AmericanDreamIsElusiveforNewGeneration1.GRAFTON,Mass.—Afterbreakfast,hisparentsleftfortheirjobs,andScottNicholson,aloneinthehouseinthiscomfortablesuburbwestofBoston,wenttohislaptopinthelivingroom.Hehadplaceditonasmalltablethathismotherhadusedforavaseofflowersuntilherunemployedsonfoundhimselfreluctantlystuckathome.吃完早餐,ScottNicholson的父母离开家去上班。而ScottNicholson独自留在波士顿西郊舒适的家里,在起居室里上网。ScottNicholson将笔记本放在了小桌子上,这个桌子在他不情愿地宅在家里之前,是他妈妈用来放花的地方。2.Thedailyroutineseldomvaried.Mr.Nicholson,24,agraduateofColgateUnviersity,winnerofadean’sawardforacademicexcellence,spenthismorningssearchingcorporateWebsitesforsuitablejobopenings.Whenhefoundone,hemailedoffarésuméandcoverletter—fourorfiveaweek,weekafterweek.ScottNicholson每天的日常很少变化。N先生,24岁,一个大学毕业生,出色的学业成绩让他获得了院里的奖学金,他每天早上用电脑搜索公司网页为了找到合适的空职。每当他找到合适的空职,他就会邮寄简介和附信——每周4到5次,周复一周。3.Overthelastfivemonths,onlyonejobmaterialized.Afterseveralinterviews,theHanoverInsuranceGroupinnearbyWorcesterofferedtohirehimasanassociateclaimsadjuster,at$40,000ayear.Butevenbeforetheformaloffer,Mr.Nicholsonhaddecidednottotakethejob.在过去的五个月里,他只见到了一份工作。经过几次面试之后,位于他家附近的Worcester的Hanover保险公司雇佣他为副理赔员,年薪四万美元。但在正式的通知到来之前,Nicholson就已经决定不要这份工作。4.Ratherthanwasteearlyyearsindead-endwork,hereasoned,hewouldholdoutforacorporatepositionthatwoulddrawonhiscollegetrainingandputhim,asheseesit,onthebottomrungsofacareerladder.他认为,与其把大学毕业后的几年浪费在一份没有前途的工作上,还不如等待一份大企业的职位,能用上大学所学的知识,使自己的职业生涯能有一个起步。5.“TheconversationI’mgoingtohavewithmyparentsnowthatI’veturneddownthisjobismoreofaconcerntomethanturningdownthejob,”hesaid.“拒绝了这份工作之后,要去跟父母谈这件事情比起拒绝这份工作更让我为难。”他说。6.Hewasbracedfortheconversationwithhisfatherinparticular.WhileScottNicholsonviewedtheHanoverjobaslikelytostunthiscareer,DavidNicholson,57,accustomedtobettertimesandeasiermobility,vieweditasanopportunity.Onceinthedoor,thefatherhasinsistedtohisson,opportunitieswillpresentthemselves—astheydidinthefather’sriseover35yearstogeneralmanagerofamanufacturingcompany.尤其是和他父亲的谈话,他作好了充分的准备。ScottNicholson把Hanover保险公司的这份工作看成对他事业的阻碍,他的父亲,57岁的DavidNicholson却把它看成是一个机会,因为他习惯了经济景气、容易流动的时候。父亲坚持对儿子说,只要入了行,机会自然就会来的,正如在他自己35年的职业生涯一路升到制造公司的总经理,机会总是接踵而至。7.“Youmaneuveredandyoudidnotworrywhatthemaneuveringwouldleadto,”thefathersaid.“Youknewitwouldleadtosomethinggood.”自我规划,不需要担心规划会引导你去哪,父亲说,你会明白,规划最后会往好的方向引导。8.Complicatingthegenerationaldivide,Scott’sgrandfather,WilliamS.Nicholson,aWorldWarIIveteranandaretiredstockbroker,haswatchedwhathedescribedasAmerica’soncemightyeconomicenginelosingitspre-eminenceinaglobaleconomy.Thegrandfatherhasencouragedhisunemployedgrandsontogoabroad—to“GoWest,”sotospeak.