選擇職業時絕不能做的幾件事

When you are Selecting a career there's a lot riding on your decision. You want to pick an occupation in which you can be successful for many years to come. While you can change careers, doing so can be effortful. It is easier if you don't have to do it too often. That means you should pick something that is not only suitable for you, but also can support you financially far into the future. Increase your chances of making a good decision by avoiding these very common mistakes.

當你選擇職業時，你的決定可能會影響很多事情。你當然希望選擇一個可以在未來的若干年內飛黃騰達的職業。雖說你可以改行，但是這通常會耗費很多的精力。如果不需要經常跳槽，生活就會變得容易一些。這就意味着你應該選擇一個既適合你的，又可以一直保證你的經濟來源的工作。避免以下這些常見錯誤可以幫助你作出適合你的決定。

Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting a Career:

選擇職業時絕不要犯的錯誤：

1. Listening to People Who Tell You That You Should, or Should Not, Do Something: Many people think they should have a say in what career you choose—your parents, your friends, your significant other. They don't. In most cases, your decision will have little impact on the other people in your life. You, however, will have to deal with your choice for years to come. Make sure the career you choose is something you want to spend your day doing.

盲目聽從那些告訴你應該或不應該做什麼的人：包含你的父母，朋友和配偶在內的許多人都會認爲他們有權對你的職業選擇發表意見，事實上他們並沒有權力干涉。在大多數情況下，你的選擇對你人生中的其他人幾乎不會產生任何影響。然而，你自己卻需要在未來的很長一段時間內對你的選擇負責。做決定之前確保你選擇的職業是你真正想做的。

2. Following in Someone Else's Footsteps: You may be haunted by your parents' expectations to go into the same occupation they are in. You may know it as the one that helped put food in your mouth, kept a roof over your head and even paid your way through school. As hard is it is to do, ignore the pressure you may feel to please your mom and dad. Remember, and if necessary, remind your parents, that they made their own choices and now it's your turn.

跟隨他人的腳步：你的父母可能會希望你以後從事與他們相同的職業，你可能會因他們的這種期待而感到困擾。你對這份工作的瞭解可能僅僅停留在它可以供我吃，供我住甚至可以供我上學。但是請不要強迫自己去取悅你的父母，儘管這並不容易做到。請記住，必要時也要提醒你的父母，他們已經做出了自己的選擇，而現在你的人生你要自己做主。

What was right for them may not be for you. In the long run, there's a good chance they'd rather see you happy in a career of your own choosing than unhappy in one you picked to please them.

對他們來說合適的工作可能對你來說並非如此。從長遠看來，你的父母還是希望你從事自己選擇的工作，快樂地生活而非看你因取悅他們所選擇的職業整天悶悶不樂。

3. Not Doing Your Homework: Don't choose a career without taking the time to learn about it. In addition to a job description, you should make sure to gather information about typical job duties, educational requirements, earnings and job outlook.

事前不做功課：在你選擇某個職業之前一定要花時間去了解它。除了工作描述之外，你還應該蒐集一些關於日常工作職責，教育背景要求，收入和前景之類的信息。

4. Not Talking to Those in the Know: Your homework isn't complete if you skip talking to someone who currently works in the career field you are considering. Those who are engaged in an occupation can provide you with a truthful account of what it's really like to work in it. If possible talk to a few people to avoid individual biases.

事前不和業內人士交流：事前的準備工作必須包括與正在你希望從事的領域內工作的人的交流溝通。那些業內人士會告訴你這個領域內的真實狀況。如果可能的話，多找幾個人談談，以免摻雜個人偏見。

5. Going for the Money, Honey: Bringing home a paycheck is important, but the size of it isn't actually a great predictor of job satisfaction. In other words, you can make six figures but if you hate what you're doing you'll find it hard to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Look for a balance between making enough money to support yourself and work that fulfills you.

眼裏只有錢：收入固然重要，但是收入的多少與你的工作滿意度並沒有太大的關係。換句話說，你可以月入十萬，但如果你討厭你的工作，你就會很難去享受你勞動的果實。試着在維持生計和實現自己的抱負之間尋找一個平衡。

6. Ignoring Who You Are: Your personality type, interests, values and aptitudes make you better suited for some occupations than others. These traits are intrinsic, which means you can't change them. If you don't take them into account when selecting a career, there is an excellent chance you will wind up in an occupation that is unsuitable for you.

沒能認清自己：你的性格，興趣，價值觀和天賦會使你比其他人更適合某些職業。這些特點是天生的，也就是說你無法改變。如果你在選擇職業的時候不考慮這些因素，那麼你很有可能最後會從事一個並不適合你的職業。

7. Not Considering Location, Location, Location: Jobs in certain occupations are concentrated in specific cities—New York or Los Angeles for example—or in certain types of locations—such as cities versus rural areas.

沒有考慮工作地點，工作地點，工作地點，重要的事情說三遍：有些工作會集中在一些特定的城市，比如說紐約或洛杉磯，或者集中在某些特定區域，比如城市或鄉村地區。

If you live somewhere that doesn't offer many opportunities in your field and you aren't willing to relocate, you will have trouble getting a job.

如果你的家鄉並沒有很多你希望從事領域的工作機會，而你又不想去別的城市，那麼你找工作將會變得異常困難。

8. Not Looking Beyond a "Best Careers" List: Lists that tell you what careers have the best opportunities of the year, decade or whatever, can be a helpful guide when it comes to selecting a career. However, making a decision based solely on one of those lists is a terrible idea. Even an occupation with a great outlook can be a bad fit, so you have to scratch below the surface to find out whether you and a career are a good match.

把目光侷限在那些光鮮職業上：那些列出了年度，或過去十年內發展前景最好的職業的榜單在你選擇職業的時候會給你一些有用的指導。然而，僅僅依靠這些榜單來選擇職業就是大錯特錯了。一個前程似錦的職業可能完全不適合你。所以你要去深度挖掘你到底適不適合這份工作。

9. Ignoring the Future: While you shouldn't make your choice solely on an occupation's appearance on a "best careers list," to ignore employment outlook is careless.

完全忽視前景：雖說你不應該完全依靠那些榜單上的職業發展表現來做出選擇，完全忽視發展前景也是不可取的。

There's a good chance you don't have a crystal ball that can tell you with certainty whether an occupation will grow, or at least be stable, during the course of your career. However, you can do more than hope for the best. You should consider whether a career has a promising future before you begin to prepare for it. You can at least eliminate something if its future looks bleak.

你並沒有預言球可以確定地告訴你在你的職業生涯中，這份工作是否會越來越好，或至少會不會穩定。然而，除了往好處想之外，你還可以做很多事情。你在着手準備就業之前，應該對職業前景進行仔細衡量。如果看起來前途渺茫，你至少可以把它排除。