第一份工作教会我们的四件事

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4 Important Things Our First Job Taught Us
Entering the workforce for the first time is going to be as instructive as it will be potentially terrifying. Most of us get jobs when we’re fairly young, and the realization that we will spend most of our lives answering directly to somebody other than ourselves isn’t an easy thing to shake.

初入职场获取的经验教训与其潜在的艰辛息息相关。绝多数人在乳臭未干的时候就步入职场了，要知道我们生命的大部分都会用来应对他人，而比起直接应付自己，那并非件易事。

The thing is, our first jobs, no matter how ridiculous, are going to stay with us; they’re going to teach us things we would never learn elsewhere, and to a certain extent, shape the person we’ll become later in our professional lives. Here are seven important lessons you’ll learn from your first job.

重点是，我们的第一份工，无论它有多荒谬，都将跟随着我们；教会我们他处无法汲取的经验，并在一定程度上，能将我们塑造成日后职业领域里的专业人员。

1. People Skills are 90 Percent of Any Job.
The other 10 percent consists of the actual skills you learned at college or otherwise acquired along the way. The problem is, we don’t exist in a bubble; we’ll have to deal with other people pretty regularly.

人际交往能力占任意工作的90%
其余10%包括你在大学里学得的实际技能，以及中途伴随的收获。而问题在于，我们并非在泡沫里夹缝偷生；我们必须相当频繁地去与他人打交道。

Knowing how to communicate effectively, as well as being personable, is going to be (for some of us) the hardest part of the job. Even if you work from home as an independent contractor, you still answer to (and will have to interact with) real people.

懂得怎样高效且不失风度地与人交流，这是工作中最为困难的一部分（对我们某些人来说）。即便你是在家做独立的外包工作，仍然得去应对现实中的人（并且必须直接与之往来）。

2. You Need to Stay Two Steps Ahead.
Our success at our jobs – no matter the job – is less about any given moment, day or project, and more about the next. Anticipation is a thing we’ll learn early, whether it’s anticipating what a customer will want before they know how to ask for it, or anticipating the next demand our boss will make.

你需要先人两步
工作中的成就-无论是何工作-与任何既定的时间、日子或项目相关甚少，这更多地决定于你下一步的安排。先发制人是我们早期要学会的，不管是先一步知道客户会怎样询问所青睐的产品，还是先一步了解老板接下来的需求。

If our first jobs teach us anything, it’s that one of the quickest ways to distinguish ourselves in the workplace is to take initiative. Don’t wait around to be told what to do; don’t make any assumptions, either, but if you’re given a chance to jump on the next thing that needs doing, without being instructed to do so, you’ll probably be rewarded.

若要说第一份工教会我们的东西，那就是使自己在职场里脱颖而出的最快方法之一就是采取积极。不要傻傻地等着别人告诉你要做什么；也不要做无谓的设想，但如果你获得了除完成本职工作之外的任务的机会，即便你没有获得任何指示，日后也会得到回报。

3. Don’t be (Too) Afraid to Make Mistakes.
Conventional wisdom tells us that human beings learn from our mistakes. Science tells us that we may learn better from our triumphs. I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle.

不要（太）害怕犯错
传统智慧告诉我们：人类在错误中学习。科学告诉我们：人类在胜利中能更好地学习。而我认为真理介乎二者之间。

When it comes to tackling a job, you’re almost guaranteed to slip up once in a while. That’s what the “learning curve” is all about; it’s an understanding between you and your boss that you’re still getting used to how things work. The thing is, learning is a lifelong process. You’re going to make mistakes. Dreading them, or walking on eggshells all day to avoid them is no way to live.

当在完成一份工作的时候，忽然跌倒一次是必经的历程。而这就是所谓的“学习曲线”；这个时候你就能开始理解你与上级之间那些需要慢慢磨合的过程。重点是，学习是一辈子的事。而你也将继续犯错。若你害怕错误，或整日游走边缘只为规避犯错的风险，这于生存无益。

4. Get Used to Monotony.
With very few exceptions, most jobs out there are almost painfully dull. There may be slight variations along the way, but for the most part, our jobs will largely consist of the same activities and tasks on a daily basis.

适应单调
鲜有例外，大多数工作几乎都苦闷至极。其中可能会有轻微的变化，但绝多数时候，我们的工作内容大部分都是日复一日地重复着同样的活动和任务。

Learning to make the most of a predictable life is important; you’ll have to find your own ways to change things up from time to time and inject a little bit of variety into your working hours.

懂得充分打造可预见性的人生很重要；如此一来，你就必须找到适合自己的方式时不时地去做出改变，并给工作制造一点点轻微的新鲜。