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7/25/2005
The law degree as psychological armour
I decided some time ago that once I earned my J.D., that would be it for me; I had no intention of ever actually practicing law. Naturally, I worried about having mortgaged my future with no means of paying the debt. I'm feeling a bit better about it now.
On Friday, I bused into Victoria to meet with an old friend of my aunt's who has worked in provincial government for 25 years. I was hoping for some advice, maybe a couple of numbers to call. I scarcely dared to imagine what actually did happen. Within five minutes of sitting down in his office, he was on the phone, calling up contacts in other ministries. After a coffee and some friendly chitchat, I then found myself walking over to another government building downtown, portfolio in hand. Upon my arrival at the second office, I wound up taking PR competency tests and wondering why I hadn't given serious thought to government work. Part of it, of course, is that I'm used to Texas, where the entire state budget is apparently devoted to cops and
road construction. B.C. actually has - gasp! - social services and an environment ministry not referred to (with painful accuracy) as "train-wreck." (I refer to the old TNRCC, now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Or Quislings. The first is correct, the second merely true.)
But I'm getting off track. I've always suffered from a lack of confidence when it comes to job searches; I usually feel underqualified, and even when I'm not, I usually assume there's someone better in the applicant pool. Strangely enough, having those two little letters after my name makes a difference. Suddenly, I actually believe the puff-pastry come-ons in my cover letters. I feel attractive to prospective employers. If nothing else, I've proven I'm not a complete flake, not just to the UT law school gods, but also to myself. Expensive armour, but I'm glad to discover I can wear it proudly.
On Friday, I bused into Victoria to meet with an old friend of my aunt's who has worked in provincial government for 25 years. I was hoping for some advice, maybe a couple of numbers to call. I scarcely dared to imagine what actually did happen. Within five minutes of sitting down in his office, he was on the phone, calling up contacts in other ministries. After a coffee and some friendly chitchat, I then found myself walking over to another government building downtown, portfolio in hand. Upon my arrival at the second office, I wound up taking PR competency tests and wondering why I hadn't given serious thought to government work. Part of it, of course, is that I'm used to Texas, where the entire state budget is apparently devoted to cops and
road construction. B.C. actually has - gasp! - social services and an environment ministry not referred to (with painful accuracy) as "train-wreck." (I refer to the old TNRCC, now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Or Quislings. The first is correct, the second merely true.)
But I'm getting off track. I've always suffered from a lack of confidence when it comes to job searches; I usually feel underqualified, and even when I'm not, I usually assume there's someone better in the applicant pool. Strangely enough, having those two little letters after my name makes a difference. Suddenly, I actually believe the puff-pastry come-ons in my cover letters. I feel attractive to prospective employers. If nothing else, I've proven I'm not a complete flake, not just to the UT law school gods, but also to myself. Expensive armour, but I'm glad to discover I can wear it proudly.
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by Chris @ 7:45 PM
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