Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper: The best career path isn't always a straight line | TED

Transcriber:

翻译人员: 新 陈 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

Helen Tupper: When we met at university 20 years ago,

海伦·图珀（Helen Tupper）： 20年前，我们俩在大学相遇，

we made for unlikely friends.

性格迥异的我们竟成了好友。

I'm an extrovert who gets involved in everything

我是一个外向的人， 什么事我都要参与，

and talks to anyone,

什么人我都能聊得来。

Sarah Ellis: ... and I'm an introverted ideas person

萨拉·埃利斯（Sarah Ellis）： ......而我是一个内向的人，

who finds extroverts energizing but a bit intimidating.

认为外向型的人很有活力， 却有些令人生畏。

HT: Despite our differences, we both had an ambition to climb the ladder

海：虽然我们很不同， 但我们有同样的目标，

and have a successful career.

那就是攀登职业阶梯， 希望拥有一个成功的职业生涯。

SE: We were motivated by how far and how fast we could progress,

萨：曾经我们一心 向着更快、更远的职业目标，

and we thought that our route to the top would look something a bit like this.

那时我们觉得通往职业成功的道路 看起来有点像图上这样。

And in those first few years of work,

在工作的最初几年里，

we were all about promotions and pay rises.

我们一心只想着升职加薪。

We were preoccupied by the positions that we held

只关心自己所担任的职位，

and how senior our job titles sounded.

和职位头衔的高低。

And on the surface, everything seemed to be on track.

一切看起来都进展顺利。

But we started to get the sense

但我们开始感觉到，

that the ladder might actually be holding us back.

实际上，职业阶梯可能在阻碍我们前进，

The obvious next step wasn't always the most appealing,

一眼可见的下一步 并不总是最吸引人的，

and we were both excited about exploring opportunities

我们都很激动可以去探索 其他的职业发展机会，

that weren't necessarily based on what we'd done before.

不一定与我们以前工作 相关的发展机会。

It wasn't what we'd anticipated,

出乎我们预料的是，

but our careers had started to look and feel much more like this.

我们的职业发展道路已开始 看起来、感觉上也更像这样。

Squiggly.

曲线的。

HT: A squiggly career is both full of uncertainty

海：曲线型职业生涯充满了不确定性，

and full of possibility.

同时也充满了可能性。

Change is happening all of the time.

变化无时无刻不在发生。

Some of it is in our control,

有些是我们可以掌控的，

and some of it's not.

有些则不是。

Success isn't one-size-fits-all.

成功是不可复制的，

Our squiggles are as individual as we are.

我们的曲线和我们每个人一样独特。

And for me, that's meant a career

对我来说，这意味着，

where I've moved from working on foldable credit cards in one company --

我工作从在一家公司 从事折叠信用卡——

they didn't catch on --

他们没跟上时代——

to building and launching a loyalty app for another.

跳槽到另一家公司打造并发布 一款忠诚度应用程序，

And that one is still going.

那款软件还在。

SE: And I've moved from making magazines

萨：我从做杂志

to working on food waste,

转向致力于解决食物浪费，

from a five- to a four-day week

工作时间从每周五天减少到四天，

so I could spend more time on personal projects and volunteering.

这样我就可以把更多的时间 花在个人项目和志愿工作上。

I've already had more jobs and worked in more organizations

我工作过的岗位、供职过的机构

than my dad,

都比我爸多，

and he's been working for twice as long as I have.

而他工作的时长比我多两倍，

And I'm the rule, not the exception.

我这样的情况很多，并非例外。

HT: When we started to share the idea of squiggly careers with people,

海：当我们开始和其他人分享 我们曲线型职业生涯的想法时，

we were surprised by how much it stuck.

我们很惊讶竟是如此深入人心。

It seemed to give people something

它似乎赋予人们

that perhaps they didn't even know that they needed,

他们可能他们自己 都不知道他们需要的，

a way of describing both their experiences and their aspirations.

能用来描述他们的经历和志向的方式。

Someone even told us that they took our book,

有人甚至告诉我们，

which has a big squiggle on the front of it,

他们把我们写的书， 封面上有一团大曲线，

into a job interview,

带到了求职面试中，

as a way of describing their career so far.

以此来描述他们之前的职业经历。

But we underestimated one big problem:

可是，我们低估了一个大问题：

the legacy of the ladder is all around us.

根深蒂固的职业阶梯观念随处可见，

It's in the companies that we work in and the conversations that we have.

存在于我们工作的企业中， 体现在我们的谈话中。

It sounds like being asked in a job interview,

就像是面试中会被问到，

"Where do you see yourself in five years' time?"

“设想一下五年之后， 你在从事什么工作？”

It's the uncomfortable question of how we reward and motivate people

这是个令人不安的问题， 我们该如何奖励和激励

那些工作出色但不想晋升的人。

who do a great job but don't want to be promoted.

And it's the unfairness of our learning being unlocked

这也是我们的学习 受我们所在组织内职位约束的

by the level that we reach in an organization.

