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Choosing Your Major 不景气该选哪科主修？

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Despite the economy, experts advise students to major in what interests them  即使经济不景气，但专家仍建议，学子在选择主修科目时，还是该照自己的兴趣来选

When Carter Schimpff enrolled at Texas Christian University four years ago, he began work on what he thought was a marketable degree: a bachelor of business administration with a major in finance and a minor in real estate. At the time, millions of dollars were being made in the investment and mortgage industries.

四年前，卡特．史林福在德州基督教大学注册入学，开始研修他自认在就业市场会很吃香的学位：那就是企业管理学士学位，主修财经，副修不动产。在当时，投资业和抵押贷款业界可以赚进数以百万美元计的钞票。

After sending his resume or filling out applications for 250 to 300 positions, he is still looking for a full-time job.

但如今，他寄履历或填写求职申请表共应征了两百五十至三百个职缺，但直到目前为止，还在努力寻找一份全职的工作。

“You go to college so you can get a job. I never figured a degree would preclude you from getting a job,” he said.

「读大学是为了日后能找到工作，但万万没想到，得到学位反而会妨碍我找到工作，」他如此透露。

Stable career options  容易找到稳定工作的主修科目

Mindful of the worst job market in more than 25 years, many students enrolling in colleges and universities this fall are considering majors that they believe will land them stable careers.

许多今年秋季注册进入大专院校就读的学子们，由于对超过二十五年来最惨淡的就业市场感到忧心忡忡，因此纷纷考虑挑选他们认为日后可以找到稳定工作的主修科目。

Students with degrees in nursing, health care, accounting, computer science, economics, general science and engineering report the most success in finding jobs, say local and national experts and college placement officials. Those with degrees in finance, journalism, graphic design, and international relations have had tougher times. Liberal arts graduates also struggle.

全美及地方上的专家学者和申请大学的咨询顾问指出，拥有护理、医疗保健、会计、计算机科学、经济、一般科学和工程等学位的学子，日后成功觅职的机率最高。至于那些拥有财经、新闻、平面设计和国际关系等学位的人，求职就比较不顺遂，而文科毕业生同样也容易碰壁。

Job-winning attributes  求职容易被录取的个人特质

Still, career experts say students should major in whatever area most interests them, even if it’s a less specialized liberal arts field, such as English or sociology. In a national survey, communication, followed closely by a strong work ethic and teamwork skills, was rated as the most important attribute sought by employers.

不过，就业专家表示，学生还是应该选择自己最有兴趣的科目来主修，即使是英文或社会学这类比较非专门技术性的文科也无妨。一项全美调查显示，雇主最希望录取的员工能拥有的最重要特质，就是沟通能力，而高度的职业道德操守和团队合作精神则紧追其后。

“One of the things that I have always said is liberal arts teaches you how to learn,” said Dan Naegeli, director of the University of North Texas career center. “When you go out into the world of work, you’re going to have to continue to learn.”

「我总是一再表示，文科能教人学习新事物，」北德州大学求职中心主任丹．奈格利表示，「即使进入职场之后，每个人仍应持续不断地学习。」

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marketable [ˋmɑrkɪtəb!] adj. 有销路的；畅销的

mortgage [ˋmɔrgɪdʒ] n. 抵押借款; 抵押

college placement official 大学的实习安排顾问 an official at college who offers job placement service.

placement [ˋplesmənt] n. 人员配置；学生分班; （培训中的）实习安排

liberal arts 文科 university subjects, including history, languages, and literature that are not technical

specialized [ˋspɛʃəl͵aɪzd] adj. 专业的；专业化的; 专门的；专科的

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“Promise behaviors”  「前途看好的行为」

Texas Health Resources uses a wide range of workers at its 14 hospitals and other sites. The 18,000-employee company hires about 2,000 people a year. It looks for candidates with “promise behaviors,”recruitment manager Justin Clem said.

