| Topic Name: |
Alternative Careers for Attorneys |
| Message Name: |
Crossing Over |
| Date Posted: |
11/03/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
I have been an attorney for almost 2 years. I'm already burned out. Believe that! I know so many people in this field that are just settling, because this is the only field they have a degree in. I decided not to settle. I walked out of a firm and have been unemployed for 6 months. Regrets, "I have a few" - Should I have walked out? Yes. I was coming home crying every day, miserable because I was one woman attorney among 9 other men. They would make some sexist comments, disgusting ones, eyeing me up and down, etc. I got sick of it. They critiqued (unecessarily) everything I did. I put up with it. But when the insults started, that was it! When I think about it in retrospect, I feel that I made the right decision. True, I am unemployed and in debt, but I have my integrity, self respect, and sanity in tact. Still no job and I don't want to practice law any more. What next? That's what I want to know. What are alternative fields with someone with a J.D. and a bachelors in Criminal Justice? How limited am I? Problem is, I don't have experience in any other field? Is the bottom where I have to start in any field? Did I go to law school for nothing? Help? Anyone with the same problem? I don't mind making less money, so long as I'm happy. |
| Message: |
Dear purple:
One book title is Running from the Law. I haven't read it. Not sure if that's the one nogivup means. A question, tho: are you burned out because of the disgusting working conditions you were in or because you hated the work? Under those conditions, it would be hard to separate the two. You're basically recovering from post traumatic stress now. Hope you've talked with a therapist about it.
Making a career change is a process. No one can tell you what career to change to. Starting points:
Pay attn to what things interest you, e.g. what stories in mags or newspapers are so interesting that you read the whole thing? Was there a time (before law) that you thought you knew what you wanted to do? What other talents do you have? What parts of you are being ignored?
Inquiring minds....
Jane
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