比本科學歷人士高出7954美元。但由於 就業環境不好，越來越多的優秀求職者走上 收人更低的崗位，這個差距也有可能縮小。Aneri Patel, 25, graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007 with an undergraduate degree in international relations. She landed a good job with a consulting firm, but decided to go to the London School of Economics in 2008 to learn more about climate change and be a stronger candidate in the job market. She never imagined how bad the job market would get while she was overseas in graduateschool.
25歲的帕特爾，2007年從北卡羅來納大 學教堂山分校畢業，取得國際關係專業本科 學位。她在一家諮詢公司找到了一份好工作，爲了提高自己在就業市場的競爭力，她決定 在2008年進人倫敦經濟學院學習氣候變化。她從未想到自己出國讀研的期間，美國的就 業市場會變得多糟糕。Since returning from London in January — her advanced degree in hand — she said she had applied for dozens of positions, but had yet to secure work. “With international work experience, coupled with my internships at fairly respectabte places and my master’s, I thought rd get immediate interviews,” she said. “It was tough.”
今年1月份從倫敦拿着高學歷回國以來，她申請了好幾十份工作’但還是沒有應聘成功。她說,我以爲,有了國際工作經驗， 加上我在幾個相當受人敬重的地方有過實習，另外還有碩士學位,我會馬上得到面 試機會,但實際上工作很難找.Competition for jobs is fierce, and employers can afford to be pi改y5. Siemens Industry Inc., a unit of Germany’s Siemens AG, said the good news for employers like them was that they were seeing an increased number of qualified candidates, and more with advanced degrees. “We have frankly easy pickings; the quality is there for the taking,” Chief Executive Daryl Dulaney said.
競爭異常激烈，僱主也因此可以吹毛求疵了。德國西門子集團旗下西門子工業 公司稱,對它們這樣的僱主來說,好消息就在於合格求職者越來越多,擁有高學歷 的人也越來越多。該公司首席執行長達里爾?杜蘭尼說,我們很容易選到人’高學歷 的人隨處都是。Graduates, however, are facing a tougher decision — hold out for^ a dream job, or take what’s available. Ms. Patel, for instance, said she really wanted a job that allowed her to pursue her passion for environmental issues.
但畢業生們面臨着更加艱難的決定。是堅持找一份理想的工作呢，還是能找到 哪裏就去哪裏？比如帕特爾，她說她真的想要一份可以在環境問題上追求理想的工 作。“The question is whether you want to pursue your dreams or tohave a job for the sake of it,” Ms. Patel said. “I think that’s kind of an unfortunate question to answer right now, when you，re young and you want to make a real difference.”
帕特爾說:“問題在於你是想追逐夢想，還是爲了工作而工作。我覺得這種問題 不太適合馬上回答,因爲你還年輕，希望有所作爲。”
