Moving On

Young, brilliant, personable, and employed shouldn't be miserable. And yet, it is.  Unhappy, limited choices are sending thoughts around the edges of the envelope.

Everyone says two things about law school and me -  a) that I'd be good at it and b) that I shouldn't do it.

My mind went to being a junior associate at the big law firm as I typed

Don't do law school until you REALLY look at jobs available and the life (or lack thereof) you'd be living.

But with money promised for education, having worked and saved and able to come out on the other side to do good deeds without worrying about repaying loans, with no family to consider, the future seemed wide open. Suddenly, the opportunity to spend three years surrounded by smart people, learning interesting material, and living in any city you chose, sounded pretty good to me..... law review and clerking for a Supreme Court Justice....

 

It was a path traveled by others through the ages, and it was well worn and clear and that was when I began to realize that I couldn't give any good advice. 

 

I come from a generation raised by parents and grandparents who went to the same job every day, year after year, until they retired.  My friends went to work with the same mindset.  Today's new workers are serially employed, and I don't need statistics to prove it.  Here in Tucson, in Illinois, in California, in New Hampshire, and in Boston, young people I know are taking jobs that appeal at the moment rather than those which look good for the long haul.

That is not a bad thing.  It is not a good thing.  It just is.

My mind doesn't go there, at least not at first. 

 

Taking a break to learn and prepare for another stage is not something that crossed my mind a decade or so into my career.  For my friend, it's the natural next step.  Trying to expand my horizons, I opined that credentials, especially those with gravitas, become important in a fluid job market. 

 

Then it hit me. The fluidity is where I get stuck - I can't think as broadly about the future as they do. 

I hope that there's some measure of comfort for the parents of these adventurers in this next tale.  My friend's 4.0 in physiology college graduate is managing a women's mountain biking team instead of going to medical school.  She wants to have a life. It was a small but significant leap for her parents, who love her and trust her and ultimately want her to be happy.  And then, at graduation, her ten second thank you speech from the podium included continuing my education.

There is hope.  It just might not look like what you expected, when you expected it.