1 . “Can’t stop loving you ...” My 3-year-old son was singing along with Phil Collins from his car seat. But I was not in the mood to sing along. My manager at the biotech company where I had been working for a bit more than a year had just told me that, in spite of my excellent performance, he did not foresee giving me more responsibilities in the near future. I was working part time so that I could spend more time with my young children, and he believed the career growth I sought required a full-time employee. The message hit me hard. But it brought on a change that, in the end, taught me the power of embracing opportunities, no matter where they come from.

My manager’s decision planted a seed of self-doubt. Was he right? Was I asking for too much? But I reminded myself that I had already proved I could be an effective scientist on a part-time schedule. A friend suggested that I reach out to senior managers about opportunities in other departments. At first, I resolutely rejected that idea. Didn’t he understand? I wanted to work on antibodies and nothing but antibodies! That was what I knew, where I felt I could add the most value. And yet, I did not want to leave this cool company just because of one unsupportive manager.

With little expectation that it would lead anywhere, I approached the three senior managers. One did not respond. One had nothing to offer. The third invited me to chat. He patiently listened to my story, asked what I was looking for, and then—in the blink of an eye—told me that I was welcome to join him in building a vaeeine research unit. I told him I knew nothing about vaccines, but he waved nonchalantly (不以为意地) and said, “You will learn. You are smart and willing to work hard. You will make it.”

This comfort was exactly what I had been looking for, but I was still shaken by my manager’s lack of confidence in me. Could I really handle a high-responsibility role in a completely new field?

A few sleepless nights later, I decided that taking a chance on the unknown was better than staying in a position that made me miserable. The worst thing thal could happen was that I would fail. But I already felt like a failure, so why not try it?

I soon discovered a new passion. My career path within the company opened up. I took on more responsibilities, developed new skills, expanded my scientific horizons, worked with great people, and led fantastic projects—all because of a change that had felt foreed on me. It had pushed me further than I was willing to go, further than I thought I could cope with, and taught me that when I step out of my comfort zone, I find my most creative, productive self.

5 . Finding a winter job is often a proof that you’re growing up, and it’s also a method for earning money to pay for what you dream of. It’s never too early to start considering the future. Now, here are some good choices for you!

Retail (零售) Sales

Retail offers plenty of opportunities for teens who are looking for a job. This type of work can pay from $10 to $15 an hour depending upon the duty you are expected to take on. It can also be great for teens who are friendly and enjoy talking to other people. For more information, call us at 4005075.

Food Service

A job in the food service industry is a natural fit for sociable teens who enjoy communicating with the public. It allows employees to work as part of a team while learning about following instructions. It also comes with the opportunity to earn between $8 and $10 per hour. Just call 4005077 for more information.

Babysitting

This job requires someone who is highly responsible. Though it pays generally between $6 and $8 hourly, it also requires a lot of patience. This is a great choice for teens who wish to make a career in teaching, child care, social work or any other field that makes use of social skills or requires interaction with kids. Got a question? Just call 4005076.

Housekeeping

This type of work can bring in about $5 an hour and it will allow teens to learn the tourism industry, so hotels are often looking for more housekeeping staff, and parks often need more people to assist with keeping public areas clean and organized as well. Telephone: 4005079

8 . For many of us, our workplace can be dark, depressing and dull. Windowless rooms and airless open-plan floors can kill motivation and cause a loss to worker performance, possibly even their health.

But a refreshing trend is taking root in workplace design: nature. There’s a growing evidence showing that workplaces which include natural elements, such as plants, light, colors and shapes, have noticeable and measurable benefits for both companies and their employees.

The positive effects touch on everything from worker happiness and creativity to increased productivity, improved profits, and the improved ability to attract the best workers. It’s all based on the principle of biophilia (亲生命性) — the born relationship between humans and the natural world and other living systems. And it’s easier to achieve at the office than you think.

“People just don’t like using lights in a building with no plants, no views, no natural light,” says Sir Cary Cooper CBE, professor at Lancaster University in the UK . He led a 2015 study on the impact of biophilia in the workplace that surveyed 7,600 workers in 16 countries and found that even small nature-inspired changes can have a great effect.

Responding to the Human Spaces Global Report, those who worked in environments with natural elements reported a 15% higher level of well-being, a 6% higher level of productivity and a 15% higher level of creativity. One third of them said the design of an office would affect their decisions to work for a company. Even so, 58% said there were no live plants at their workplaces and 47% reported having no natural light.

An earlier, 2014 study by Cardiff University in Wales also showed that plants in the office make people happier and more productive. But more research is needed into biophilia, experts say.

10 . Whenever I talk about personality in relation to choosing a career, some people complain (抱怨) like this: Those tests are so stupid. When I was in sixth grade, I took one of them and it said that I should be a farmer. While I don’t think I would be a very good farmer, the results are probably a lot more accurate (精确的) than I’d like to admit. At the time, it seemed unreasonable — I hated the outdoors and physical activities. Now, I think it might have had some points that fit my personality: I like planning (good for planning how to grow crops), working by myself (for those long days on an agricultural machine), and sometimes working on a team (for harvest time).

Watch out for any personality test that claims (声称) to be able to tell you what your dream job is by the type of animal you’d like to be, or from your favorite breakfast food as a child. While there are many personality assessments (评估) that are accurate, I’d like to say that they are a second step. The best choice is self-assessments.

Before finding ways to know your work preferences, it’s important to make a clear difference between liking a topic and liking the work. I once met a third-year marine (海洋的) biology student at a large state school in Ohio. He was placed into the Whale Watch program, where he found out that he became violently seasick on any kind of boat — a big disadvantage for a student who thought he wanted to study whales in the wild.

The best match is a career in which the major tasks of the work are the tasks you most enjoy doing and the topic is one of interest. If that career doesn’t exist, my advice would be to take the job where there is a skill match. In this way, you will succeed at the basic tasks of your job and perhaps become interested in it.