As I got home to my tiny flat， smelling like 1）booze from the late bar 2）shift， I felt tired. Surely there was more to life than this. Although I didnt have a university degree， I knew I was smart and talented. So why was I buried at the bottom of the employment ladder， unable to climb onto the first 3）rung？

當(dāng)我?guī)е鴿M身酒氣從酒吧上完夜班回到我那細小的公寓時，我感到疲憊不堪。生活一定不止這些吧？雖然我沒有大學(xué)學(xué)位，但我知道自己是聰明而有才能的。那為什么我還是處在求職階梯的底部，無法爬到第一階梯呢？

I always enjoyed school. I liked seeing my friends and enjoyed learning. I especially loved art and my teachers always 4）commented on my paintings， saying how talented I was.

School flew by and， before I knew it， everyone had to decide whether to go to university. To me it was a 5）no-brainer. I wasnt going. Although my grades at sixth form注 were okay， being stuck at school for another three years， 6）mounting a huge debt， was not an attractive 7）prospect. So I took a bar job instead while I decided what to do.

我一直喜歡上學(xué)，我喜歡和朋友們見面，也享受學(xué)習(xí)的樂趣。我特別喜歡藝術(shù)，我的老師經(jīng)常點評我的畫，說我極具天賦。

上學(xué)的日子轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝，還沒等我意識過來，所有人就已經(jīng)要決定考不考大學(xué)了。對于我來說，這根本無需考慮——我不考大學(xué)。盡管我讀六年級的成績還可以，但要我再花三年待在學(xué)校，還要債臺高筑，這樣的前景確實不太吸引人。在我考慮要做什么工作時，我先找了一份酒吧的工作。

I took up various jobs in pubs and clubs， and was able to fund myself to live independently—although it was in no way 8）glamorous. I could barely pay 9）rent and couldnt afford heating in the winter—even when it was freezing. I even sold some of my favorite clothes on eBay for a bit of extra cash. I began to 10）resent my friends earning a degree. They were having 11）the time of their lives at uni while I slaved away， washing toilets and pulling beer 12）pumps for 13）minimum wage.

Sometimes I worked a day shift in a restaurant followed by a night shift in a club. At times I found myself crying in the stockroom with exhaustion， and for what？ A horrible little apartment and some spare pocket money. Something had to change.

我在酒吧和俱樂部做過各種工作，總算能夠維持獨立的生活，盡管過得一點都不光鮮。我只能勉強交得起房租；盡管冷得要命，冬天我連暖氣也用不起。我甚至要在eBay上賣掉我最喜歡的衣服，以換取一點額外的現(xiàn)金。我開始遷怒于那些正在讀大學(xué)考學(xué)位的朋友。當(dāng)我在辛苦干活，洗廁所、拖著啤酒泵以換取微薄的工資時，他們正在大學(xué)享受人生中最美好的時光。

有時候，我在餐廳上完早班，然后馬上又要到俱樂部上晚班。我經(jīng)常躲在儲物室里身心疲憊地哭泣，為的是什么？僅僅換來一間條件惡劣的小公寓和一點零用錢。一定要有所改變。

As I started to look for jobs， I realised just how 14）strained the employment market was. I had no 15）qualifications or experience. I was the lowest on the food chain. I 16）applied for a variety of things， mostly office jobs that I found online， and I got a couple of interviews. But it was much tougher than I thought. Reality hit me hard when one of the managers actually 17）chuckled at my CV during an interview. I felt so 18）humiliated， I went home and cried.

當(dāng)我開始找工作，我才發(fā)現(xiàn)求職市場是多么緊張。我既沒有資格證也沒有工作經(jīng)驗，我處于食物鏈的最下層。我申請了各種工作，主要是在網(wǎng)上找的一些辦公室工作，我也得到過幾次面試，但比我想象中難得多?，F(xiàn)實給了我殘酷的一擊——有一次，一個經(jīng)理在面試的時候?qū)χ业暮啔v偷笑。我覺得很受羞辱，回家就哭了起來。

I knew I had to do something different. But what？ Although I hadnt much free time， I still painted whenever I could to escape. I knew my drawings were good， and maybe my childhood dream could become a reality. Then a friend suggested I start 19）promoting my artwork online， so I decided to use the best networking tool in modern society： Facebook. I was aware that it might not work， but I had nothing to lose. I created my own page， uploading about 30 of my pictures. I chose a variety in order to show off my varying abilities.

