As I got home to my tiny flat， smelling like 1）booze from the late bar 2）shift， I felt tired. Surely there was more to life than this. Although I didnt have a university degree， I knew I was smart and talented. So why was I buried at the bottom of the employment ladder， unable to climb onto the first 3）rung？

当我带着满身酒气从酒吧上完夜班回到我那细小的公寓时，我感到疲惫不堪。生活一定不止这些吧？虽然我没有大学学位，但我知道自己是聪明而有才能的。那为什么我还是处在求职阶梯的底部，无法爬到第一阶梯呢？

I always enjoyed school. I liked seeing my friends and enjoyed learning. I especially loved art and my teachers always 4）commented on my paintings， saying how talented I was.

School flew by and， before I knew it， everyone had to decide whether to go to university. To me it was a 5）no-brainer. I wasnt going. Although my grades at sixth form注 were okay， being stuck at school for another three years， 6）mounting a huge debt， was not an attractive 7）prospect. So I took a bar job instead while I decided what to do.

我一直喜欢上学，我喜欢和朋友们见面，也享受学习的乐趣。我特别喜欢艺术，我的老师经常点评我的画，说我极具天赋。

上学的日子转瞬即逝，还没等我意识过来，所有人就已经要决定考不考大学了。对于我来说，这根本无需考虑——我不考大学。尽管我读六年级的成绩还可以，但要我再花三年待在学校，还要债台高筑，这样的前景确实不太吸引人。在我考虑要做什么工作时，我先找了一份酒吧的工作。

I took up various jobs in pubs and clubs， and was able to fund myself to live independently—although it was in no way 8）glamorous. I could barely pay 9）rent and couldnt afford heating in the winter—even when it was freezing. I even sold some of my favorite clothes on eBay for a bit of extra cash. I began to 10）resent my friends earning a degree. They were having 11）the time of their lives at uni while I slaved away， washing toilets and pulling beer 12）pumps for 13）minimum wage.

Sometimes I worked a day shift in a restaurant followed by a night shift in a club. At times I found myself crying in the stockroom with exhaustion， and for what？ A horrible little apartment and some spare pocket money. Something had to change.

我在酒吧和俱乐部做过各种工作，总算能够维持独立的生活，尽管过得一点都不光鲜。我只能勉强交得起房租；尽管冷得要命，冬天我连暖气也用不起。我甚至要在eBay上卖掉我最喜欢的衣服，以换取一点额外的现金。我开始迁怒于那些正在读大学考学位的朋友。当我在辛苦干活，洗厕所、拖着啤酒泵以换取微薄的工资时，他们正在大学享受人生中最美好的时光。

有时候，我在餐厅上完早班，然后马上又要到俱乐部上晚班。我经常躲在储物室里身心疲惫地哭泣，为的是什么？仅仅换来一间条件恶劣的小公寓和一点零用钱。一定要有所改变。

As I started to look for jobs， I realised just how 14）strained the employment market was. I had no 15）qualifications or experience. I was the lowest on the food chain. I 16）applied for a variety of things， mostly office jobs that I found online， and I got a couple of interviews. But it was much tougher than I thought. Reality hit me hard when one of the managers actually 17）chuckled at my CV during an interview. I felt so 18）humiliated， I went home and cried.

当我开始找工作，我才发现求职市场是多么紧张。我既没有资格证也没有工作经验，我处于食物链的最下层。……