主播:Flora(中国)+ Erin(美国)
音乐:Orbit
正值暑假期间,不少学生会外出打暑假工,而在美国,这也是青少年和大学生的“经典(classic)暑期项目”。今天我们要聊的话题就是暑期工作(summer jobs)。
01. The Beach is Calling, So is Your Boss. 海滩正在召唤你,老板也在召唤你。
在美国很多沿海的州(especially California and Florida),去海滩是夏天的标配。When the beach is calling, so is your boss. Because instead of chilling all summer, a lot of people are out there working hard to earn some extra cash!
chilling all summer: 悠闲度夏
earn some extra cash: 赚得额外的收入
02. Summer Jobs for American Teens and College Students 美国青少年和大学生的暑期工作
Age: In the U.S., people usually get their first job around 15 or 16.
Purposes:
get paycheck (赚工资)
gain experience
enrich the resume (丰富简历)
explore potential career paths (探索未来职业方向)
Some even start younger with informal jobs, like babysitting (照看小孩) or mowing lawns (修剪草坪).
根据美国法律规定:14岁的孩子是被允许开始做部分工作的,当然工作时长会有限制;所以我们不会涉及“雇佣童工”的非法内容(illegal stuff)。
Popular Summer Jobs in the U.S.
救生员(Lifeguard):需要培训、CPR 证书( certification)、快速反应能力(quick reflexes)。It sounds easy, but it’s actually a serious job. You should make sure nobody drowns (溺水).
在不少美国电影或电视剧中,观众经常能看到这样的场景——一个戴着墨镜的救生员(a lifeguard in sunglasses),坐在泳池边的高椅子上,警惕地注视着水面。In the movie Stranger Things (《怪奇物语》), Max’s brother Billy is a lifeguard.
夏令营辅导员(Camp Counselor):在营地住几周,照顾精力旺盛的(energetic)孩子,组织手工(crafts)、划独木舟(canoeing)、烤棉花糖(marshmallow roasting)等活动,包吃包住(free food and accommodation)并有薪水(camp salary)。That is a rite of passage for a lot of high schoolers (这是很多高中生成长的必经之路), and it teaches a lot of patience (并且它还能培养耐心).
遛狗员(Dog Walker):适合爱狗人士(dog lovers),不仅能免费撸狗(pet dogs),还能将其发展成一份完整的副业(make a whole side hustle out of it)。It is better than a pet cafe (这可比宠物咖好多了).
无论在中国还是美国,暑期工作都常见于零售与餐饮业(Retail & Food Service)。
Retail & Food Service Staff (零售与餐饮业工作人员)
In China: working the register (收银), working as a waiter/waitress
In America: scooping ice cream (舀冰淇淋), flipping burgers (翻汉堡)
虽然这些工作在很多人看来不那么光鲜亮丽(glamorous),但它们能磨炼耐心、提升服务意识,并且塑造性格(build one’s character)。
03. The Two Hosts’ First Summer Jobs 两个主播的第一份暑期工作
Erin的第一份暑假工作是儿童游泳队教练(swim team coach)。It was an interesting experience, but dealing with parents (与家长打交道) definitely caused her a headache (让她头疼) sometimes.
Flora: “After all that parent drama, would you ever coach kids again?”
Erin: “Coaching kids is not my Number 1 career choice (教小孩游泳不是我职业规划的第一选择了).”
Flora’s first job was during a holiday when her roommate hooked her up with a gig selling bottled herbal tea (帮她牵线找到一份卖瓶装凉茶的工作).
虽然薪水挺可观(pretty sweet money),但因为这份工作太耗体力,她干了两天就果断放弃了。That experience helped her figure out (搞清楚) what she doesn’t want to do in the future.
总而言之,暑假工作不仅仅是为了赚钱,还能帮助积累技能(build skills)、发现感兴趣与不感兴趣的领域,从而辅助未来职业规划(planning future career)。
欢迎在评论区告诉我们:
你的第一份暑期工作是什么呢?
What’s your first summer job?