Life doesn't come with a warranty
Feb. 28th, 2002 04:35 amOne of my bits of volunteer work is to answer
career questions about law on the internet (www.allexperts.com). Some college students write questions which are:
"I major in X at Y school and have Z GPA.
I'm interested in going to law school. I want to know what my job prospects will be when I get out of law school in 4 years". I give the best answer that I can, but the assumption--that we can predict the economy, much less the legal economy, in four years, is interesting. In the same vein, everyone focuses on first year salary, when
law career progress is less based on first year salary than salary progression and opportunity.
I remember being in college, and wanting to know for sure what would happen--some assurance that I would be "safe" if I chose one path or the other.
Now I feel pretty "safe", and yet I realize that
safety is illusory. The first firm I joined, which seemed "safe" and "stable", had splintered a year before I got there and was split up altogether within 3 years after I arrived.
In the long run, you do your best, you "play your cards", and things work out as they work out.
There's no warranty company to which to report career problems.
career questions about law on the internet (www.allexperts.com). Some college students write questions which are:
"I major in X at Y school and have Z GPA.
I'm interested in going to law school. I want to know what my job prospects will be when I get out of law school in 4 years". I give the best answer that I can, but the assumption--that we can predict the economy, much less the legal economy, in four years, is interesting. In the same vein, everyone focuses on first year salary, when
law career progress is less based on first year salary than salary progression and opportunity.
I remember being in college, and wanting to know for sure what would happen--some assurance that I would be "safe" if I chose one path or the other.
Now I feel pretty "safe", and yet I realize that
safety is illusory. The first firm I joined, which seemed "safe" and "stable", had splintered a year before I got there and was split up altogether within 3 years after I arrived.
In the long run, you do your best, you "play your cards", and things work out as they work out.
There's no warranty company to which to report career problems.