工作難找 是否應該自主創業?

Liz Bayer is one of those entrepreneurs. She spent decades in retail management positions for companies like Williams-Sonoma and Bath & Body Works, but eventually grew disenchanted with corporate America.
拜爾(Liz Bayer)就是這些企業家中的一員。她在Williams-Sonoma和Bath & Body Works這樣的公司裏從事了幾十年的零售管理工作，但她最終還是放棄了對美國大企業的迷戀。

'I felt that the companies I worked for weren't invested in growing the company and nurturing the individual,' says Ms. Bayer, now a broker with ProMortgage in San Rafael, Calif. 'I had always been interested in the housing market, and knew I had the self-discipline to work for myself, but I was concerned with the amount of self-promotion that was required.'
拜爾說，我認爲我工作的這些公司並沒有在企業增長和個人發展上面投資。我一直對住房市場感興趣，也知道我有爲自己工作的自律性，但我擔心的是宣傳自己所需要的金錢。她目前是加州按揭貸款服務公司ProMortgage的經紀人。

A Special Mindset
特殊的心態

Ms. Bayer's reservations are quite common -- not everyone is cut out to be self-employed. It can take a special sort of mindset. 'When you have your own business, no one is giving you direction, and circumstances are always changing,' says Pamela Slim, author of 'Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur.' 'Entrepreneurs are wired to be comfortable with open-endedness and ambiguity.'
拜爾的有所保留非常普遍，並不是所有人都有爲自己打工的勇氣。做到這點需要有一種特殊的心態。《逃離格子間──從企業囚徒到發展壯大的企業家》(Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur)一書的作者斯利姆(Pamela Slim)說，當你擁有自己的企業時，沒有人給你指導，環境也在不斷變化。企業家要善於面對不確定和不明朗的局面。

Self-employed professionals also are known for being optimistic, competitive, creative and organized. They tend to have a head for business, understand what their customers want and act with integrity. And if they're passionate about their venture, they work as many hours as it takes to get results.
自僱人士還要具有樂觀、富有競爭力和創造力、條理清晰的特點。他們有領導企業的頭腦、瞭解客戶的需求、辦事公平正直。如果他們對企業充滿激情，爲了結果他們會加班加點地工作。

If you're tired of leaving your career success in the hands of others and think striking out on your own is a better option, there are steps you can take to ensure that self-employment is a good fit before going too far down the entrepreneurial road.
如果你厭倦了將自己的職業成功寄託於別人之手，認爲走自己的路是更好的選擇，你可以先採取一些嘗試性步驟，以免發現自己不適於創業時已經走得太遠。

Start with an online self-assessment or consider consulting with Score, a nonprofit association that provides free and confidential advice to small businesses. Meanwhile, pay attention to the conditions that make you happiest at work.
不妨從網上自我測評開始，或是考慮向Score尋求建議，後者是一家向小企業提供免費和保密建議的非盈利組織。與此同時，關注工作中讓你最開心的情況。