德州医疗资源公司在旗下十四家医院和其他机构里，雇用了各式各样的员工，这家企业员工总数达一万八千人，每年会雇用约两千名新人。聘雇经理贾斯丁．克莱蒙指出，公司会特别寻求具有「前途看好的行为」的应征者。

“The resume is great. …. Education is wonderful,” Clem said. “But when we interview, we really want to look at situations they were put into in the past, what actions they took, and what were the results. Do those results really support treating other people with courtesy, dignity and respect? And communicating clearly and earning people’s trust? And thinking before they act?”

「有时应征者履历非常出色…教育程度也很优秀，」克莱蒙透露，「可是当我们进行面谈时，其实会去看他们过去经历过的一些处境，看看他们采取了哪些行动来因应，以及结果如何。再看看这些结果是否能反映出应征者很有礼貌，而且尊敬、尊重他人？当然还要看看应征者能不能清楚地沟通，能不能赢得别人的信任，以及会不会三思而后行等等。」

Attitude trumps experience  态度重于经验

The company also looks for people who have a record of providing outstanding service, said Janelle Browne, vice president of human resources. If a student mowed lawns or worked in a fast-food restaurant, she said, “the things that we would want to hear is how you attended to providing service to the people that you were working with and how you were attending to the quality of the product that you have.”

该公司人力资源副总裁珍奈儿．布朗指出，公司还会寻求有服务优异的良好纪录的应征者。她指出，如果学生的工作经历是修整草坪或是在快餐店打工，「我们比较想知道的是，应征者服务客户的态度，以及是否会维护公司产品的质量。」

“Experience is always helpful, but it is not always the guarantee that person is going to get the job,” she added. “We look at the behaviors and the attitude they bring in and their willingness to be a part of the team.”

「经验当然也很有用，但却无法确保应征者一定会被录取，」她补充说，「我们会观察他们究竟展示出哪些行为和态度，以及是否有团队合作的意愿。」

Teamwork skills are imperative  团队合作的技巧实属必要

Lockheed Martin has all sorts of jobs in all sorts of fields. One of the skills recruiters consider is the ability to work in teams.

洛克希德马丁公司在各式各样的领域提供了琳琅满目的职缺，而面试官纳入考虑的技能之一，就是团队合作的能力。

“Most of what we do is problem solving, and you get people with different kinds of skills together to solve the problem,” said Norman Robbins, senior manager of community relations. “If you’re real bright but you can’t get along with anybody, you’re not going to be as successful as you will be if you can work in teams.”

「我们最主要的任务就是解决问题，而且我们招募了具有各种不同技能的人才，以便集思广益解决问题，」小区关系资深经理诺曼．罗宾斯表示，「如果你聪颖过人，却无法和任何人共事，那么日后成功的机率，就会比不上具有团队精神的你。」

−by Gene Trainor

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promise [ˋprɑmɪs] v. 给人以……的指望; n. （非常好的或成功的）希望，迹象，指望

recruitment [rɪˋkrutmənt] n. 招聘新员工; 招收新成员; 吸纳新人

courtesy [ˋkɝtəsɪ] n. 礼貌；殷勤，好意

mow [mo] v.（用镰刀等）刈（草等）

attend [əˋtɛnd] v. 照料，处理[（+to）]

bring in 带进, 领进, 引进, 引入; 作出

Lockheed Martin 洛克希德马丁公司 one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, formed in 1995 and headquartered in Maryland

单词发音

Vocabulary Focus

major [ˋmedʒɚ] v. [主美] 主修[（+in）] ; n.[主美]（大学中的）主修科目 the most important subject that a university student is studying

preclude [prɪˋklud] v. 阻止，妨碍[（+from）] to prevent something or make it impossible

mindful [ˋmaɪdfəl] adj. 留心的; 注意的 giving attention to

attribute [ˋætrə͵bjut] n. 属性；特性，特质 an important quality or feature that someone has

trump [trʌmp] v. 胜过，赢 to beat something by doing or producing something better

imperative [ɪmˋpɛrətɪv] adj. 必要的；紧急的；极重要的 extremely important or urgent