复杂化的年龄差异,Scott的爷爷,WillianSNicholson,是一位二战老兵,也是退休的股票经纪人,他经历过美国这台曾经是强大经济引擎,在全球经济失去强大动力的时候。也有鼓励他无业的孙子出国——“去西方把”,他这样说。9.“IviewwhatishappeningtoScottwithdismay,”saidthegrandfather,whohasconcluded,inpartfromreadingTheEconomist,thatEuropehassurpassedAmericainofferingopportunityforanambitiousyoungman.“WehatetothinkthatScottwillhavetoleave,”thegrandfathersaid,“buthewill.”我对发生于Scott的是感到沮丧,爷爷说,他这么说一部分是由于他阅读了经济人,认为欧洲在为有雄心壮志的年轻人提供机会方面,超过了美国。我不愿想象Scott将离开,爷爷说,但他将会离开的。10.Thegrandfather’sinjunctionstartledthegrandson.Butastheweekspass,ScottNicholson,handsomeasaMarineofficerinarecruitingposter,hasgraduallyrealizedthathiscareerwillnotrolloutintheGreaterBostonarea—oranywhereinAmerica—withtheeasyinevitabilitythathisfatherandgrandfatherrecall,andthatScottthoughtwouldbehislot,too,whenhefinishedcollegein2008.爷爷的劝诫让孙子诧异。但随着时间推移,当ScottNicholso2008年毕业时,他和招募海报的海军军官一样帅气,逐渐认识到他所找的工作不会远离波士顿地区——更不会离开美国——不会翻,Scott认为这是他的命运,11.“Idon’tthinkIfullyunderstoodtheseverityofthesituationIhadgraduatedinto,”hesaid,speakingineffectforanagegroup—theso-calledmillennials,18to29—whoseunemploymentrateofnearly14percentapproachesthelevelsofthatgroupintheGreatDepression.Andthenheveeredintotheoptimismthat,pollsshow,ispersistently,perhapsperversely,characteristicofmillennialstoday.“Iamabsolutelycertainthatmyjobhuntwilleventuallypayoff,”hesaid.我不完全认为毕业后机会会自己来,他说,他的说法实际上他代表了一个年龄段——被成为千禧年一代,18到29岁——他们14%的无业率水平接近了大萧条时代年龄的失业率。然而民意调查一直显示,今天千禧一代的特点可能反常地变了,ScottNicholson转向了乐观。我坚信我寻找工作最终会得到回报,ScottNicholson说。12.Foryoungadults,theprospectsintheworkplace,evenforthecollege-educated,haverarelybeensobleak.Apartfromthe14percentwhoareunemployedandseekingwork,asScottNicholsonis,23percentarenotevenseekingajob,accordingtodatafromtheBureauofLaborStatistics.Thetotal,37percent,isthehighestinmorethanthreedecadesandaratereminiscentofthe1930s.工作场所的前景方面,对于年轻的成年人,甚至是有过大学教育的,也是很凄凉的。根据一份劳动局的数据,除了14%像ScottNicholson那样无职找工作的人,还有23%人从没找工作。合这一数据合起来37%,在30年来是最高的,与1930年的比例类似。13.Thecollege-educatedamongtheseyoungadultsarebetteroff.Butnearly17percentareeitherunemployedornotseekingwork,arecordlevel(althoughsomeareingraduateschool).Theunemploymentrateforcollege-educatedyoungadults,5.5percent,isnearlydoublewhatitwasontheeveoftheGreatRecession,in2007,andthehighestlevel—byalmosttwopercentagepoints—sincethebureaustartedtokeeprecordsin1994forthosewithatleastfouryearsofcollege.这些人中有过大学教育的年轻成年人状况比较好。但是接近17%的人没有工作或者没在找工作。拥有大学教育的年轻成年人的无业率(5.5%)接近2007年大萧条前夕的无业率的2倍,自从1994年有了为至少4年制大学的记录,这是最高的水平——几乎是2%。14.Yetsurveysshowt