2013 Article - Get Back On The Success Train by Andy Rachleff

＊這是一個翻譯練習文章。

回到成功的列車上

在矽谷，儘管你失敗了，但你會因為勇於承擔風險而受到尊敬－但這並非代表大家的期待。矽谷對失敗者的寬待不是給你做為排除生涯風險的藉口。

我告訴他們吞下自己的傲氣並且給了他們幾年前給過的相同忠告：加入一個中等規模且有勢頭正好的公司（營收約在兩億美金到三十億美金之間），不要管職稱－甚至這個工作是比幾個朋友更低幾個階級的。他們需要回到成功的列車上。去執行它，你在公司所做的事情永遠重要過工作的本身及職稱。

我在史丹福大學的畢業班有兩門課專注於科技創業。所以我時常被要求提供關於如何以及從哪裡展開職業生涯忠告。我告訴他們去找出我列出的＂做為職涯出發點的絕佳科技公司＂做為參考。如果他們告訴我他們想馬上創業。那我會告訴他們，你必須等待：

＂請耐心等待，你並未準備好要創業。去加入一個中等規模且有勢頭的公司，並且讓它在你的早期職涯創造出成功的暈輪效應。你可以在之後找出最棒的創業想法。＂

在每個時期都有人在直接創業失敗後的幾年給我一些回報，他們想知道自己是如何挖出並且身陷這職涯的坑洞。

我了解創業本身的誘惑。但你不會像是個偉大的創業家除非你已經有一些成就。在失敗中掙扎只會讓挑戰更嚴峻。客觀的說，職涯的是那麼的深的洞等待你去挖掘。


引用來源(Source):
Get Back On The Success Train 
by Andy Rachleff

In Silicon Valley, you’re respected for taking a risk even when you fail — but that doesn’t mean there’s a desire for it. The Valley’s famous tolerance for failure doesn’t give you carte blanche to take ill-thought-out risks with your career.

I teach two courses that focus on technology entrepreneurship at Stanford Graduate School of Business, so I’m often asked for advice on where and how to start a career. I give those that seek me out a list of great tech companies to start a career. If they tell me they want to take startup jobs right away, I advise them to wait:

“Be patient. You’re not ready for a startup. Join a mid-sized company with momentum, and let its success create a halo effect over your early career. You can then have your choice among the best startups.”

In every cohort there are people who come back to me a few years later, after heading straight to a startup that failed. They wonder how they can dig themselves out of their career hole.

I tell them to swallow their pride and give them the same advice I gave them a few years earlier: Join a mid-sized company (revenue of $20 million to $300 million) with momentum, no matter what the title — even if the job is a couple of levels below the jobs their friends have. They need to get back on the success train. To do so, the company you work for matters more than the job or title.

I understand the allure of working for a startup. But you’re not likely to get an offer from a great start-up unless you’ve already had some success under your belt. A string of failures only makes the challenge more difficult. At a certain point, a career hole is too deep for you to dig out.