No matter if you just spent twenty minutes talking about the depressed economic climate or the tough job market, no matter if you just protested that you love, really, your job as a human resources analyst. They'll still ask.
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| Source: Tourist_on_earth |
"Did you change your mind at the very end?"
"That's a lot of time to go to school not to do something, isn't it?"
"Do you think at some point you'll start looking for lawyer jobs?"
"So, wait... why aren't you a lawyer?"
This is the moment when, yes, your pride does the limbo. However low you might've felt facing the parched and withered job market, and however much you might've bounced back to feelings of acceptance and dignity over time, these deaf questions can make you go lower than you thought you could go.
Why? Because it's as though the speaker (nay, the world) doesn't hear or believe you. Job-market, job-schmarket, why haven't you become a lawyer? Bad economy, yeah, totally, but why don't you have a $100k a year job yet?
It's as though you should somehow be stronger than the economy, immune from the statistics -- it's as if you're faking this whole worldwide "economic recession" thing just because it's easier than getting a job. You and your laziness! If only you'd been willing to put in some billable hours and wear nice shoes, this entire global economic mess could've been avoided.
But you know, you know, in your heart that you've done your best. How many resumes have you sent out? 30? 50? 100? 300? How many job postings have you read, resume drafts revamped, informational interviews survived? How many times have you put on a suit and a big smile to snag That Job? How many abysmal positions have you applied to, just because you were trying your damnedest to make work work? You know you've done your best, and you know you're not to blame for a nationally and internationally depressed job market.
My grandfather graduated from accounting school the year the Great Depression hit. There was not a lot of call for accountants that year. He applied for jobs for months upon months, and ultimately life required that he move from his beloved big city to a little town with a little packing plant that paid a little wage. He wasn't responsible for the Great Depression, nor was he responsible for graduating into the middle of it. It was not his fault that he couldn't find a job, and it was no statement on his character that he struggled for work.
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| If only you'd been willing to put in billable hours and wear nice shoes, this entire global economic mess could've been avoided. Photo Source: JonoMueller |
Such were the times.
And such are the times.
We've graduated into a world that doesn't well support the profession we chose. This is no stain on our moral or intellectual character, nor does it say anything about our willingness to work hard.
In fact, I know that you are smart, tenacious, and hard-working -- you proved that with your graduation from law school. Your inability to find the right job as an attorney? All that proves is that it's 2013.
So, when people ask, "why aren't you a lawyer yet?," just tell them the truth. Educate them. "Here are the current job stats. Here is the current economic climate. Here I am doing my best. Thanks for asking."
And embrace your flexibility in this difficult economy.
