Chapter 12
The Jobs She Chose
If you asked 阿嬤 about her career, she was unlikely to begin with the name of a company or the title on her business card. She would talk about the people. Whether she enjoyed the work. Whether a place felt right.
She remembered how each place made her feel.
After beginning her career with a Japanese company, new opportunities
gradually appeared. Taiwan's economy was changing quickly, and educated
young people found themselves with choices that had not existed a
generation earlier. 阿嬤 never spoke about chasing success for its
own sake. Instead, she quietly looked for places where she felt she
could do meaningful work and contribute well.
One of those opportunities led her to the Taiwan External Trade
Development Council, better known as TAITRA. On paper, it seemed like an
excellent position. It was stable, respected and offered the security
that many people sought.
Yet when 阿嬤 looked back on that period, she smiled and admitted
something disarmingly honest.
“It just didn't suit me.”
She never criticised the organisation, nor did she suggest that anything
was wrong with the people who worked there. She simply recognised that
the environment did not match her own temperament. She preferred places
where decisions were made quickly, where relationships felt personal and
where she could see the results of her work more directly.
That quiet self-awareness appears throughout 阿嬤's life.
She rarely spoke about what other people should do.
She paid close attention to what was right for her.
Rather than remaining in a role simply because it was secure, she chose
to move on. Eventually she joined Bank of America, beginning another
chapter in a career that would span many decades and several countries.
The move was entirely consistent with the person we have
already come to know. 阿嬤 was practical rather than impulsive,
thoughtful rather than restless. When she made a change, it was never
because she was chasing something bigger. It was because she believed
she could contribute more fully somewhere else.
Taiwan itself was becoming increasingly connected to the international
economy during those years. Foreign companies were expanding their
presence, trade was growing rapidly and new opportunities emerged for
graduates with language skills and a willingness to learn. 阿嬤
stepped naturally into that changing world, carrying with her the quiet
diligence and humility that had been shaped long before she entered the
workforce.
She measured
a good job differently from many people. She rarely spoke about prestige
or titles. What stayed with her were the people she had worked alongside
and the satisfaction of doing meaningful work.
Even when describing career changes, she instinctively focused on people
rather than positions.
That, perhaps, is why her working life never feels like a résumé. It
feels like the story of a woman steadily finding places where she could
be useful while remaining true to herself.
第十二章
她選擇的工作
如果你問阿嬤關於她職業生涯的事，她不太可能從公司的名字或名片上的頭銜開始說起。她會說的是人。她喜不喜歡那份工作。那個地方感覺對不對。
她記得每一個地方給她的感覺。
在一家日本公司開始職業生涯之後，新的機會漸漸出現了。台灣的經濟變化很快，受過教育的年輕人有了一代人之前幾乎不存在的選擇。阿嬤從來不說追求成功是為了成功本身。她只是在安靜地尋找那些她覺得可以做得有意義、可以好好貢獻的地方。
其中一個機會，帶她進入了中華民國對外貿易發展協會，也就是大家熟知的貿協（TAITRA）。從紙面上看，這是一個極佳的職位。它穩定、受人尊敬，提供了許多人追求的安全感。
但當阿嬤回顧那段時期時，她笑著承認了一件讓人意外地誠實的事。
“就是不適合我。”
她從來沒有批評那個組織，也沒有暗示在那裡工作的人有什麼不對。她只是認識到，那個環境不符合她自己的性格。她喜歡決策快速的地方，人際關係比較直接的地方，以及可以比較直接看到工作成果的地方。
那種安靜的自我認知，貫穿了阿嬤的一生。
她很少說別人應該怎麼做。
但她非常清楚什麼是適合自己的。
她沒有因為一個職位穩定就留在那裡。她選擇了離開。後來，她進入了美國銀行（Bank of America），展開了職業生涯的另一章，這一章橫跨了幾十年和好幾個國家。這個選擇，和我們已經認識的那個人完全一致。阿嬤是務實的，而不是衝動的；是深思熟慮的，而不是不安分的。當她做出改變的時候，從來不是因為她在追逐更大的東西，而是因為她相信，她在別的地方可以更充分地貢獻。
台灣本身在那些年也越來越與國際經濟接軌。外商公司擴大了它們的據點，貿易快速成長，新的機會出現在那些有語言能力和學習意願的畢業生面前。阿嬤自然而然地踏入了那個變遷中的世界，帶著她在進入職場之前很久就已經養成的安靜勤奮和謙虛。
她衡量一份好工作的方式，和許多人都不同。她很少談論名聲或頭銜。留在她記憶中的，是她曾一起工作過的人，以及做有意義的工作帶來的滿足感。
即使是在描述換工作的時候，她也本能地把焦點放在人而不是職位上。
也許，這就是為什麼她的職業生涯從來不像一份履歷表。它像一個女人穩穩地尋找那些她可以發揮作用、同時忠於自己的地方的故事。