????曾經(jīng)，人們一度認(rèn)為工資是呈直線上升的。一個(gè)人從職場(chǎng)菜鳥、只領(lǐng)取較低工資開始，隨著職業(yè)資歷逐步提升，工資也會(huì)向著較高水平看齊。

????不管過去這種觀點(diǎn)對(duì)錯(cuò)與否，最起碼在當(dāng)今的職場(chǎng)，尤其對(duì)于曾經(jīng)的高新一族來說，已經(jīng)完全不是這么回事了。美國(guó)西北大學(xué)（Northwestern University）經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家喬納森?帕克以及安妮特?維辛-喬根森的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查顯示，在近來的經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退期，美國(guó)收入最高的1%家庭（2008年年收入超過38萬美元的家庭）受到的沖擊比其他任何群體都要大。然而，20世紀(jì)80年代初期之前，與普通家庭相比，這些富裕家庭的收入波動(dòng)并不是很明顯。

????美國(guó)再就業(yè)服務(wù)機(jī)構(gòu)Challenger, Gray & Christmas 首席執(zhí)行官約翰?查林哲稱：“現(xiàn)在的收入與以前相比波動(dòng)性要大得多。”

????如今，人們開始頻繁地更換工作，甚至全面調(diào)整自己的職業(yè)生涯規(guī)劃；同時(shí)，疲軟的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況讓很多人的實(shí)際工作時(shí)間大幅縮水，這些都讓人們不再因?yàn)樯陥?bào)單上一年更比一年低的納稅金額而感到不自在或者尷尬。不僅如此，越來越多的年輕人開始更加關(guān)注工作與生活的平衡，為了追尋自己夢(mèng)寐以求的職業(yè)，他們甚至能夠在一段時(shí)間內(nèi)欣然接受低收入的工作。

????“迫于時(shí)下的形勢(shì)，接受低薪崗位的人越來越多；還有些人是迫不得已，擔(dān)人們得接受現(xiàn)實(shí)，”約翰?查林哲說。

????薪酬縮水在時(shí)下相當(dāng)普遍，這已是不爭(zhēng)的事實(shí)。目前，人們最關(guān)注的問題已不再是“什么時(shí)候應(yīng)該接受減薪？”而是“怎樣規(guī)劃人生，讓接受低薪工作在必要時(shí)成為一種可能？”現(xiàn)在，我們就給大家支支招：

1. 找機(jī)會(huì)賺外快

????NBA圣安東尼奧馬刺隊(duì)（San Antonio Spurs）球星托尼?帕克的名字近日頻繁見諸各大報(bào)端頭條。原因是他宣布在NBA停擺期間將以月薪2,000美元轉(zhuǎn)投一支法國(guó)籃球隊(duì)。他持有該球隊(duì)的部分股權(quán)。是什么讓他甘愿接受這么低的年薪（約合24,000美元）？要知道，去年的NBA賽季，2,000美元只是他一分鐘的酬勞。如果有機(jī)會(huì)賺“外快”，獲得額外津貼，或者有機(jī)會(huì)承接一個(gè)自由職業(yè)項(xiàng)目；又或者你的愛人已經(jīng)下崗，或正在從事并尋求更多的兼職工作機(jī)會(huì)，放手去干吧，然后將額外賺到的錢存進(jìn)銀行。

2. 清償債務(wù)

????杰米?塔蒂在一家電視點(diǎn)播公司做項(xiàng)目經(jīng)理時(shí)，她的收入是六位數(shù)。“這份工作聽起來就是人們心目中的那種理想職業(yè)，”她說。“我?guī)缀蹩梢圆换ㄒ环皱X就可以周游整個(gè)美國(guó)，所有費(fèi)用只要找公司報(bào)銷就萬事大吉了。”但是事實(shí)并非如她想象的那樣美好。“可是最終我發(fā)現(xiàn)，我不得不經(jīng)常加班加點(diǎn)；而且由于經(jīng)常需要在外面解決吃飯問題，我的體重大幅飆升。”

????后來塔蒂辭掉了那份工作，借款70,000美元，開創(chuàng)了自己的事業(yè)——為企業(yè)家提供培訓(xùn)課程（并在eventualmillionaire.com網(wǎng)站上撰寫相關(guān)博客）。為了還清所有債務(wù)，她和丈夫賣掉了豪華汽車，承擔(dān)更多額外的工作，近乎瘋狂地節(jié)省開支，直到還清債務(wù)。如果目前的工作再也提不起你的興趣，再高的薪水也毫無意義——還是另尋門路應(yīng)對(duì)彌補(bǔ)薪酬縮水吧。

