Unit 4B - BA'85: The Hapless Odyssey of a Young Classicist-Cum-Clerk
BA'85: The Hapless Odyssey of a Young Classicist-Cum-Clerk
Michael Christie
One woman who received her bachelor's degree along with me last June at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA is currently using her hard-earned skills to serve better sodas in an ice cream parlor. Another spends her days working in an automobile repair shop. I am not significantly better off than either of them, nor, in fact, am I much better off than many others who were members of the American college class of '85.
I am a clerk in a bookstore, which is not exactly what I expected to be doing at this point in my life.
Two years ago at this time I was unconcerned as my friends worried about scores on law board exams, or nervously waited for letters from the admissions offices of medical schools, or struggled to get into graduate business programs. They knew then what I did not know until much later: that a liberal-arts degree no longer guarantees a good job and that, given the state of the economy, college students must train for something specific if they want to be certain of winning a job they want.
I got my bachelor's degree in classics. All along I managed to persist in the study of Greek and Latin because I loved the field (still do) and because, when asked, "But what are you going to do with a classics degree?" I replied, "I can do a lot of things." I was certain that anyone confident (or crazy) enough to pursue the ultimate in liberal-arts degrees would be rewarded with interesting employment of some kind and earn at least reasonable salaries.
My experience has proved otherwise. It has also shown me a lot about the plight of anybody - with or without a degree — who is seeking work in today's slow job market. Most of all, it has made clear just how much the job-seeker is at the mercy of the job-giver.
In the fall of 1984, when I decided to do without graduate school (a decision based on lack of money, not lack of interest or aptitude), I began actively to hunt a job. I reasoned that my best opportunity would be to offer my services to private high schools where one who is able to read Cicero in his own language is still appreciated.
I failed to take into account, however, that few such openings exist in the first place. More important, I quickly found out that I was competing with a great many other individuals who not only possessed the same talents as I but also held doctorates. Not finding work at colleges, these doctors of classics had turned to the private high schools, the traditional haven of bachelor's degree holders like me. But no headmaster is going to hire a youngster with a BA, when he can just as easily have a Ph.D. desperate for a job, and for only a little more money.
Ignoring this detail, I went through the process of sending out some 30 letters of inquiry to private schools. I received perhaps ten replies, with two schools saying that they might have an opening. I had the good fortune of being granted one interview.
The school was in Oakland, and since I had neither the time nor the money to make the journey in a leisurely way, I arranged to fly up and back on the same day. For my efforts I was given a 20-minute interview (during which the headmaster did most of the talking) and was taken on a brief tour of the campus. I realized I should have stayed at home when the interview opened with this question: "You're getting your MA?"A few weeks later, I was informed that the position had been filled. It was December, and I abandoned the hunt.
Simultaneous with my efforts to get work with a private school, I had been finishing work on my bachelor's degree and working in the Pitzer dining hall. The enthusiasm of the food-service director was contagious and, to my surprise, I almost enjoyed my job in spite of its rather menial nature.
One Saturday afternoon, when I was bemoaning my dim employment prospects to my boss, he suggested that I look into what he was doing: food-service management. Since the work entailed both challenge and responsibility, things people are supposed to thrive on, I decided to pursue his suggestion. What did I have to lose?
I had interviews with people ranging all the way from my supervisor's boss to the regional vice president of the company that ran dining halls at Pitzer and at a number of other schools. The interviews went well, and I was later told that I had nothing to worry about.
I spent last summer cleaning out produce coolers and making sandwiches in the dining hall, waiting, I thought, for my prospective bosses to decide where to send me for training. Summer ended, but I was assured a management job was being held for me, so I took a full-time job supervising student labor in the dining hall. The pay was minimal but, after all, only temporary. I never heard a further word about long-range employment, and quit my job late last fall.
So I am now working as a bookstore clerk — a job I am happy to have, since it is more closely related to my education than that of many college graduates. It is much less than I dreamed I would have, but I do not feel singled out, given my knowledge of those alumnae scooping ice cream and changing oil.
By now I suppose most members of the class of '85 are free and clear. In this post-recession period they probably have found the jobs they want, or have accepted something less, or have gotten started in graduate school, or have given up.
Just in time for the class of '86.
