Today I was thinking that law school may be the best three years we have left. The days are sometimes long and painfully boring. There is much worry regarding finding a job or not finding a job. And, some of us are so devoted to school that we have no lives outside of the walls of higher learning. However, what lurks in the future makes for a sobering reality. Law school may be some of the best days we have left.
Law school can be depressing...
What comes after graduation? Depression over not finding a job? Desperately faxing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of resumes to employers who snort upon opening them, discarding them in the trash in a frenzy? Explaining to family that law school doesn't equal success. Explaining to non-legal employers that our law degree was merely a setback? Explaining to the pastor that the reason I cussed during church was because that job I interviewed for three weeks ago was a no go? Explaining to the dog that I can not afford to feed him, so he is going to have to go get his own dinner outside tonight? Explaining to the roaches in the apartment that I can't afford to kill them? Explaining to a would be girlfriend that I can't afford to take her out on a dinner date, but the food stamps that my career services office helped me procure afforded me some very delicious T.V. Dinners. Explaining to the bus driver that I will swipe my bus pass twice after getting the job in which I am going to interview for to make up for not having a valid one this time. You get the point...
Another thing to keep in mind is that there's no summer vacation or spring break (which is coming up next week) in the real world. A law student is wise to cherish every moment of that spring break (some actually study during it), as it will be one of the last large breaks one will have for a while (other than the unemployment break, but unlike spring break, we don't really look forward to that one).
Today I heard laughter coming from the table behind me and I wondered what could make the person seem so jolly. Was it that she got a job offer from a big firm? Was her law review article published the closest to the front of the Journal of International Law? Did her boyfriend buy her a brand new puppy? Laughter, while common now, will grow to be less common as the years progress. Laughter, to a graduated lawer, is something that begins to die out, go extinct, and even outlawed. They say after taking the bar exam, all laughter is cut in half. After finding your first job, it is hard to even smile.
In one of my classes today we were asked about the time value of money. The professor asked how much we would value $100 in a year from now. One person said $106, another said $110, and another said $200. The professor asked the student who said $200 how much he would view $100 in three years from now. The student said $250. The professor said, "why not $300?" The student said, "I am a 2L and next year I will be a 3L, and I will have a job so the delay in getting the money will not matter to me as I will be making a lot of money." Enjoy it while it lasts.
No comments:
Post a Comment