不公平之处。

SE: Career ladders were created as a way to manage and motivate

萨：职业阶梯作为管理和激励

a whole new generation of workers --

新一代员工的一种方式——

in the early 1900s.

诞生于 20 世纪初。

And that world of conformity and control from over 100 years ago

而如今的世界

is unrecognizable today,

已不再像 100 多年前 那样具中规中矩了，

especially when we consider

特别是考虑到

only six percent of people in the UK now work nine-to-five.

英国现在只有 6% 的人 还在朝九晚五地工作。

We can all expect to have five different types of career.

我们每个人都有会从事 五种不同类型职业的可能。

And the World Economic Forum estimates

而世界经济论坛预计，

that 50 percent of the skills that we have right now

到 2025 年，

won't be relevant by 2025.

我们现在掌握的技能中 有 50% 将不再有用。

HT: Ladders are limiting.

海：职业阶梯有局限性的，

They limit learning and they limit opportunity,

它限制了我们去学习， 也限制了机会，

and if organizations don't lose the ladder,

如果组织不摒弃职业阶梯，

they will lose their people,

他们就会失去自己所拥有的人才，

the people that are always adapting,

那些总能适应变化的人，

that never stop learning

那些从不停止学习的人，

and who are open to the opportunities that come their way.

以及那些对面前的机遇 持开放态度的人。

2020 disrupted the way that all of us work,

2020 新冠疫情改变了 我们所有人的工作方式，

and none of us know what will happen next.

谁也不知道接下来会发生什么。

But one thing we can be confident about

但有一点我们可以确信，

is that the ladder is a redundant concept of careers.

阶梯这个职业生涯概念已经淘汰了。

SE: Losing the ladder starts with redefining

萨：摒弃阶梯要从重新定义

our relationship with learning at work.

我们与工作中学习的关系开始。

We all now have the chance to curate our own curriculums,

我们现在都有机会规划 我们自己的人生课程，

and we can be really creative about what that looks like,

课程可以是各式各样的，

whether it's the TED Talks that you're watching,

可以是你正在看的 TED 演讲，

the books and blogs you're reading,

你正在看的书或博客，

the podcasts you're listening to.

也可以是你正在听的播客。

Your learning is personal to you.

你的学习是个性化的。

And the good news is, your development is no longer dependent on other people.

好事是，你的发展不再依赖于别人。

HT: Our learning can't be limited by the level we reach in an organization

海：我们的学习不能 受我们工作的岗位所限制，

or only available to the fortunate few.

也不能只属于少数幸运儿。

It's not the responsibility of a single department,

这不仅仅是一个部门的责任，

and it doesn't just happen when you go on a course.

也不该只发生在职业生涯某一阶段，

No one has a monopoly on wisdom.

没有人能垄断知识。

In squiggly careers, everybody is a learner,

在曲线型职业生涯中， 每个人都是学习者，

and everybody is a teacher.

每个人都是知识的传授者。

We've been inspired by MVF,

这一点我们受到了 MVF 的启发，

a global technology and marketing company who've introduced a program

MVF 是一家全球科技和营销公司，

called "Connected Learning."

它引入了一个名为“互联学习”的项目。

They blind-match their employees so that people can learn from each other

他们随机匹配他们的员工， 这样人们就可以互相学习，

without barriers like what job they do or who they know

而不受他们所做工作 或者是否互相认识等

getting in the way.

因素的阻碍。

Their CEO, Michael Teixeira, told us,

他们的首席执行官迈克尔·特谢拉 （Michael Teixeira）告诉我们，

"Everybody is in charge of their own learning here.

“这里每个人的学习由自己负责，

We all learn from each other and with each other,

彼此相互学习，共同学习，

and we're much better off as a result."

大家因此变得更好。”

SE: In squiggly careers, we need to change our perspective on progression.

萨：在曲线型职业生涯中， 我们需要改变对进步的看法。

The problem with career ladders is that they only go in one direction,

职业阶梯的问题是， 只能朝一个方向走，

and you can only take one step at a time.

而且一次只能走一步。

If progression purely means promotion,

如果进步仅仅意味着晋升，

we miss out on so many of the opportunities

我们就会错过

that are all around us.

身边的很多机会。

We need to stop asking only, "What job comes next?"

我们需要不再只问， “下一份工作是什么？”

and start asking, "What career possibilities am I curious about?"

而要开始问，“我对哪些 可能的职业发展机会感到好奇？”

HT: Exploring our career possibilities increases our resilience.

海：探索职业发展的可能性 可以增强我们的应变能力。

It gives us more options,

它给予我们更多的选择，

and you create more connections.

使我们可以创造更多的联结。

We see how we can use our strengths in new ways

我们知道如何通过 新的方式发挥自己的优势，

and spot the skills that might be useful for our future.

发掘那些可能对 我们的未来发展有用的技能。

We can all start exploring our career possibilities.

我们每个人都可以开始 探索自己职业发展的可能性。

It might be an ambitious possibility that you don't feel ready for yet.

