我的职场生涯是从开发软件起步的，如今却成了一名风险投资家。我想根据自己的经历，为年轻女性们提供下面一些建议：

制定计划，但也要做好改变计划的准备

计划将让你走上自我发现的道路，而在这个过程中，你的发现要么证明你的计划是正确的，要么会促使你改变方向。举个例子来说：我一度以为，软件工程师将是我的终身职业。虽然我喜欢编程，但几年之后，我却再也不想从事这份职业。于是，我主动接受了一项新的任务，这为我指明了一个新的方向——商学院。在那里，我发现我真正喜爱的是和技术相关的业务。我想在一家科技公司从事全面管理的工作：制定决策、控制决策，并监督决策的落实。自我发现的道路，比坚持最初的计划更加重要；我之所以变得更开心、更成功，正是因为我准许自己走上这段旅程。

预测障碍，但要专注于长期目标

你的职业生涯将持续40至50年，所以不要指望未来五年便能达到人生巅峰。你肯定会经历许多困难，这时你需要做的便是继续前进。有时候，你可能觉得在工作之外取得了更多进步（结婚生子等等），这没什么；人生起伏总是难免的。最初加入英特尔时，我期望从事的是一般管理岗位，但最终的职务却是产品营销工程师。但我并未因此而感到沮丧，而是抓住机会提高技术能力，扩展人脉。最终，这个职位让我在英特尔投资公司得到了一份梦寐以求的工作。一段本来可能成为挫折的经历，却帮助我实现了最终的目标。

建立由同事们组成的社区

不要等到需要新工作的时候，才开始建立人脉关系。从第一天起便用心建立一个由专业人士组成的人脉网络。对于这些人，你敬佩他们的工作，尊重他们的意见。寻求诚实的反馈——这些反馈将拓宽你的事业，提高你的价值。你的职业生涯不应该是一次单兵任务。寻找同行者，提高自己的知名度，悉心培养这些关系。你的下一次工作机会，或许就来自这个社区。

有内在和外在的信念

不要忘记开始这段旅程的初衷；不要忘记你在追求目标过程中树立的信念。信念让你即使在走出舒适区的时候也能充满信心，让你有勇气表达自己的意见，展示你的知识，引起别人的注意。但你也要做好面对挑战的准备；人们会对你的每一个决定提出意见。不断练习，做好准备，磨练技能——之后，你要有坚定的信念，去勇敢表达自己的观点，让别人重视你的价值。（财富中文网）

作者莉萨·兰伯特为英特尔投资公司副总裁。

译者: 刘进龙/汪皓

审校：任文科

As someone who began my career as a software developer, but ended up as a venture capitalist, I would offer the following advice to young women:

Have a plan but be prepared to change it

Your plan will put you on a path of discovery, and what you uncover will either validate your plan or challenge you to change course. Case in point: I thought I would be a software engineer for my entire career. Although I enjoyed writing code, I realized after several years on the job that I didn’t want to do it forever. So, I raised my hand for a new assignment, which pointed me in the direction of business school. There I found that what I truly enjoyed was the business of technology. I wanted to work for a technology company in a general management role: making decisions, owning decisions, and watching them play out. The path to self-discovery was more important than sticking to my original plan; I’m happier and more successful because I allowed myself the journey.

Anticipate obstacles but focus on the long-term

Your career is going to last anywhere from 40 to 50 years, so don’t expect to be at the top of your game after the first five. You’re going to hit some rough patches, and when you do, keep going. There may be times in your life when you feel you’re making more progress outside of work (marriage, a baby, etc.) and that’s okay; zigs and zags are expected. I joined Intel as a product-marketing engineer, despite my aspirations to be in general management. Instead of feeling discouraged, I used the opportunity to strengthen my technical skills and expand my network. This position ultimately led to me to my dream job within Intel Capital. What could have been a setback actually helped land me right where I needed to be.

Build a community of colleagues along the way

Don’t wait until you need a new job to start making connections. From day one, build a network of professionals whose work you admire and opinions you respect. Ask for honest feedback – it will broaden your perspective and make you more valuable. Your career journey shouldn’t be a solo mission. Find fellow-travelers, make yourself known, and nurture these relationships. Your next job will likely come from this community.

Have inward and outward conviction

Don’t forget why you started this journey; and don’t forget the conviction you developed in pursuit of your goals. Conviction will give you confidence even when you’re operating outside of your comfort zone and give you the courage to speak up, demonstrate your knowledge, and get noticed. But expect to be challenged; people are going to have opinions about every decision you make. Practice, prepare, and learn your craft — then have the conviction to stand up and be counted.