When you go on to college, you do a bit of the same things, but you also learn to think analytically, critically, and to broaden your mind so to speak, but even people who graduate from college will learn lessons from the real world the hard way as well. The sad part is all of this could’ve been prevented with some proper education beforehand.
当你在上大学的时候,你学到的东西大同小异,但是你的确也会学习如何理性分析,如何拥有批判性思维,以及如何开拓思想,学会说话的艺术等。然而,那些已经毕了业的学生们也不得不在社会大学中以更加惨烈的方式来学习一些必要的本领。让人感到伤心的是,这些本领其实在学校里就应该学起来了。
Below are six things that I firmly believe should be taught in every school so that students don’t get railroaded when they enter the real world. If you’re still in school and reading this, consider it your lucky day as mastering these six skills will give you a great head start and help separate you from the rest of the pack as well.
以下六个本领是我认为所有学校都应该教授的,这样当学生们真正进入社会的时候,就不会硬着陆了。如果你还是个学生,那就恭喜你读到了这篇文章,因为掌握了这六大本领会让你变得与众不同。
#1. Personal Finance
1.个人理财
Every week or so, there always seems to be a new article in CNN, USA Today, or Yahoo about young adults struggling with debt, whether it be from credit cards or loans in general. High interest rates, hidden fees, not consolidating debt – these terms and concepts are mostly unknown to young adults and because of that ignorance, they tend to make big errors in judgment. A prime example is thinking that they just have to pay the minimum on their balance and not realizing that by doing so, they pay 2-3 times as much in the long run.
大约每隔一周,在CNN、USA Today或者Yahoo上就会有一篇关于年轻人陷入债务危机的报道,不论是信用卡还是一般的债务。高额的利息、隐藏在背后的费用、不巩固债务状况——大多数年轻人对于这些都缺乏了解,而正因为这样的无知,他们会在做出判断时犯下致命的错误。一个典型的例子就是他们认为他们总是只需支还基于他们负债上的很小一部分,而没有意识到这在长期将会使他们最终要支付的利息多过2~3倍。
Alongside that, most young adults don’t have a clue on how to invest their money. They don’t know what a Roth IRA account is, or a 401k, or the magic of compound interest, the tax benefits associated with investing in these types of vehicles, etc. There’s a lot of specialized knowledge out there that young adults are not aware of on when it comes to how they can invest their money and as a result, they frivolously spend it away.
除此之外,大多数年轻人不明白如何来将他们的钱用于投资,他们不知道个人退休账户是什么,也不知道养老金计划是什么,也不知道复利的奇妙之处,同样不清楚购买某些汽车所能享受到的税费优惠,等等。在年轻人面对如何投资的问题时,他们所不了解的专业知识太多了,从而导致他们毫不谨慎地就把钱都花光了。
Even something as basic as creating a simple budget is beyond the grasp of some young adults and it simply amazes me that a lot of people don’t do this and some don’t even know how (you’d be surprised). Figure out your income after taxes, pay yourself FIRST (this is a big one – most people pay the bills and frivolously spend the leftovers until next payday), see what you can cut out if things are tight, look to see where you can bring in more income if you need to do so, etc.
甚至像做一个简单的预算这样基础的工作对于一些年轻人来说都是超出他们的能力范围的,而且我很惊讶的发现很多人从来不做这个工作,有些人甚至都不知道这个(我猜你也会吃惊的)。算出你的税后收入是多少,然后首先给你自己支付一定的报酬(这将是很大的一笔,很多人在支付完账单后很轻率的把剩余的钱都用完了),如果生活不太宽裕的话看看能节省些什么,同样也注意一下如果你需要其他收入的话可以做些什么,等等。
#2. Communicating Effectively
2.有效沟通
Communicating effectively is one of the most underrated, yet most powerful skills you can develop.
有效沟通是最被忽视却是你能培养的最有用的本领。
The biggest part in communicating effectively is preparing what you want to say beforehand. Keep it simple. What’s my point? Why? Prepare a good example.
有效沟通最关键的是在于事前准备你想要说的是什么,这得简单明了,我的重点是什么,并准备一个好的例子。
Your best friend in communicating effectively are these two words: “For example”. Whenever you see a confused look on people’s faces, your best response is leading with those two words: For example. When you do that AND follow up with a relevant example, it allows the other person to “frame” what you’re talking about to get a better idea of what it is.
你在实现有效沟通时最有用的三个字是:“比如说”。如果你发现别人的脸上出现了费解的神情,你最好的回应就是这三个字:比如说。如果你这样做了,并附以一个相关的例子来说明,别人会对于你所讲的有一个框架认识,并能够更好的理解那是什么。
Communicating effectively is one of THE MOST underrated and MOST valuable skills a person can have. And let me tell you on a personal level, there’s nothing more refreshing than dealing with people who take the time to prepare what they have to say and back it up with clear examples. It’s a very rare skill nowadays.
有效沟通是最容易被忽视的,也是一个人能够拥有的最有价值的本领之一。从我个人的角度来说,如果和一个花时间准备自己的观点并用清楚的例子加以说明的人打交道是一件再好不过的事情了。但是现如今,有这项本领的人已经很少了。
#3. Social Skills
3. 社交本领
Closely related to communicating effectively are social skills in general. After you graduate, you’re not going to be dealing with your high school or frat buddies anymore. You’ll be dealing with many people from different backgrounds, countries, and more importantly different age groups, so it would be wise to learn how to socialize outside your own group.
