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A crisis in faith
Nov. 12th, 2002 09:08 pmNot religious faith, mind you. Just having trouble keeping focused on what my raison de lawschool is.
And it's all because I've gotten a really good job.
Now, when first I wandered into Cleveland, and for the first year of my life here, I lived in penal servitude to the Psychobitch. So my dream of law school had a multitude of positives about it--I would eventually escape from the hellhole, I would achieve a job that afforded me a modicum of respect, and, quite frankly, working at chez Psychobitch sapped so much of my life force that law school couldn't do much more damage.
All that has changed. Though I haven't started this job yet, I know from a friend who used to work in this office that the work the person before me did will not take up all my time and I will be able to take on even more interesting and challenging work when I have learned the first job--and they are anxious to give me that responsibility. The atmosphere is friendly, even though it is busy. I will be working on the university campus, which is a beautiful environ, as most older campuses are.
Most importantly, the work day is 8:30-4:30 (some overtime, but they actually PAY it, so they keep it to a minimum). Rather than the 7-6 I worked at Psycobitch Central. Meaning that, with a little luck I could be home by betwen 5 and 5:30, instead of 6:30 or so. And get up at a decent hour in the morning. And have evenings to write, read, watch a movie. Weekends to do yardwork, visit friends, relax. I could have something that resembles a normal life.
Except that on top of that I have piled law school. At the end of which I will be something like $60,000 in debt, and be a new attorney, making, what $40,000? $45,000? Probably about what I'll be making as a paralegal by that time.
I was talking to a fellow paralegal who is having the same misgivings. A longtime paralegal at the firm where she works (one of the big ones), finished law school and passed the bar.
They made her a legal secretary. With the promise that she will get a position when one opens up, but a slight decrease in pay in the meantime.
I could spend the next four years in law school, always fighting deadlines. Or I could accept that paralegal for the University Attorney's office isn't too damned bad and enjoy myself.
I'm leaning toward the latter. Maybe that's end-of-the-semester speaking. I'm not the one to judge right now.
And it's all because I've gotten a really good job.
Now, when first I wandered into Cleveland, and for the first year of my life here, I lived in penal servitude to the Psychobitch. So my dream of law school had a multitude of positives about it--I would eventually escape from the hellhole, I would achieve a job that afforded me a modicum of respect, and, quite frankly, working at chez Psychobitch sapped so much of my life force that law school couldn't do much more damage.
All that has changed. Though I haven't started this job yet, I know from a friend who used to work in this office that the work the person before me did will not take up all my time and I will be able to take on even more interesting and challenging work when I have learned the first job--and they are anxious to give me that responsibility. The atmosphere is friendly, even though it is busy. I will be working on the university campus, which is a beautiful environ, as most older campuses are.
Most importantly, the work day is 8:30-4:30 (some overtime, but they actually PAY it, so they keep it to a minimum). Rather than the 7-6 I worked at Psycobitch Central. Meaning that, with a little luck I could be home by betwen 5 and 5:30, instead of 6:30 or so. And get up at a decent hour in the morning. And have evenings to write, read, watch a movie. Weekends to do yardwork, visit friends, relax. I could have something that resembles a normal life.
Except that on top of that I have piled law school. At the end of which I will be something like $60,000 in debt, and be a new attorney, making, what $40,000? $45,000? Probably about what I'll be making as a paralegal by that time.
I was talking to a fellow paralegal who is having the same misgivings. A longtime paralegal at the firm where she works (one of the big ones), finished law school and passed the bar.
They made her a legal secretary. With the promise that she will get a position when one opens up, but a slight decrease in pay in the meantime.
I could spend the next four years in law school, always fighting deadlines. Or I could accept that paralegal for the University Attorney's office isn't too damned bad and enjoy myself.
I'm leaning toward the latter. Maybe that's end-of-the-semester speaking. I'm not the one to judge right now.
