What's in Your Future?

    未來(lái)是什么樣子

    I've been pondering the future since my dad took me to visit the World Future Society headquarters in Bethesda, Md., when I was 10 years old. And now that I'm a career writer, it's my job to think about what the workplace will look like -- and what it will demand from us -- in 2025.

    我10歲的時(shí)候，父親帶我去馬里蘭州Bethesda看"世界未來(lái)學(xué)會(huì)"（World Future Society）的總部；從此以后，我就一直對(duì)未來(lái)進(jìn)行思考。現(xiàn)在，我是一個(gè)職場(chǎng)專欄作家，我的工作就是思考2025年的職場(chǎng)將會(huì)變成什么樣子，將對(duì)我們提出怎樣的要求。

    You may not be concerned with surviving beyond the current recession, but you should be. Reinvention isn't just for people who are unhappy in their current jobs. In order to have long-term, successful careers, we all must rethink how we'll stay marketable in the future work force.

    你可能并不擔(dān)心度過(guò)眼下經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退后的日子，但其實(shí)應(yīng)該關(guān)心一下。重新定位并不只適用于對(duì)那些對(duì)工作不滿意的人；為了讓職業(yè)生涯獲得長(zhǎng)期成功，我們必須重新思考如何在未來(lái)的勞動(dòng)力大軍中保持競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力。

    The twin challenges that face a majority of 21st-century workers are outsourcing and automation. "If they can put your job into a manual, they will, and if your job can be done by someone cheaper in a less expensive locale, it will go away," says Seth Godin, the author of "Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us."

    21世紀(jì)的絕大多數(shù)勞動(dòng)者面臨著雙重挑戰(zhàn)：外包和自動(dòng)化。"如果他們能把你的工作寫成操作手冊(cè)，他們一定會(huì)的；如果你的工作能被一個(gè)低成本勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)的勞動(dòng)者完成，那工作就會(huì)離你而去。"《部落：一呼百應(yīng)的力量》（"Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us"）一書的作者賽斯？高汀（Seth Godin）這樣說(shuō)道。

    Close to the Customer

    貼近顧客

    The essential worker of the future will have one-on-one relationships with customers that keep them coming back.

    未來(lái)的成功勞動(dòng)者將與顧客建立一對(duì)一的關(guān)系，讓他們成為自己的回頭客。

    Mr. Godin relates the story of a local supermarket manager who was transferred and then subsequently reinstated because of a customer petition. "The people who look at every interaction as an opportunity to add value and solve problems will be the most sought-after employees in 2025," he says.

    高汀講到一個(gè)故事：有家超市的經(jīng)理被調(diào)到其他崗位工作，但隨后又被調(diào)回來(lái)了，因?yàn)轭櫩蛡儗懥艘环菡?qǐng)?jiān)笗�，希望他能回�?lái)。"那些利用每一個(gè)與顧客溝通的機(jī)會(huì)為他們提供附加值和解決問(wèn)題的人，將是2025年企業(yè)最希望擁有的員工。" 高汀說(shuō)道。

    Self-discipline and internal motivation will also be critical success factors, for the traditional office environment may largely disappear by 2025.

    自律和自我激勵(lì)也是重要的成功因素，因?yàn)閭鹘y(tǒng)的辦公環(huán)境有可能在2025年基本消失。

    Many will work remotely for a variety of organizations, and hours will depend on the geography of the team with which you're collaborating. Although technology will be available to track what you're working on and when, you'll need to be productive without the boss looking over your shoulder.

    許多人將為各種組織遠(yuǎn)程辦公，工作時(shí)間將取決于與之合作的團(tuán)隊(duì)所處的地理位置。雖然科技手段可以跟蹤你的工作內(nèi)容和具體時(shí)間，但你應(yīng)該具備在沒有老板監(jiān)督的情況下高效完成任務(wù)的能力。

    Another requirement is comfort with rapid change and initiatives that move at the speed of the Internet. Future workers will learn a wide array of skills from strategic planning and hiring to computer programming and design and will be expected to constantly upgrade those skills. Employees of all ages and levels will contribute creative thinking and operational excellence to projects. Gatekeepers and paper pushers will no longer exist.

    另一個(gè)要求是適應(yīng)快速的變化以及互聯(lián)網(wǎng)溝通速度下的項(xiàng)目規(guī)劃。未來(lái)的勞動(dòng)者將要學(xué)會(huì)很多種技能，從戰(zhàn)略規(guī)劃到員工招聘，從電腦編程到產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)，并要不斷更新自己的技能。各年齡段和各層級(jí)的員工都要在項(xiàng)目實(shí)施過(guò)程中獻(xiàn)計(jì)獻(xiàn)策，并取得卓越成績(jī)。監(jiān)督員和文書處理人員將不復(fù)存在。

    Prepare for the Years Ahead

    做好準(zhǔn)備

    If you're sitting in a cube, doing your work the way you've always done it, how can you prepare to have a viable career in 2025? In addition to honing your technical knowledge and functional expertise in areas like customer service, you should brainstorm ways to position yourself well in the future marketplace -- before you have to.

    如果你坐在一個(gè)辦公室的格子間里，日復(fù)一日地用同樣的方式處理自己的工作，那怎么能在2025年成為一個(gè)有競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力的勞動(dòng)者？你不但要在客戶服務(wù)等領(lǐng)域不斷提高技術(shù)知識(shí)和專業(yè)水平，還要積極尋找各種方式讓自己在未來(lái)的勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)中站穩(wěn)腳跟--一定要未雨綢繆。

    "Instead of blindly doing what you're told, get in the habit of taking action that invites people to pay attention," says Mr. Godin. "Make changes to the organization that will benefit the customer, and you'll be the go-to person today and tomorrow."

    "你不能盲目去做別人交代的事，而是要養(yǎng)成一種主動(dòng)讓別人來(lái)關(guān)注你的行為習(xí)慣。" 高汀說(shuō)，"促成組織實(shí)現(xiàn)一些有利于顧客的變革，你就將成為現(xiàn)在和未來(lái)的職場(chǎng)達(dá)人。"

    For the under-40 set, a leadership-development course or two will be helpful, too. Starting in this decade, the baby boomers' retirement will leave a gaping hole in the executive ranks, and there will be opportunities for members of Generations X and Y to take on greater responsibilities.

    對(duì)不到40歲的人來(lái)說(shuō)，參加一兩個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力培養(yǎng)課程也會(huì)有一定的作用。從最近這個(gè)十年開始，嬰兒潮一代先后退休，將在高管層留下不少空缺，這為下一代的勞動(dòng)者提供了很好的職業(yè)晉升機(jī)會(huì)。