写给毕业季：七招修炼，以创业理念取胜职场

Though technically this is a blog about startups, I want to take a bit of a divergence this week and talk to an audience that is soon to join the professional world after this month: the graduating senior.

尽管这个博客实质上是关于创业的，但这个星期，我准备偏离下轨道。我想要和毕业季即将踏上职业岗位的读者谈谈毕业生的话题。

Careers launched in 2017 will hardly follow the straight-arrow path of ones from the previous generation. The expected job tenure of the average college graduate today is less than three years, which translates to about 15-20 different jobs over a lifetime compared to about seven for my generation. This means that the skills, knowledge and degree that one attains in college will hardly be enough to prepare graduates for a lifetime of career hopping.

2017年开始，职业生涯已经不再会按照上一代那样直线发展了。现在预期的大学毕业生工作后平均任期不到三年，也就是说，和我那个年代一生只做过7份工作相比，现在大家一生会做大概15到20份工作。这意味着大学获得的技能、知识和学位对于一生的职业跳槽，已经不够用啦。

To this, I have one proposed solution: to thrive in your future career, best to adopt the mindset of a startup, where change and constant evolution are the norm. Or, to paraphrase Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, live life as if you are in permanent Beta.

对此，我来建议一个对策：想要未来职业发展的辉煌，最好采用创业的理念，懂得改变和不断提升是发展的常态。或者，改用“领英”网站创始者雷德·霍夫曼的话，把生活的每一天，都当做软件的Beta测试。

1. Be Pro-Action

1. 主动出击

You can wait around to be offered the "perfect job" or you can go out there and create it for yourself. This may mean starting your own thing or just making the most from the first job you earn out of college. Mentors, knowledge and career changing experiences can be found everywhere -- even where you least expect them.

你可以等待“完美工作”自己送上门来，或者主动出击为自己创造这样的机会。这也许意味着自己创业，或者利用走出校门的第一份工作充分学习成长。职场指导、知识和跳槽经验到处都有——即使在你想都想不到的地方。

2. Adopt a Mindset of Constant Learning

2. 建立持续学习的理念

College education is great but hardly the only knowledge you'll need to thrive for the next 40 years. Make constant learning and "upgrading" of your "software" a lifelong habit. There is so much knowledge and information accessible today -- make the most of it.

大学教育固然有用，但绝不是你接下来40年想要成功所需的全部知识。让持续学习和你的“软件”升级成为终身的习惯。现在，很多知识和信息都是触手可及的——要充分利用。

3. Constantly Upgrade your Network

3. 不断扩张你的关系网

Each year I take inventory of the people I know and do business with and I ask myself how many of those I met in the last year. If your network is stagnant, your opportunities will be too. Make a constant effort to evolve your network.

每年，我会拿出自己认识的以及一起做过生意的所有联系人目录，问问自己这些人中有多少我在过去一年中见到过。如果你的关系网停滞不前，你的机会也会如此。不断努力去发展自己的关系网。

4. Business is Personal

4. 面对面洽谈

You won't make friends and open doors by sitting behind your tablet. Life altering experiences happen when you go outside your comfort zone and get to know people in a real, human way. It's both career enriching and soul-filling to really get to connect with people. LinkedIn is great but knowing the actual person is even better.

坐在平板电脑后面，是无法打开房门交到朋友的。当你走出自己的小圈子，在真实生活中认识别人时，生活就会发生改变。和其他人联络起来，对于职业发展和内在成长都是很有益的。“领英”网站固然不错，但能和真人面对面会更好。

5. Make Your Passion Your Career

5. 让激情所在，成为你的职业

Yes, you can make money doing something that you kind of like but are not in love with, but to quote a proverb, if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life. In the long term, if you are passionate about what you do, you will also make the necessary investments and effort you need to evolve and excel at it. And then the real monetary return will follow.

是的，做做你有点喜欢，但不那么热爱的事情，是可以赚到钱。但是，正如谚语所说的，做你所爱，你将不再为工作而工作。长远来讲，如果你对所做的事充满激情，你也会付出所需的投资和努力，追求卓越。然后，真正的财富回报，就来了。

6. Be Open Source

6. 开放地寻找资源

Good ideas come from everywhere. Constantly seek to get to know people from different backgrounds and experiences than you. Not only will this enhance your worldview and perspective but it will also give you access to worlds far beyond the one you currently inhabit -- and open doors that you don't even know are there.

好点子随处可来。不断去结识有和你不同的背景经历的人。这不但会充实你的世界观，也让你了解到自己生活环境之外世界——为你打开想都想不到的机会。

7. Create an Advisory Board

7. 拥有自己的顾问团队

I've never met anyone who is not happy to share with me their experience and input. If startups have advisory boards, why not you and your career? Having an informal group of people that you talk with and get their input will enhance your decision making and also broaden your available network of opportunities. Parents are great advisors, but peers and supervisors are awesome too.

我还没见过不乐意分享自己的经历和建议的人。如果创业团队有顾问团，为什么你和你的职业不能有呢？组一个不那么正式的团体，你可以和他们交谈并得到建议，这会对你做决定有所帮助，同时帮你扩展机会网络。父母是很好的建议者，而同辈和导师也是很棒的选择。

Here's to the new graduating class. Here's to them changing our world.

以上献给新一届的毕业生。改变世界，交给你们啦！