亲爱的安妮：还有几周我就要大学毕业了，大学期间我主修英语，辅修电影。我在南加州长大，总是梦想着进入电影这一行，将来自己制作或导演电影。我已经写了几个剧本，我的编剧老师们（同时也是电影业的资深人士）也认为不错。我在制片公司实习过几次，因此有一些实践经验。

    我的问题是要想在电影圈里谋得一职，这种想法有多现实？我知道我必须从底层慢慢做上去，但我的父母总是告诉我，电影圈竞争非常激烈（我也知道这一点），成功与否很大程度上取决于运气和时机（等等），我应该拿一张教师证，找一份“正经的工作”，把写剧本当做闲暇的兴趣爱好。我担心如果这样做，我永远也无法实现梦想中的事业。你怎么看？——来自加州圣地亚哥小镇拉荷亚的迷茫者

亲爱的迷茫者：我不想反驳你的父母，他们只是不想看到你在这个极其残酷的行业中痛苦挣扎。但在决定退而求其次之前，你（和他们）或许可以看看一本新书《我得到了梦想的工作，你也能：大学毕业后打造理想职业的七个步骤》（I Got My Dream Job and So Can You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Ideal Career After College）。这是一本关于如何追求梦想职业的实用指南——而且，大多数建议和真知灼见也同样适用于其他求职者，而不仅仅是刚刚毕业的人。

    这本书的作者彼得•雷伯曼说：“大多数人轻易就放弃了他们真正想要的工作。”他给出的建议以及他目前的职业教练工作都是根据个人的亲身经验。2003年作为约翰霍普金斯大学（Johns Hopkins University）的四年级学生，雷伯曼希望能进入职业球队工作。当时的失业率创下十年高点，在这样的背景下，“很多很多人都建议我别做这个，找些竞争不那么激烈的行业，”他回忆说。

    雷伯曼没听这些劝告。那年春天，他听说某运动品牌公司的一位高管会来参加一个就业研讨会并发言，于是就报名参加了这次会议，希望能向这位高管当面请教，怎样才能进入运动营销行业。当时提问的学生很多，但雷伯曼是其中唯一在研讨会结束后继续与演讲者保持联系的一个。

    这是个聪明的做法。后来，这位高管把雷伯曼介绍给了几位业内人士——其中一位后来告诉他，NBA华盛顿奇才队（Washington Wizards）的营销团队有一个空缺。他提交了申请并获得了录取，大约18个月后，23岁的他被提拔进了管理层。

    雷伯曼在新出版的书中为后来者列出了详细的策略。下面是其中部分要点：

    不要追逐别人的梦想。“追逐热门行业并不会让你找到自己的梦想工作，”雷伯曼说。“必须诚实面对自己内心的渴望。答案就在你自己心里，而不是在外界的某个地方。”

    经济问题不重要。“你需要几份工作？不是100份，不是25份，甚至连3份也不需要，而只需要1份，”他说。“只有你觉得经济是个问题时，它才会成为问题”，这时，你就会停止尝试。

    Dear Annie: I'm graduating from college in a few weeks, with a major in English and minor in film. I grew up in southern California and have always wanted to work in the movie business, eventually producing and maybe directing, and I've written a couple of screenplays that my screenwriting professors (who are also movie industry veterans) have said are good. I've also done a couple of internships at production companies, so I have some hands-on experience.

    My question is, how practical is it to pursue a film career? I know I'd have to start at the bottom and work my way up, but my parents keep telling me that show business is hyper-competitive (which I know), success depends too much on luck and timing (ditto), and I should get a teaching certificate and a "real job" and just keep writing screenplays in my spare time as a hobby. I'm afraid if I do that, I'll never get the career I really want. What do you think? — Lost in La Jolla

    Dear L.L.J.: Far be it from me to contradict your parents, who are only trying to spare you what could be a painful struggle in a notoriously tough business. But before you decide to settle for second best, you (and they) might want to check out a new book called I Got My Dream Job and So Can You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Ideal Career After College. It's a practical, down-to-earth guide to going after a career you can get excited about -- and incidentally, most of the tips and insights in it apply equally to any job seeker, not just those with newly minted diplomas.

    Says author Pete Leibman, "Most people give up far too easily on getting the job they really want." His advice, and his current work as a career coach, is based on his own experience. As a senior at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 2003, Leibman wanted to work for a professional sports franchise. At the time, unemployment was the highest it had been in 10 years, and "there were plenty of naysayers telling me to forget about it and go after something less competitive," he recalls.

    Leibman ignored them. That spring, he heard about a career workshop where a senior executive from a sporting goods company was scheduled to speak, and signed up for it with the goal of meeting him and asking for advice on breaking into sports marketing. Of the many students who approached the speaker with questions, Leibman was the only one who followed up by staying in touch when the workshop was over.