参考译文——85年毕业的文学学士：一位年轻店员兼古典学者的不幸漫漫行程
85年毕业的文学学士：一位年轻店员兼古典学者的不幸漫漫行程
迈克尔·克里斯蒂
去年六月和我一起在加州克莱尔蒙特皮泽学院获得学士学位的一位女士目前正在用她辛辛苦苦学来的技艺在一家冷饮店为顾客上苏打汽水。另一位女士则在一家汽车修理厂工作来打发日子。我的境况比她们也好不到哪里去，而且事实上也不比美国大学85年毕业的其他许多人好多少。
我目前正在一家书店作店员，而这并非我曾期望在生命的此刻要做的事情。
两年前的此时，当我的朋友们为法学院入学考试的成绩忧心忡忡，或紧张地等待着医学院招生办的来信，或拼着命想进入工商管理硕士班时，我却漫不经心。当时他们已经知道了我很久以后才知道的情况：大学文科的学位已不再确保有份好工作，而考虑到经济状况，大学生要想肯定赢得一份想要的工作就必须接受某种特定的教育。
我得的学位是古典学学士学位。自始至终，我都设法坚持不懈地学习古希腊文和拉丁文，因为我喜欢这一领域（现在依然喜欢），还因为在有人问我：“但你凭着一个古典学学位以后能干什么?”时，我回答说：“我可以干很多事情。”那时我坚信，任何一个足够自信（或疯狂）要追求文科学位之终极目标的人都会得到某种有趣的工作，并挣得一份至少是过得去的薪金。
但我的经历却证明我的热情错了。它还向我表明了在今天死气沉沉的就业市场上谋职的任何人——有学位的或没有学位的一样面临的种种困境。最重要的是它清楚地表明了在多大程度上寻求工作的要任凭提供工作者的摆布。
1984年秋，当我决定不读研究生院时（一个基于没有钱而不是没有兴趣或天资的决定），我便开始积极地寻找工作了。我分析我最好的机会是在私立中学教书，因为在那里一个能用原文读西塞罗著作的人仍然是会受到赏识的。
然而，我却没有考虑到，首先，这类空缺本来就不多。更为重要的是，我很快就发现，跟我竞争的人比比皆是，他们不仅拥有跟我一样的天资，而且还持有博士学位。这些古典学博士在大学里找不到工作，于是便转向私立中学——像我一样持有学士学位者传统的避难所。但是在只要稍微多花一点钱就能同样轻易地找到一个极需工作的博士时没有哪个中学校长会雇用一个只有文科学士学位的年轻人。
我因为忽略了这一细节，所以便陆续给一些私立中学发出了约30封信去询问情况。我收到了大约十封回信，其中有两所学校说它们可能会有空缺。我有幸得到了一次面试机会。
这所学校位于奥克兰。因为我既没有时间也没有钱以一种悠闲的方式作这次旅行，我便安排好在一天内飞去飞回。为了我的这番努力，我只得到了一次20分钟的面试（而其间主要还是校长在侃侃而谈），并被带着在校园里简短地参观了一下。当面试一开始就问我：“你就要拿到文科硕士学位了”时，我便知道我本该待在家里不来面试的。几个星期后，我被告知，那个职位已有人担任。那是12月份，于是我便放弃了寻职。
与努力在私立中学求职的同时，我还在完成学士学位要做的工作，并在皮泽学院的餐厅打工。食品部主任的工作热情很有感染力，使我惊奇的是，我居然很喜欢我的工作，尽管它相当乏味。
一个星期六的下午，当我向我的老板哀叹我暗淡的就业前景时，他建议我调查一下他正在从事的行当：饮食业管理。由于这种工作既有挑战性又需要责任心，而挑战和责任心正是人们赖以兴旺发达的东西，我便决定遵循他的建议。我还有什么可失去的呢？
我拜访了各种各样的人，从我的主管人的老板到经营皮泽学院和其他一些学校餐厅的那家公司的地区副总裁。这些访谈进行得很顺利，后来他们告诉我，我没有什么好担心的。
整个去年夏天我都在清扫贮藏水果、蔬菜等农产品的冷藏间，并在餐厅里做三明治，一边等待着我期盼中的老板会决定派我到哪儿去培训。夏天结束了，但我仍确信有一份管理工作为我保留着，所以我接受了一份在餐厅里指导学生打工的全职工作。工资虽然是最低的，但毕竟这工作只是临时的。然而我再也没有听到关于长期雇用的话，于是去年秋末我便辞职不干了。
于是，我现在成了一名书店店员——这是我喜欢的一份工作，因为比起许多大学毕业生的工作来，这份工作跟我的教育关系还算比较密切。它比我梦想我会得到的工作差得太多，但我并不感到就我一个人受到了亏待，因为我知道那两位女校友还在冷饮店卖冰淇淋，在汽车修理厂给汽车换油。
到现在为止，我想85年毕业的大多数同学已摆脱了困境，在这一经济衰退后的时期他们或许已经找到了他们希望的工作，或已经接受了差一些的工作，或已经在研究生院就读，或已放弃了努力。
现在又轮到86年毕业班的学生了。
Key Words:
unconcerned [,ʌnkən'sə:nd]
adj. 不关心的；无忧虑的；无关的
hapless ['hæplis]
adj. 倒霉的，不幸的
certain ['sə:tn]
adj. 确定的，必然的，特定的
specific [spi'sifik]