3. 購房買車，量入為出

????靠收集優(yōu)惠券、去二手市場(chǎng)購物，我們就可以平安度過薪酬縮水時(shí)期——宣揚(yáng)勤儉持家的書籍和電視節(jié)目也許會(huì)讓人對(duì)此信以為真，但是千萬不要輕信。事實(shí)上，根據(jù)美國(guó)勞動(dòng)統(tǒng)計(jì)局（Bureau of Labor Statistics）公布的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，一個(gè)普通的美國(guó)家庭花在食物上的費(fèi)用比例不到家庭預(yù)算的13%，花在服裝上的錢也不到家庭預(yù)算的4%。如果將這兩項(xiàng)支出減半，也僅僅可以獲得不到8.5%的額外預(yù)算。然而，普通家庭在住房及交通兩項(xiàng)費(fèi)用上的支出占家庭全部預(yù)算的50%以上。如果同樣減半的話，將會(huì)有25%的額外預(yù)算可以用來自由運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。孰輕孰重，一目了然。

4. 不要總拿工資水平的高低來衡量自己的價(jià)值

????正如近日美國(guó)著名職業(yè)顧問及博客作者佩內(nèi)洛普?特倫克在職業(yè)和生活博客網(wǎng)站Brazen Careerist上給讀者的建議，“一個(gè)人的工資待遇低，并不代表他的自身價(jià)值就低。豐富衡量自身價(jià)值的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)體系，（而不是只有薪酬這個(gè)單一的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)）。這樣，減薪就沒什么大不了了。”當(dāng)然，說起來容易做起來難。拿杰米?塔蒂來說，當(dāng)時(shí)選擇放棄家庭主要經(jīng)濟(jì)支柱的角色以及額外的收入，對(duì)我而言真的非常困難；“直到現(xiàn)在我也沒有完全適應(yīng)。”當(dāng)然，收入水平仍然不失為一個(gè)不錯(cuò)的衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)——即使下半輩子的工資每年只能上漲10%。

????譯者：李淑玉/汪皓

????Once, people assumed income was linear. You'd start out on the low side during your salad days, but then you'd see your income rise as you rose though the company ranks.

????Whether that image was ever true or not, it's definitely not now -- particularly for people who generally do quite well. Research from economists Jonathan A. Parker and Annette Vissing-Jorgensen at Northwestern University found that, during recent recessions, households in the top 1% (those earning over $380,000 in 2008) experienced larger income shocks than any other group. Before the early 1980s, these well-to-do households had less income volatility than other people.

????"What you earn today is much more lumpy than it used to be," says John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

????As people switch individual jobs, or entire careers, more frequently, and as a lackluster economy has translated to some spending extra time out of the workforce, the idea of reporting a lower number on your tax return from one year to the next is no longer remotely weird or shameful. And as younger workers put a higher premium on work-life balance, some have even embraced earning less for a while as they pursue their dream jobs.

????"Today, more and more people have done it, have had to do it, and have come to terms with it," says Challenger.

????Indeed, taking a step down in pay is so common that the best question is no longer "when is it okay to take a salary cut?" It's "how can I structure my life so that a salary cut is possible if I need or want to take one?" There are a few ways:

1. Earn good money when you can.

????San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker recently made headlines by announcing he'd play for the French basketball team he partly owns during the NBA lock-out for $2,000 a month. One reason he could accept the equivalent of a $24,000 annual salary? He earned $2,000 per minute during his NBA games last year. If you have an option to earn overtime, pursue certain bonus payments, or take on a freelance project, or if your spouse is out of the workforce or working part-time but looking to scale up, go for it -- and then bank the extra cash.

2. Chuck your debts.

????Jaime Tardy once earned six figures as a project manager for a video-on-demand company. "It sounded like it was a dream job," she says. "I'd get to travel around the U.S. with an expense account." But it turned out not be as rosy as she had envisioned. "I ended up having to work ridiculous hours and I gained a lot of weight from eating out a lot of the time."

????Tardy was able to quit that job and start her own business coaching entrepreneurs (and blogging at eventualmillionaire.com) by paying off $70,000 in debt. She and her husband sold an expensive car, took on extra work, and budgeted like crazy until the debt was gone. When there's less interest piling up, less of your paycheck will be spoken for -- making it possible to shrink that paycheck if you want.

3. Buy less house (and car) than you can afford.

????Books and TV shows on frugal living would have you believe that you can survive an income cut merely by cutting coupons and shopping in thrift stores. Don't believe them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average family spends just under 13% of its budget on food and a little under 4% on clothing. If you cut both in half, you'd free up less than 8.5% of your budget. But the average family spends more than 50% of its budget on housing and transportation. Spend 25% instead, and you have 25% extra to play around with.

4. Stop thinking your salary says anything about you.

????As popular career blogger Penelope Trunk advised her Brazen Careerist readers recently, "You are not worth less in the world because you are paid less in your job. Get your self-worth from a wide range of things and a pay cut won't matter to you." This is easier said than done, of course. For Jaime Tardy, giving up her role as her family's primary breadwinner, and the extra cash, was tough: "I'm still not 100% over it." But keeping one's income in perspective is still a good idea -- even if your salary goes up by 10% every year for the rest of your life.