In uncertain economic times, you may hesitate to spend money to advance your career. But some investments -- of money and time -- can really pay off.

    在經(jīng)濟(jì)不穩(wěn)定時(shí)期，你可能舍不得花錢(qián)來(lái)為自己的職業(yè)投資。但是一定金錢(qián)和時(shí)間的投資可能真的會(huì)帶給你不錯(cuò)的回報(bào)。

    One of the main ways to invest in your career is through education.

    投資你的事業(yè)的一個(gè)主要方法就是教育。

    Don't think of it as going back to school, which sounds like you didn't get it right in the first place and doesn't feel good. Instead, think of it as a way to broaden your knowledge.

    不要認(rèn)為教育就是再回到學(xué)校去，這聽(tīng)起來(lái)就好像你當(dāng)初沒(méi)學(xué)好一樣，也會(huì)讓你感覺(jué)不舒服。再教育是找到一個(gè)方法來(lái)拓寬你的知識(shí)。

    Here are three ways to invest in you career through education:

    以下有三個(gè)方法教你怎樣在職業(yè)教育上投資：

    1）Get a degree.

    取得一個(gè)學(xué)位。

    Complete your bachelor's degree or get a master's degree, MBA or even a Ph.D.

    完成你的學(xué)士學(xué)位或考取一個(gè)碩士學(xué)位，MBA甚至是博士學(xué)位。

    "We're looking at global competition," said Patti Wilson, CEO of CareerCompany.com in Silicon Valley. An advanced degree can help you get promoted or move between industries.

    硅谷CareerCompany.com公司的CEO Patti Wilson說(shuō)："我們正面臨的是全球的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，高學(xué)歷能夠給你帶來(lái)晉升，也能讓你隨心所欲地轉(zhuǎn)行。"

    Some people say workers in midcareer or later won't have time to recoup the cost of an advanced degree. It's a calculation that may push you toward a program that you can complete while working. But there are other factors to consider, Wilson said. An advanced degree can facilitate the move to consulting for an experienced worker, for example.

    有人說(shuō)在職業(yè)生涯中期或晚期的工作人士沒(méi)有時(shí)間來(lái)享受更高的學(xué)位帶來(lái)的益處。正是這種考慮可能會(huì)讓你隨便選一個(gè)能夠在工作期間完成的課程。Wilson說(shuō)，其實(shí)還有其他的因素可以考慮。比如，高學(xué)位可以幫助你成為資深員工的顧問(wèn)。

    2）Become certified.

    取得認(rèn)證。

    Technical fields, project management and human resources are just some fields in which certifications can help advance a career. Certifications are generally less time-consuming and expensive than degree programs.

    在技術(shù)行業(yè)，項(xiàng)目管理以及人力資源等領(lǐng)域里，證書(shū)都可以讓你獲得職業(yè)的提升。行業(yè)證書(shū)和學(xué)位證書(shū)比較起來(lái)說(shuō)，花費(fèi)的時(shí)間更少，金錢(qián)成本也相對(duì)較低。

    3）Learn cross-cultural communication skills.

    學(xué)習(xí)跨文化溝通的技巧。

    If you're working outside your native country and not speaking your native language, consider taking classes in accent reduction and American business etiquette.

    如果你在國(guó)外工作，日常語(yǔ)言也不是母語(yǔ)，那就考慮參加有關(guān)消除口音以及美國(guó)商務(wù)禮儀的課程。

    How do you know if you need these classes? If you're lucky, your boss will tell you. But you may simply notice that you're not getting promoted to positions that require good communication skills.

    如何知道自己是否需要這些課程呢？如果你夠幸運(yùn)的話，你的上司會(huì)告訴你。不過(guò)，你可能會(huì)注意到你不會(huì)被升到需要良好溝通技巧的職位。