adj. 特殊的，明确的，具有特效的
decision [di'siʒən]
n. 决定，决策
classics ['klæsiks]
n. 古希腊、古罗马的文学著作 名词classic的复数
pursue [pə'sju:]
v. 追捕，追求，继续从事
appreciated [ə'pri:ʃieit]
vt. 欣赏；感激；领会；鉴别 vi. 增值；涨价
aptitude ['æptitju:d]
n. 才能，资质
opportunity [.ɔpə'tju:niti]
n. 机会，时机
mercy ['mə:si]
n. 怜悯，宽恕，仁慈，恩惠
reasonable ['ri:znəbl]
adj. 合理的，适度的，通情达理的
confident ['kɔnfidənt]
adj. 自信的，有信心的，有把握的
ultimate ['ʌltimit]
n. 终极，根本，精华
fortune ['fɔ:tʃən]
n. 财产，命运，运气
classics ['klæsiks]
n. 古希腊、古罗马的文学著作 名词classic的复数
traditional [trə'diʃənəl]
adj. 传统的
interview ['intəvju:]
n. 接见，会见，面试，面谈
vt. 接见，采
desperate ['despərit]
adj. 绝望的，不顾一切的
informed [in'fɔ:md]
adj. 见多识广的 v. 通告，告发 vbl. 通告，
haven ['heivn]
n. 港口，避难所，安息所 v. 安置 ... 于港中，
inquiry [in'kwaiəri]
n. 打听，询问，调查，查问
enthusiasm [in'θju:ziæzəm]
n. 热情，热心;热衷的事物
pursue [pə'sju:]
v. 追捕，追求，继续从事
thrive [θraiv]
vi. 兴旺，繁荣，茁壮成长
prospects
n. 预期；前景；潜在顾客；远景展望
dim [dim]
adj. 暗淡的，模糊的，笨的
v. 使暗淡，
director [di'rektə, dai'rektə]
n. 董事，经理，主管，指导者，导演
simultaneous [.saiməl'teinjəs]
adj. 同时发生的，同步的
menial ['mi:niəl]
adj. 适合仆人做的，卑微的 n. 佣人，家仆，卑贱的
challenge ['tʃælindʒ]
n. 挑战
v. 向 ... 挑战
contagious [kən'teidʒəs]
adj. 传染性的，会蔓延的，会传播的
assured [ə'ʃuəd]
adj. 确实的，保障的，有自信的 动词assure的过
temporary ['tempərəri]
adj. 暂时的，临时的
n. 临时工
minimal ['minəməl]
adj. 最低限度的，最小的
related [ri'leitid]
adj. 相关的，有亲属关系的
produce [prə'dju:s]
n. 产品，农作物
参考资料：
- 大学英语精读(第三版) 第五册: unit4B BA'85: The Hapless Odyssey of a Young Classicist-Cum_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
- 大学英语精读(第三版) 第五册: unit4B BA'85: The Hapless Odyssey of a Young Classicist-Cum_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
- 大学英语精读(第三版) 第五册: unit4B BA'85: The Hapless Odyssey of a Young Classicist-Cum_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
- 大学英语精读(第三版) 第五册: unit4B BA'85: The Hapless Odyssey of a Young Classicist-Cum_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
大学英语精读(第三版) 第五册: unit4B BA'85: The Hapless Odyssey of a Young Classicist-Cum_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
4530
被折叠的 条评论
为什么被折叠?
到【灌水乐园】发言
