July 26, 2011
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beep boop
It has been 22 years since I decided to be a lawyer, thirteen years since I applied to law school, and eight years since I finished law school. I'm still not always convinced that this was the "right" career for me (I'd be curious as to what percentage of the population knows whether or not they have chosen the right career for themselves), but I have to admit that it has worked out so far, even though the vast majority of jobs in law are not jobs that I would want or wish on anyone I liked. I worked at a big New York firm for less than a year, but was lucky enough to work for a really great partner while I was there. On little more than a whim, I took a random job that transplanted me to Europe and the magical world of 40 hour work weeks for four years. I took another job that brought me to California and the world of technology transactions. Every time something starts to get uncomfortable or unsustainable, something else has come along, something has shifted, and things have worked out for the best (although that still doesn't make the transitions any more pleasant). I have been extremely lucky.
It's official -- I'll be spending 50% of my time on special projects, including robot cars and other wacky things that show up all the time in movies about the future, but we're trying to make real. I'm excited to start working on new stuff, with new things to think about, but I'm also a little scared.
What if the work is crazy? (Possible.) Or worse, what if it's boring? (Less likely.)
What if the team is hard to get along with? (Possible, and this makes a huge difference.)
What if the other 50% of my time is allocated to products or teams that I don't like? (This has a decent chance of happening.)
What if I have to take on the 50% special projects and 50% other products before I have time to transition my existing work, so that I end up with 150% or more on my plate? (This is much too likely for my taste.)
What if there's something else I should be worrying about that I can't think of right now? (Almost guaranteed.)
Comments (7)
So throughout all of this.... are you happy?
Beep boop, congrats! Your work sounds exciting. In my head, the only thing keeping your lawyer job from being perfect is that its not in NYC.
@twosidedme - Happiness is a slippery thing. It's a combination of general contentment, specific well-being, and moments of joy, and it's hard to really get it all balanced out. I think the ideal job would be travel writer or food critic, but the jobs I have found in law have been more realistic, and still satisfy some of my preferences: playing with words, thinking about how to capture big, messy ideas in neat rows of black letters on a white page, taking the idea of "what's the worst that could happen" and finding a way to prevent it... For now, it suits me.
@czarinaviv - Yes, I miss NYC (and Europe) all the time. Although I would never have thought you'd become an East Coast convert! I think my job sounds much more exciting than it is. There are some exciting parts, like when a product I really like launches or does something cool, but there are also 3 hour conference calls, 6 hour drafting sessions, and other less-exciting parts that come with most desk jobs, I guess...
Indeed I believe I would like a job like that too
Two days short of my 40th birthday, my daughter asked me (in all earnestness) what I wanted to do when I grow up. (Her own answer: "Race cars!")
I've been out of school for 21 years now and have been working for 25. I consider this (software engineering) my third career, but I think I've finally figured out that this is what I want to do when I grow up.
I think your job sounds like it has enough diversity to keep you interested. I agree that having a team you can get along with makes all the difference, but I also believe that the more people you work with, the more perspective you get- so things that may piss you off about co-workers early in your career will seem but minor foibles later on.
@lucyq - I know that working with difficult people is a learning experience, but when I'm honest with myself, it isn't necessarily something I want to learn. In a perfect world, I would get all the information I needed and be able to do my work in a vacuum -- just sit around, think about the issues, and draft the right document to cover the issues. I wouldn't have to meet artificial deadlines, beg for information, argue with people who don't believe in legal obligations, and so on... After all this is done, and I'm all grown up, I want to retire. When I grow up, I want to be a retiree.
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