或许是一个你还没准备好 且极具挑战的职业发展机会，

Or perhaps it's a pivot that feels interesting,

或者可能是一个 你感兴趣的职业转变，

but just that bit out of reach.

却只差一点就能实现。

Or maybe it's a dream that you've discounted.

又或者是一个你过去 没有认真对待的梦想。

The most important thing

最重要的是

is that you give yourself the permission to explore.

你要允许自己去探索。

SE: And this is not a one-way street.

萨：这不是你一个人的事。

We need support from the people that we work for

需要我们为之工作的人

and the organizations that we work in.

和我们所在组织的支持。

And we've seen how this can work in practice

我们已经在一家叫 烹调的食品制造企业

at a food manufacturer called Cook.

看到了这些支持是 如何在实践中发挥作用的。

They have something called the "Dream Academy."

他们设立了一个“梦想学院 （Dream Academy）”。

And in this academy, their colleagues can explore any career

在这个学院里，

that they're intrigued by,

他们的同事可以探索

in or out of the organization,

自己感兴趣的无论组织内外的任何职业，

and even rediscover abandoned ambitions.

甚至重新发现自己 早已抛弃的远大抱负。

It could be to try stand-up comedy,

可能是尝试喜剧脱口秀，

to write their first children's book,

写第一本儿童读物，

to move from marketing to finance,

从市场营销岗转到财务岗，

become the CEO.

成为首席执行官。

Nothing is off the table.

没有什么是不可以的。

One employee said,

一位员工说，

"The Dream Academy didn't open doors for me.

“虽然 ‘梦想学院’ 没有为我打开一扇门。

It helped me to have the confidence to open them for myself."

但它使我有信心去自己打开它们。”

In career ladders,

在职业阶梯上，

our identity can become about the titles that we've held,

我们的身份可以转变成 我们所拥有的头衔，

rather than the talents that we have.

而非我们拥有的才能。

Everyone is talented,

我们每个人都有才能，

and we can use those talents in many ways.

我们可以在很多地方运用这些才能。

We don't need to constrain our careers.

我们无需限制自己的职业选择。

In the words of my favorite band, Fleetwood Mac, "You can go your own way."

正如我最喜欢的乐队—— 佛利伍·麦克（Fleetwood Mac）所说，

“你可以走自己的路。”

HT: One of the things that sticks with me from my time at Microsoft

海：微软的工作经历令我 至今印象深刻的事情之一是，

is that I'd go into the office, and I'd see a sign that said,

走进办公室就可以看到一个标语写着：

"Come as you are and do what you love."

“做真实的自己，干热爱的工作。”

And this was more than just words on a wall.

它不仅仅是墙上的一行文字。

As a non-techie with a podcast on the side,

作为一个以播客为副业的非技术人员，

I certainly brought something different to the organization.

我给企业带来了一些不同的东西。

But my uniqueness was embraced,

但企业接纳了我的独特性，

and there was no pressure to fit a perfect mold.

我不会被迫要和别人一样。

I felt like I could be open about what I wanted to do

我觉得我可以对我想做的事情

and where I wanted to go,

和我想去工作的岗位保持开放的心态，

even if that was different to everybody else.

即便和其他人不一样。

In squiggly careers, there is room for everybody to succeed.

在曲线型职业生涯中， 每个人都有成功的机会。

And no two squiggles are the same.

没有哪两条曲线完全相同，

The ladder has been holding us back for far too long.

职业阶梯已经阻碍我们太久了，

But it's not easy to change something that's been around for over 100 years.

但要改变已经存在了 100 多年的东西并不容易。

What we need now is more than a radical rethink.

我们现在需要的 不仅仅是彻底的重新思考。

We need a radical redo,

我们需要彻底的改弦更张，

and change comes from action.

而改变来自行动。

SE: Together, we have an ambition to make careers better for everyone.

萨：我们有一个共同的远大目标，

让每个人都能有更好的职业发展。

And we've seen just what's possible when people let go of the ladder.

我们已经看到了摒弃职业阶梯 带来的可能性。

We see people who define their own success and take control of their careers.

我们看到那些自己定义成功 并掌控自己职业生涯的人。

And we see organizations who benefit

我们看到适应性强的员工使组织获益，

from adaptable employees who are curious, confident and continually learning.

这些员工好奇心强、 充满自信、持续学习。

HT: We want to ask you to become an advocate for squiggly careers.

海：我们希望各位也能成为 一个曲线型职业生涯的倡导者。

You might be a manager who could help somebody to explore

你或许是一位主管，

their career possibilities.

可以帮助别人探索 他们职业发展的可能性。

Or maybe you’re a mentor and you can give someone the confidence

又或者是一位导师， 可以给予别人信心，

to see how they can use their talents in new ways.

让他们知道如何运用 新的方式发挥自己的才能。

And now that we're all teachers,

既然我们都是知识的传授者，

let's share what we know so that everybody can succeed.

就让我们分享我们所知道的， 让每个人都能获得成功。

SE: It's finally time for us all to step off the ladder

萨：终于，是时候让我们走下梯子，

and into the squiggle.

走入曲线了。