Most worthwhile careers require some kind of specialized training. Ideally, therefore, the choice of an ________ should be made even before choice of a curriculum in high school. Actually, ________, most people make several job choices during their working lives, ________ because of economic and industrial changes and partly to improve ________ position. The “one perfect job” does not exist. Young people should ________ enter into a broad flexible training program that will ________ them for a field of work rather than for a single ________.

Unfortunately many young people have to make career plans ________ benefit of help from a competent vocational counselor or psychologist. Knowing ________ about the occupational world, or themselves for that matter, they choose their lifework on a hit-or-miss ________. Some drift from job to job. Others ________ to work in which they are unhappy and for which they are not fitted.

One common mistake is choosing an occupation for ________ real or imagined prestige (声望). Too many high-school students--or their parents for them choose the professional field, ________ both the relatively small proportion of work vacancies in the professions and the extremely high educational and personal ________. The imagined or real prestige of a profession or a white-collar job is ________ good reason for choosing it as life’s work. ________, these occupations are not always well paid. Since a large percentage of jobs are in mechanical and manual work, the ________ of young people should give serious ________ to these fields.

Before making an occupational choice, a person should have a general idea of what he wants ________ life and how hard he is willing to work to get it. Some people desire social prestige, others intellectual satisfaction. Some want security; others are willing to take ________ for financial gain. Each occupational choice has its demands as well as its rewards.

On the first day of my school life in the USA, I showed a great interest in my marketing class. My teacher, Mrs. Colman, suggested I ______ a national marketing club called DECA attracting many students with talent and interest in ______. So I did.

The first ______ was to collect money for the marketing competition later in the year by selling candles. Mrs. Colman said the competition was due in a week and that 40 percent of the ______ would go into my personal account.

At the beginning, I tried to sell some candles to my host mom. She said if I could ______ confidence and do a wonderful sales presentation, she would certainly buy some. I started my presentation with a ______handshake. Then I introduced all the different kinds of candles and the special sales I could offer and made her ______ that our candles were the best choices for gifts and home decorations. Finally she bought three candles.

Greatly ______， I decided to sell my candles around the neighborhood. On Saturday morning, with great courage, I knocked at the door of my first potential ______.

“I'm a student at Skyline High School and we are ______ money for DECA. I’m trying to sell...”

“Not today, sorry, ”the man interrupted me and ______ the door.

Embarrassed, I walked away and said to myself the ______ thing that might happen was being refused like that again. I couldn't even count how many times I was ______ with reasons like “Not today” “I don’t have any ______ money right now” or “I just bought some” .______， I had to continue with the day. ______，a woman kindly bought nearly $60 worth of candles. I couldn’t even hide my ______ and said “Thank you very much” to her with a bow.

After a ______ hard work, I turned in my $408 worth of sales of candles, which gave me $163.2 in my own account. I was ______ to find out I was the second highest seller in all classes.

It was the first time that I had worked as a salesperson. Now I look back on this experience with satisfaction, and I feel glad that I did not ______ in face of difficulty.