In recent years, I've made a series of decisions to lower my career trajectory in favor of spending more time and energy with family and friends. I switched from a core but stressful beat at the paper to a new beat that was mellower and lower profile. Then I moved from fast-paced New York to relaxed Austin and began working remotely, losing valuable face-time with key editors and colleagues. And more recently, after my first son was born, I took a long, nine-month maternity leave and started working part-time.
近几年来，我做出一系列的决定，调低我的职业发展轨迹，把更多的时间留给家庭和朋友。原来，我的生活围绕着纸和笔团团转，节奏快，压力大；而现在，生活变得更闲适，更低调。我从快节奏的纽约搬到令人身心放松的得克萨斯州首府奥斯汀(Austin)，开始远程办公，但也失去与主要编辑和同事们珍贵的见面机会。近期，我的第一个儿子出生后，我又请了九个月的长期产假，将全职工作转为兼职。
All these choices have strengthened my relationships and personal happiness, while reducing stress, but they've also come with a career price, lessening my professionalstanding and pay.
所有这些选择让我的家庭关系更融洽，个人幸福感更强烈，同时减轻了工作压力，但我也必须付出职业发展方面的代价，专业程度降低，薪水相应减少。
These moves have also complicated my feelings about ambition. Although I don't regret my decisions (and am grateful that, unlike many other parents, I had such choices) I've sometimes had difficulties aligning my professionalambitions (to cover important, buzz-worthy stories) with the realities of my part-time work schedule and my full-time role as a mother. I can't fit in all that I want to do professionally into the hours I've allotted for work during the day. As I've written before, my old ambition and my new, limitedworking hours haven't yet found a truce.
这些改变也让我对自己的事业追求有了一种说不清道不明的感觉。虽然我不后悔自己的选择（而且与很多父母不同，我很高兴自己做出的这些决定），但有时候，我会在事业追求（报导值得关注的重大事件）和自己作为全职妈妈、兼职职员的现实之间难以取舍。我没办法通过现在每天分配到的工作时间来实现自己的职业追求。正如我之前写过的那样，新旧两大事业争夺有限工作时间的战役仍在继续。
Sometimes when I see other colleagues producing terrific stories (especially about things I used to cover) I feel some twinges of jealousy, longing and guilt. 'I should have written that,' I think. And when I see other working mothers putting in long hours and stellar performances, I occasionally wonder, should I be doing that too?
有时，当我看到其他同事写出很好的新闻报导时（尤其是那些我曾经负责的题材），会觉得心里滋生出一种刺痛的嫉妒、期盼和内疚感。我会想，这个故事让我来写就好了。有时当我看到其他上班的母亲把很多时间投入到工作中并做出很好的成绩时，不禁会想，自己是不是也应该这样？
Deep down, I know that it's the glory that's appealing ' not necessarily the long, stressful effort to get there (although there's a certain rush to feeling really productive and engaged on the job.) I also know the grass is always greener, and that some full-time working parents wish they could be at-home parents. But we don't talk as much about the reverse: the longing that some at-home parents have for the workplace.
在内心深处，我知道吸引我的是成功的辉煌，而并不一定在于漫长而艰苦的实现过程（虽然内心也有种冲动，想要感受工作的成就感并专注其中）我也明白，别人家门口的草地看上去总是更绿一些，有些全职工作的父母巴不得可以在家带孩子。但我们很少谈及另一大阵营的心态：有些在家的父母也渴望着能够上班。
Right now, I'm trying to figure out, emotionally and logistically, whether changing my relatively comfortable schedule ' not to mention forgoing quality time with my kids 'is worth it to realize my careerambitions. I haven't figured out the answer yet. Perhaps the solution is to put my ambitions on hold for a while, and then return in full force when my kids are older; the uncertainty is whether a fulfilling job will exist for me then after being on the sidelines for a while. I do know that I don't want to be one of those parents who channel their thwarted careerambitions and aspirations into raising their kids, saddling them with immense pressures.
现在，我想从情感和逻辑上弄清楚一件事：改变相对舒适的时间安排──更不用提与孩子相处的美好时光──来换取自己的事业追求，到底合不合算？目前，我还没想出答案来。也许，我应该把事业心先放一放，等孩子长大一点再回去上班，但有一点无法确定：做兼职工作那么久之后，到时候还有没有一份能让我一展身手的全职工作在虚位以待。我很清楚自己不会想要成为那种父母──把自己的事业心咽下去，化为养育孩子的动力和激情，然后望子成龙，实现自己没有实现的愿望。
Have any of you ratcheted back your schedules or status at work? Even if you're full time, you might not be able to work as long or as hard as you used to, because of heightened juggle demands, such as kids. How have you reconciled your new status or hours with your old ambition? Are you at peace with it, or do you feel regret or guilt?
各位读者，你们有没有重回职场再展雄风的？即使你又开始全职工作，可能也无法像以前那样全身心投入其中，因为要在事业家庭之间取得平衡需要你付出更多的努力，比如孩子的问题。你如何在新岗位上实现昔日的抱负？你对自己的现状满意吗，还是觉得后悔或是内疚？
Rachel Emma Silverman
- series [´siəri:z]
n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词) - career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)
- energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)
- working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
- valuable [´væljuəbəl, -jubəl] a.有价值的，贵重的 (初中英语单词)
- stress [stres] n.强调；压力 vt.强调 (初中英语单词)
- professional [prə´feʃənəl] a.职业的 n.自由职业 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- complicated [´kɔmplikeitid] a.结构复杂的；难懂的 (初中英语单词)
- ambition [æm´biʃən] n.雄心，野心；企图 (初中英语单词)
- grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)
- unlike [,ʌn´laik] a.不同的 prep.不象... (初中英语单词)
- occasionally [ə´keiʒənəli] ad.偶然地；非经常地 (初中英语单词)
- productive [prə´dʌktiv] a.生产的；富饶的 (初中英语单词)
- reverse [ri´və:s] v.颠倒；(使)反向 (初中英语单词)
- solution [sə´lu:ʃən] n.解答；解决；溶解 (初中英语单词)
- channel [´tʃænəl] n.海峡；航道；途径 (初中英语单词)
- immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)
- schedule [´ʃedju:l] n.目录；清单；一览表 (高中英语单词)
- limited [´limitid] a.有限(制)的 (高中英语单词)
- terrific [tə´rifik] a.可怕的；极大的 (高中英语单词)
- jealousy [´dʒeləsi] n.妒忌；猜忌 (高中英语单词)
- longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)
- necessarily [´nesisərili] ad.必定，必然地 (高中英语单词)
- relatively [´relətivli] ad.比较地；相对地 (高中英语单词)
- trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
- uncertainty [ʌn´sə:tənti] n.不可靠；不确定的事 (英语四级单词)
- status [´steitəs] n.身份；情形；状况 (英语四级单词)
- profile [´prəufail] n.侧面 vt.画...侧面 (英语六级单词)
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