我知道我必須改變策略，但怎樣做呢？雖然我沒有很多空余時間，但我還是一有時間就繼續(xù)畫畫，以求逃離現(xiàn)實。我知道我的畫不錯，也許我的童年夢想可以成真。我的一位朋友建議我在網(wǎng)上宣傳自己的美術(shù)作品，所以我決定用現(xiàn)代社會最好的社交工具：臉譜。我知道這種做法不一定能成事，但我也沒什么損失。我建立了自己的主頁，上傳了大約三十幅畫。為了展示我的不同能力，我選擇了各種類型的畫。

I started sending Facebook messages and friend requests to hundreds of London-based companies. I applied on spec to 20）publishers， ad 21）agencies and magazines. Thanks to the 22）immediacy of Facebook， it didnt take long before I started to get 23）replies. Many said they didnt employ 24）freelancers， or had no work at that time， but I also got loads of 25）compliments， which gave me the confidence to keep trying.

Then I received the golden ticket， a job interview with a really cool online T-shirt printing and designing business. I was so nervous about the meeting. I spent hours building up a 26）portfolio and thinking of what to say， but when I got there I was surprised by how 27）informal everything was. The “manager” was sitting on a sofa with a cup of tea and we had more of a chat than an interview. I showed him my work and got the job right there and then. I was dancing all the way home.

我開始在臉譜給數(shù)百家總部設(shè)在倫敦的公司發(fā)信息，并請求加為好友。我向出版社、廣告代理和雜志發(fā)申請，碰碰運氣。多虧了臉譜的快捷性，我沒多久就開始收到回復(fù)。很多公司都說不聘用自由工作者，或者當(dāng)時沒有空缺，但我還是得到了很多稱贊，這讓我有信心繼續(xù)去嘗試。

然后，我得到了金獎券——一家很酷的在線T恤打印設(shè)計公司的工作面試。我對這次會面十分緊張。我花了好幾個小時去整理我的公文包，想著要如何應(yīng)答，但當(dāng)我去到那里，我驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)那里的很多東西都挺隨便的。“經(jīng)理”坐在一張沙發(fā)上喝著茶，我們更像是在聊天而不是在面試。我向他展示了我的作品，當(dāng)場就被錄用了。回家的路上，我快樂得跳起舞來。

I was 29）ecstatic to finally put my drawing talents to use. I do other odd jobs， like editing and promotional work， but mostly I illustrate and design 30）templates for t-shirts. Plus， Im finally getting a 31）decent salary！ Its been a roller coaster journey but， with the help of social networking and a 32）positive attitude， Ive finally got to where I want to be. With determination and the benefits of the Internet， Ive gone from bar 33）bum to 34）high-flying designer. Whos to say you cant do the same？

終于能夠發(fā)揮自己的繪畫才能，我欣喜若狂。我也要干其他的瑣碎工作，像編輯和推廣工作，但我主要的工作是為T恤畫插畫和設(shè)計樣板。此外，我終于得到了一份體面的薪水！整個過程就像坐過山車，但有了社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)的幫助和積極的態(tài)度，我終于如愿以償。有了堅定的決心和網(wǎng)絡(luò)的幫忙，我從一個酒吧游民變成了雄心壯志的設(shè)計師。誰說你不能做到？

語法小知識

on spec是英式英語的非正式用法，意為“冒險、碰運氣”，如：

I bought some oil shares on spec.（我投機買了一些石油股份。）

We havent booked a hotel in advance， were going

on spec.（我們沒有事先預(yù)訂旅館，只好去碰碰運氣了。）