一般意义上来讲,社交本领就是紧密并有效的保持交流。当你毕业之后,你所要面对的就不再是你的中学同学或是哥们了。你将要面对的是有着各种背景的,可能是来自不同国家的,更重要的一点是不同年龄段的人群,因此学习怎样同你自己圈子以外的人打交道将是很明智的选择。
Cut the slang - Learn to respect customs from other countries.
别说俚语。学着尊重你的外国客户。
Learn how to listen – few people do. Learn when to speak and when NOT to.
学会倾听(现在很少有人这样),知道什么时候该讲话,什么时候不该。
Learn the art of networking – that’s key. Networking is a big skill that’s not taught enough in schools. Learn to compliment. Mingle. Make small talk.
学习建立人脉的艺术——这是十分重要的。建立人际网是很重要的一项本领,在学校里你是学不到的。学着恭维,学着合群,学着说些应酬话。
Learn to approach people – that’s another big skill. Most people don’t have the guts to take the first initiative and introduce themselves. Be the big man. Take the first step.
学会接近别人。这是另一项重要的本领。很多人没有胆量在初次见面的时候做自我介绍。做个勇敢的人,踏出第一步,学会让别人觉得你这个人不错。
#4. Sales
4.推销
Obviously I’m not advocating people becoming a salesman after school, but learning the art of selling is what I’m advocating. If you think about it, we all sell everyday. We sell ideas to our boss. We sell to our friends when we pitch ideas on what to do this weekend. We sell ourselves in job interviews. You could say that sales is a great combination of social skills and communicating effectively, but with some other components you should pick up that will be useful.
很明显我要提倡的不是让学生毕业之后去当一名推销员,而是去学习推销的艺术。如果你细细思考这个词,你会发现我们每天都在做着推销的工作。我们向我们的老板推销我们的想法,在有好点子的时候向朋友们推销周末的娱乐项目,在面试的时候推销自己。你可以说推销是社交本领和有效沟通的完美结合,但是如果掌握了其他的一些东西,会让你的推销更有效的:
Listen. Really listen. Actively listen.
Learn how to be convincing.
Be persuasive.
Think of objections and counter them ahead of time.
Stress benefits instead of features.
Listen to the other person. (yes I know it's a repeat, but it's for emphasis)
Develop empathy.
Think in terms of how you can help serve the other person.
倾听,是真的倾听、主动的倾听
学习如何让自己有说服力
让自己有鼓动性
事先设想可能会遇到的困难并在之前就解决它们
强调利益而不是特点
倾听别人(我知道这是重复的,但我只是想强调这一点)
拥有更多同情心
从你能够怎么样来服务他人的角度思考问题
Selling is one of the few skills that can be utilized in any job or career. It’s one of the most important cross marketable skills you will ever develop.
推销是仅有的几个在任何职业中都有用的本领之一,是你能够培养的最有用的跨职业适用的本领之一。
#5: Time Management
5.时间管理
Speaking of other skills that can be utilized in any job and career is time management. The majority of students never really learn to value their time and manage it while in school. Procrastination is all too rampant (studying right before class, doing homework and essays the day it’s due, partying the night before the exam). This lack of time management often carries over into adulthood, which becomes a major liability.
要说还有别的能在任何职业中都有用的本领,那就是时间管理了。大多数学生在学校中从没有真正认识到时间的价值,更不用说来管理了,拖拉现象太过泛滥了(在上课前的几分钟才开始预习,在要交作业或是论文的那天才匆匆赶任务,在考试的前一天晚上还开派对)。这种拖拖拉拉的习惯经常会带到他们成年的生活当中去,成为了一项重要的不足。
Learn to make a to do list. Learn to prioritize. Learn to break things down into 30 minute blocks of time. Learn about actionable items.
学着制作一张计划表,学会区分哪些事情需要优先去做,学会把一项任务分解到30分钟内的每一分钟都需要做些什么,学会区分哪些事情有可操作性。
#6: Health
6.健康
It’s not enough to make students run a mile and play sports. Education is needed now more than ever. Education on the dangers of consuming too much fast food. Education on what diets in high sugar and fat can do to the body. Education on proper nutrition. Education on the importance of exercising regularly as well.
仅仅让学生跑个一英里然后做一些体育运动是不够的,这方面的教育是前所未有的重要的。学生们应该被告知过多食用快餐食品的危害、哪些食物的糖类和脂肪含量对人体会产生影响、合理营养、有规律进行运动的重要性等等。
I think if schools start teaching these kinds of things, we could nip so many problems in the bud because most teenagers will not research this material on their own. If you have any friends or family who are still in school, please forward them this article. Think of it as a cheat sheet for the real world. You’ll be doing them a great service and they will most definitely thank you after they graduate. I guarantee it.
我想如果学校开始教授这些东西,那么很多问题都是可以避免的,因为年轻人自己是不会主动去查这些资料的。如果你有朋友或者是亲戚还是学生的话,请让他们来读一读这篇文章,就把这篇文章看作是带入现实社会的一本备忘录吧。你讲会给他们带来莫大的帮助,我敢保证他们也肯定会在毕业之后对你表示感谢的。
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