So my moot court brief is in. The worst of that is over, and now I have to turn my attention to what I have been putting off since...well, since a long time ago. I have to turn my attention to getting a job.
About a year from now, I will have (hopefully) just been told I passed the bar and that my career as an attorney can officially begin. And my goal is to have a job at least close to in place by that time. But, of course, there are obstacles to this. Some of them I have absolutely no control over (the job market*, the whims of employers**, and the randomness of job searching). I need to let go of as much of that as I can and concentrate on what I do have control over, because I have focused so much on all of that and I have come away feeling depressed or angry. But more than that, I've come away feeling paralyzed. And I cannot afford that anymore. I have to get moving.
So let's focus on what I can control.
First--my grades (more or less). I don't know if now that I'm done with OCI*** that the employers I will be looking at will be less concerned with grades. I've been told that by a couple of people, but I'm not quite buying it. It probably cannot hurt in any situation to say, 'but look at my grades, I'm awesome.'
Second--my networking. I am not comfortable with "networking" as a concept. I am not comfortable with "networking" in action. I am a quiet, introverted person and getting out there and asking people a bunch of questions, while also giving them information on me and what I'm looking for in a job, is daunting to me. But this is how jobs are found, I'm told. And it's not like I'm an uninteresting person. I just have trouble opening-up, which I think is pretty common. So. I just have to be more assertive and confident. Which I can do. No, I really can.
Third--my goals. A) what kind of work I want to do. This has probably been my biggest problem with the whole job-getting thing. I don't know exactly where I want to work. I have friends who love love love criminal law, or tax law****, or elder law. I have not had that, exactly. I have really liked working with clients. I really enjoy the times when I've been able to counsel them (under supervision, at this point), talk with them, you know, actually be a lawyer. I've liked the areas I've worked in, but I think more than the law, I've liked the clients. And if I had to distill it all down, that's what I want--to work with individuals, and not huge corporate entities (by which I mean small business would be fun to work with, but not gigantic corps.). This eliminates some career paths, but not that many really. And when someone asks what sort of law I want to be in, I feel odd saying, 'I want to help people.' It just feels like something a naive person says. And it doesn't say anything about what I want to do, really. You can help people in almost any type of law.
At this point, I am really having trouble breaking it down farther than that. I don't want to foreclose an area of law that may end up being interesting, but I also don't want to come off like an idiot who doesn't know what they want to do (even though this might be true).
B) where I want to work. This is actually a much easier question for me. I want to work at a medium or small firm (or in the government if possible). I want to work in an atmosphere that allows for challenge, but I don't want to feel like I have not time for life.
Fourth--my expectations. Look, it is shitty in the job market right now. So, yes, I have to hustle and get to know people, hoping they'll want to help me out. But I need to allow for the fact that a lot of my running around may lead nowhere. And that has to be okay. At the same time, I need to be smart about using my time, because I am still pretty busy with school and such. I won't get a job in one day, so I just need to allow for that.
*Note 1. For the love of all that is good, can any attorney I talk with about the job market not mention the words, "tough," "rough," or "shitty" to me? I know it sucks. Reminding me of it just makes me feel like I should be doing more. (And, yes, I probably should be doing more, but reminding me of that is not necessary.) I also don't need to be reminded that competition is fierce. I can compete. Trust.
**Note 2. One actual job interview I went on involved the interviewer speaking in the most convoluted way he could think of (and he was really creative about it) and then asking me, "Now, what did I just say?" He was testing my ability to reason on my feet, which is fair, I suppose. But man that sucked.
***Note 3. Ugh.
****Note 4. For real. LOVES tax law. I took income tax this semester partially hoping I too would fall for the sultry seductress of spreadsheets, but alas, it was not meant to be.
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