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？

当我带着满身酒气从酒吧上完夜班回到我那细小的公寓时，我感到疲惫不堪。生活一定不止这些吧？虽然我没有大学学位，但我知道自己是聪明而有才能的。那为什么我还是处在求职阶梯的底部，无法爬到第一阶梯呢？

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.

我一直喜欢上学，我喜欢和朋友们见面，也享受学习的乐趣。我特别喜欢艺术，我的老师经常点评我的画，说我极具天赋。

上学的日子转瞬即逝，还没等我意识过来，所有人就已经要决定考不考大学了。对于我来说，这根本无需考虑——我不考大学。尽管我读六年级的成绩还可以，但要我再花三年待在学校，还要债台高筑，这样的前景确实不太吸引人。在我考虑要做什么工作时，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.

我在酒吧和俱乐部做过各种工作，总算能够维持独立的生活，尽管过得一点都不光鲜。我只能勉强交得起房租；尽管冷得要命，冬天我连暖气也用不起。我甚至要在ebay上卖掉我最喜欢的衣服，以换取一点额外的现金。我开始迁怒于那些正在读大学考学位的朋友。当我在辛苦干活，洗厕所、拖着啤酒泵以换取微薄的工资时，他们正在大学享受人生中最美好的时光。

有时候，我在餐厅上完早班，然后马上又要到俱乐部上晚班。我经常躲在储物室里身心疲惫地哭泣，为的是什么？仅仅换来一间条件恶劣的小公寓和一点零用钱。一定要有所改变。

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.

当我开始找工作，我才发现求职市场是多么紧张。我既没有资格证也没有工作经验，我处于食物链的最下层。我申请了各种工作，主要是在网上找的一些办公室工作，我也得到过几次面试，但比我想象中难得多。现实给了我残酷的一击——有一次，一个经理在面试的时候对着我的简历偷笑。我觉得很受羞辱，回家就哭了起来。

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.

我知道我必须改变策略，但怎样做呢？虽然我没有很多空余时间，但我还是一有时间就继续画画，以求逃离现实。我知道我的画不错，也许我的童年梦想可以成真。我的一位朋友建议我在网上宣传自己的美术作品，所以我决定用现代社会最好的社交工具：脸谱。我知道这种做法不一定能成事，但我也没什么损失。我建立了自己的主页，上传了大约三十幅画。为了展示我的不同能力，我选择了各种类型的画。

i started sending facebook messages and friend requests to hundreds of london- d 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.

我开始在脸谱给数百家总部设在伦敦的公司发信息，并请求加为好友。我向出版社、广告代理和杂志发申请，碰碰运气。多亏了脸谱的快捷性，我没多久就开始收到回复。很多公司都说不聘用自由工作者，或者当时没有空缺，但我还是得到了很多称赞，这让我有信心继续去尝试。

然后，我得到了金奖券——一家很酷的在线t恤打印设计公司的工作面试。我对这次会面十分紧张。我花了好几个小时去整理我的公文包，想着要如何应答，但当我去到那里，我惊奇地发现那里的很多东西都挺随便的。“经理”坐在一张沙发上喝着茶，我们更像是在聊天而不是在面试。我向他展示了我的作品，当场就被录用了。回家的路上，我快乐得跳起舞来。

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？

终于能够发挥自己的绘画才能，我欣喜若狂。我也要干其他的琐碎工作，像编辑和推广工作，但我主要的工作是为t恤画插画和设计样板。此外，我终于得到了一份体面的薪水！整个过程就像坐过山车，但有了社交网络的帮助和积极的态度，我终于如愿以偿。有了坚定的决心和网络的帮忙，我从一个酒吧游民变成了雄心壮志的设计师。谁说你不能做到？

语法小知识

on spec是英式英语的非正式用法，意为“冒险、碰运气”，如：

i bought some oil shares on spec.（我投机买了一些石油股份。）

we havent booked a hotel in advance， were going

on spec.（我们没有事先预订旅馆，只好去碰碰运气了。）