College doesn't always prepare you for life after graduation. The food, friends, and structure that you had relied on for four years are all immediately taken away from you. You are thrust into the world and tasked with the challenge of figuring out how to live on your own.
大學并不能為你畢業后的人生做好萬全準備。四年來你賴以為生的食物、朋友、體系一下子離你而去。你被推到一個新世界，要迎接挑戰，學會獨立生活。

There are any struggles that graduates face. Finding a job, finding a place to live, and figuring out how to pay the bills are just a few of the economic difficulties that alumni are forced to embrace and figure out. On a social level, graduates often need to establish a new network of friends and acquaintances. This is much more difficult than it was during the days when you could walk down your dorm hall and bump into a few friends.
畢業生需要努力克服的困難可不少。找工作、找住處、付各種開支……這些只是他們不得不接受并解決的經濟困難中的一小部分。在社交方面，畢業生通常需要建立新的人脈網，結交朋友，認識熟人。這比在學校的時候要難得多，那個時候，你只要在宿舍走廊里走一遭，就能撞見幾個朋友。

While post-college life can certainly have its struggles, there are many useful strategies to help make this transition as easy and painless as possible. Here are a few tips for recent graduates to think about as they make the transition into their adult life.
盡管“后校園時代”必然有種種艱辛，但很多實用的應對方式會使這樣的過渡變得簡單輕松。下面的幾條建議，準備過渡到成年人生的應屆生們可以參考一下。

1. Discover your passions
發現你的激情所在

Your early twenties are a time to take risks, try new things, and discover your passions. Don't worry so much about having a concrete plan, now is the time when you can experiment and find your true skills and interests. While making money immediately might seem important, your early twenties are one of the best times for exploring different career paths and planning out a roadmap for your future.
你剛剛20出頭，正是去冒險、去嘗試新鮮事物、去發現激情的時候。不要太過擔心沒有一個具體的計劃，現在正是你多做嘗試、發現你真正才能和興趣的時候。盡管趕快掙錢看上去很重要，但你剛剛20多歲，是探索各種職業道路、規劃未來路徑的最佳時機。

2. Network
拓展人脈

Throughout your entire career, networking will be very important. One of the most important networking times in your career will be right after graduation. You are fresh in the job market, and you don't have a long resume of experience. Now is a time when connections will matter more than ever. One of the biggest benefits of being in college and being a recent graduate is that you have access to a gigantic network of like-minded people. Take advantage of your existing school network and reach out to people who went to your school. These don't have to be people you knew very well, or even people that you have much in common with. Simply having gone to the same school is usually enough of an affiliation to compel another fellow alumni to speak with you. Your alumni network is a natural resources which you can tap into to find job opportunities and connections.
在你整個職業生涯中，人脈都極其重要。而積攢人脈最重要的時機之一，就是剛剛畢業的時候。你是職場新人，簡歷上的經驗不多。現在的人際關系比任何時候都重要。讀大學并有應屆生身份的一個最大好處，就是你可以接觸到很多志同道合的人。利用你學校的人脈，去接觸你的校友。他們不一定非要是你非常熟悉的人，也不必是跟你有很多共同點的人。通常僅僅在同一所學校學習過，這個關系就足夠近了，這些校友都會愿意跟你說話的。你的校友關系是一個很重要的自然資源，你可以利用這一資源尋找工作機會，發展人脈。

3. Be humble
虛懷若谷

Humility is an important trait for recent college graduates. While it is important to have confidence when pursuing job opportunities, it is also important to stay humble. It is important to be aware that you don't have much experience, and to be willing to take a job that you are not fond of. Your goal as a college graduate isn't necessarily to find your dream job that will propel you into a successful future--it's just to find a job to help you get started. Most jobs will provide a lot of value for you, in terms of teaching you about the world, and teaching you what it means to have a full-time job. Don't underestimate the importance and value of learning from a company what life is like. Moreover, after graduation it is unlikely that you will know exactly what you want to do. Be willing to dive into a job that might not be a perfect fit, and learn from it.
謙虛是大學應屆畢業生的一個非常重要的優點。在爭取工作機會的時候，自信很重要，但是謙虛也不容忽視。要意識到你經驗不足，要樂于接受你并不喜歡的工作。作為一個大學畢業生，你的目標不一定是非要找一個助你進入成功未來的理想工作，而應該是找一個助你起步的工作。大多數工作對你來說都很有價值，比如帶你了解世界，讓你知道全職工作意味著什么。不要低估“從工作中學習生活”的重要性和價值。并且，剛畢業，你也不太可能確切知道你想做的到底是什么。要樂于去體驗也許不能與你完美契合的工作，并從中學習。

4. Take risks
樂于冒險

Your early twenties are the best time to take risks. When you are older with more responsibilities, taking risks will be much more difficult. When you are young with fewer responsibilities, however, it is easier to travel, try new things, and explore your options. Go with your gut, and be willing to take a leap. You are in a special time in your career that you might not be able to take advantage of in the future. If you have an inclination to take a risky job, move somewhere new, or deviate from your path--now is the time to do it.
20出頭是去闖蕩的最佳年齡。年齡越大，責任越多，冒險就會越來越難。但年輕的時候責任較少，更容易去旅行、嘗試新鮮事物、探索各種可能性。跟著感覺走，冒一下險。你現在處在職業生涯的特殊階段，以后也許就沒有這樣的時機來給你利用了。如果你想從事一份刺激的工作、到另一個地方發展或改變發展方向，那么現在就是行動的時候。

5. Be friendly
友好待人

Once you graduate college, you will no longer be surrounded by your peers at all hours of the day. Meeting new people is more challenging and requires more effort than it did during college. Because of this, it's often good to remember that being friendly is the best way to meet new people. Take interest in the lives of your coworkers and people around you, and be willing to make new connections.
大學畢業后，你身邊就不會時刻都是同齡人了。與在校園里相比，就不容易結識陌生人了，需要付出更多精力。正因為如此，所以要記住：友好待人是結識新朋友的最佳方法。可以關心同事和身邊人的生活，建立新的人際關系。

Vocabulary
thrust: 猛推；插入
alumni: 校友
affiliation: 關系；附屬
deviate: 脫離；違背

英文來源：Inc.com
譯者：實習生孫美真
編審：杜娟