    That was smart. The executive introduced Leibman to several industry insiders -- one of whom alerted him to an opening in marketing with the NBA's Washington Wizards. He applied for the job, got it, and about 18 months later, at age 23, was promoted into management.

    In his book, Leibman lays out a detailed strategy for following in his footsteps. A few of the essentials:

    Don't chase someone else's dream. "You won't find your dream job by chasing a 'hot' field," Leibman says. "You have to be honest about what you really want. The answer is inside you, not somewhere outside."

    The economy doesn't matter. "How many jobs do you need to get? Not 100, not 25, not even 3, just one," he says. "The economy is only a problem if you think it's a problem" and stop trying.

    备用方案事实上就是失败方案。拥有方案B，雷伯曼表示，“等于是告诉自己，你追求梦想的努力可能会失败，绝对不应该有这样的想法。全力以赴，你就会得到自己想要的东西。”

    得到梦想工作要比其他工作更容易。为什么？因为你对它充满了激情。雷伯曼称：“虽然我申请其他竞争不那么激烈的职位都没有成功，但我年纪轻轻就在NBA获得了一份管理工作，其中一个原因就是我非常想要这份NBA的工作。”这看上去可能有违直觉，但他相信“人拥有更高目标时，成功的可能性更大。”

    获得梦想工作的最好办法不是找工作，而是找人。很多职位空缺都不会打广告，而是通过人脉关系和推荐就找到了合适的人。雷伯曼指出，挤入“‘隐形就业市场’的唯一办法就是结识希望进入行业的业内人士，和他们多谈谈。”就你的情况而言，为什么不从实习时认识的人开始？

    人脉不等于“所有认识的人”。雷伯曼认为这是传统观念欠缺的地方。“人脉其实是喜欢你、看好你的人，”他解释道。“在把你推荐给其他人或给你提供某个机会前，联络人会自觉或不自觉地考虑：‘我看好这个人吗？把他/她介绍给我的圈子会不会毁了我的名声？’”

    “如果答案是否定的，这样的人脉毫无帮助。如果答案是肯定的，你往往就能赢得任何人的推荐。”这也是另一个原因，为什么对你来说，聪明的做法是从那些认可你实习表现的人开始，从你们老师可能掌握的业内联系人开始。

    追求梦想工作的两点建议：第一，没有什么工作是完美的，我们的预期不能脱离现实。雷伯曼说：“从来没有哪份工作永远精彩纷呈，没有沮丧，没有不足。”

    第二，他说：“不要给自己太大压力”。如果你最终进入电影圈后发现这和你想象的不一样，“要记住，一份工作并不等于无期徒刑。随时可以换个方向。其实，，大多数人一生中都会多次换工作，甚至完全转变职业方向。”

    祝你好运。

    反馈：你毕业后是如何得到第一份工作的？今天你还在这个行业里做吗？或者你后来改变了职业道路？请在下面留言。

    译者：老榆木

    A back-up plan is actually a plan for failure. By having a Plan B, Leibman says, "you're telling yourself you might not succeed at your real search, which is exactly what you shouldn't be thinking. Hold nothing back, and you will get what you want."

    It's easier to get your dream job than most other jobs. Why? Because you're genuinely passionate about it. "One reason I got a front-office job in the NBA at such a young age, while being turned down for other openings where there was less competition, is because of how badly I wanted that NBA job," Leibman says. Counterintuitive as it may seem, he believes that "you're more likely to succeed when you aim high."

    The best way to get the job you want is to stop looking for jobs and look for people. Because so many openings are never advertised anywhere, and are filled through personal contacts and recommendations, "the only way to crack the 'hidden job market' is to talk to people working in the industry where you want to get hired," Leibman notes. In your case, why not start with the people you already know from your past internships?

    Networking is not "all about who you know." This is one point where Leibman says the conventional wisdom falls short. "Networking is really about who likes you and who respects you," he explains. "Before referring you to someone else or letting you in on an opportunity, a contact is consciously or unconsciously deciding, 'Do I like and respect this person enough to put my reputation on the line by introducing him or her to my inner circle?'

    "If the answer is no, networking will get you nowhere. However, if the answer is yes, you can usually get almost anyone to open his Rolodex." This is yet another reason why you'd be wise to begin your search with people who liked your work at the companies where you interned, and the industry contacts your professors may have.

    Two more thoughts about pursuing a dream job: First, nothing is perfect, so keep your expectations in line with reality. "No job will ever be exciting and free from frustrations and drawbacks 100% of the time," Leibman notes.

    And second, he adds, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself." If you end up working in the movie business and at some point decide that it isn't what you hoped, "remember, a job is not a life sentence. You can change directions at any time -- and in fact, most people change jobs, and even careers, a number of times throughout their lives."

    Good luck.

    Talkback: How did you get your first job out of school? Was it in the same field where you work now, or did you later change direction? Leave a comment below.