是工作讓你單身的嗎?
Is Your Job Keeping You Single?
是工作讓你單身嗎？
U.S. government data reveals that up to 44% of the U.S. workforceis single -- and it may be because of work. Here are four reasons why your job might be keeping you single and what to do about it.
美國政府公佈的數據顯示有接近44%的職場人士是單身，而單身的原因很有可能是工作。以下列舉了工作可能造成單身的四點原因以及應對措施：
1. "I don't have time to date."
我沒時間去約會。
Many people who are single say their jobs don't leave them with enough time to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right. You may have made a consciousdecision to make career your No. 1 priority. Or it may be that pursuing your dream job is easier than pursuing your dream partner. Whatever the reason, dedicating too much of your time and energy to your career will cause your dating life to flounder.
很多單身的人都說自己的工作忙得沒有足夠的時間去認識真命天子（天女）。你可能下意識的將工作當成第一優先事項。也可能是因爲找到夢想中的工作比找到夢中情人更容易。不管理由如何，如果你在工作中花費太多的時間和精力的話，就會使得你的約會生活毫無進展。
Solution: Make dating your work. Approach your social life with the same determination and commitmentyou apply to your career. You wouldn't expect to get ahead at work if you didn't put in the time. Make an investment in your coupled future by setting dating goals, like committing a certain number of hours a week to dating.
解決之道：將約會當成工作。將你在工作中的決心和果斷同樣應用到你的社交生活中。在工作中如果不花時間的話就無法取得進步。設立約會的目標（比如每週哪些固定的時間去約會），爲未來的二人世界投資。
2. "My boss knows I'm single and singles me out."
上司因爲知道我單身給了我很多工作任務，搞得我一直單身。
Singles are often expected to work late, travel for business, and take on last minute assignments because they don't have "family commitments." For example, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell stated last year that the choice of Janet Napolitano as Homeland Security Secretary was an excellentone because she has "no family and no life" and could devote 19-20 hours a day to the job.
上司通常會因爲單身的員工沒有家庭負擔，而期望他們工作到更晚、出差、承擔最後一分鐘的任務。比如，賓夕法尼亞州的州長Ed Rendell聲稱，Janet Napolitano作爲國家安全部長是一個非常明智的選擇，因爲她沒有家庭生活，每天可以工作19-20小時。
Solution: Value your dating commitments. If your boss asks you to work late, you don't always have to say "yes." Saying that you already have plans is an acceptableexcuse. It's great to be able to put in the hours to get ahead at work, but make sure that you're not allowing work to get in the way of your other life goals.
解決之道：重視約會承諾。如果上司叫你加班，你不必每次都答應。告訴上司你已經有安排了，這個是很正當的拒絕理由。在工作中投入更多的時間讓自己遙遙領先固然好，但是要確保你沒有讓工作擋住了你實現生活目標的道路。
3. "Everyone I know is taken/married/coupled up."
我認識的每個人都名花有主/結婚了。
While this may not seem to be a job-related issue, it could be. Statistics show that nearly half of all married couples met at work. So you're at a disadvantage if your work doesn't provide you with opportunities to meet and hang out with other singles.
這點看起來和工作無關，但實際上是有關係的。數據顯示差不多有一半以上的結婚夫婦是在工作上認識的。所以，如果工作讓你無法認識其他單身人士，更沒辦法和他們約會的話，你就處於不利的地位。
Solution: Create your own dating pool. Branch out and try different approaches to meeting other singles. Join a local group/club, attend a different restaurant/bar, or join 40 million Americans using online dating and social networking sites to meetavailablesingles.
解決之道：建立自己的交際圈。拓展你的交際圈，試試用不同的方法去認識其他單身人士。加入一家當地的團體或俱樂部，去不同的餐館/酒吧，或利用在線約會或網上的社交網站去認識不錯的單身人士。
Going back to school can help you advance your career and give you a chance to interact with like-minded people. Use the free education-decision test to find out if going back to school is the right move for you.
重回學校深造不僅可以幫助你事業取得進步，也可以讓你有機會結識志同道合的人。利用免費的教育決策測試來看看你是否適合重返學校深造。
4. "No one wants to date a ..."
沒人想和一個……約會。
Unfortunately, some jobs come with certain stereotypes that can make a prospective date run for the hills. For example, being a lawyer or therapistcould make you a dating pariah because nobody's idea of a good date is to argue or be psychoanalyzed!
很不幸，有些刻板的工作讓約會離你遠遠的。比如，律師或臨牀醫學家的工作可能讓你和約會無緣，因爲沒人會認爲好的約會是辯論或被進行精神治療。
[en]Solution: Be yourself, not your job. If you have a job with a poor career dating profile, don't reinforce these prejudgments. Be aware of the stereotypes that go along with your job title and avoid discussing work-related topics until you and your date have a better understanding of each other. [/en]
解決之道：做你自己，而不是你的工作。如果你本來的工作就會給別人一種不適合約會的形象，那自己就不要再增加這一負面影響了。要注意你工作職位中的那些陳腔濫調，直到你和約會對象有更好的瞭解之前不要談和工作相關的事情。
