Persistence Pays Off

A finally got a summer job! Well...a summer job I actually wanted.

You see, when you attend law school, you are expected to work over the summer in the legal area. Essentially, you don't get a summer break. You just live and breathe law for 3 years, unless you're like me and take the semesters off by not attending class as often as one should.

I started the school year off by doing on-campus interviews with the snooty, lily white, highest paying law firms. They weren't a good fit for me, and, despite my school's prestige, they weren't trying to hire me. I think that was a good thing. Those places made me dread practicing law and had me thinking law wasn't for me. I still essentially think that. But I noticed that when I started targeting smaller law firms that do civil rights, as well as civil rights organizations, I got more interest and better results. My resume has entertainment all over it--which, I was interested in intellectual property/entertainment law...unfortunately, so are seemingly half the law students on earth--but it also has civil rights interests all over it, too.

I got one job offer last semester that I turned down. It wasn't with a civil rights organization and wasn't anything I wanted to do after graduation. It was in Los Angeles, which was the last place on earth I wanted to go. Unfortunately, it seems like there are so many opportunities in LA and NY. I wanted to be in the best place on earth, i.e. Chicago. I found one opportunity that would be perfect for me there and sent a resume, not really expecting anything. I told my friends and family that Chicago was looking out of the picture. Most of my family lives in Chicago, and my best friends at school will be in Chicago this summer, as well as many other people from my school. So a lot of people were disappointed.

Eventually, I heard from the place, a civil rights organization, in Chicago. We interviewed, and the interview didn't seem great. I've given better interviews at places which I didn't end up getting an offer to join. So I kept sending resumes and doing interviews. I got an offer from a place in the area of my school and had started looking for an apartment in the area to stay in. Another place around here had let me know that they'd like to set up an interview later. Neither of these places specifically do civil rights, but I would have been happy to stay here for the summer.

Then, suddenly, the civil rights org in the best place on earth called and offered me a job. Everybody around me is happier than I am. I mean, I'm happy...I'm just not an emotional person. I guess I'm borderline monotone, perhaps even catatonic. ;)

I sent out so many resumes and did so many interviews. I worried I wouldn't get a job and kind of regretted passing LA up. I was kind of pissed that I paid all this money for a school's name and, yet, I was having to do all this work to get a job. But I (kind of) got over it and just pounded the pavement. Anything I saw in civil rights, even if it wasn't somewhere I'd like to go, I applied for. Anything I saw that seemed like it was interesting or that I had a chance for, I applied. I kept going, and I got exactly what I wanted. Plus, I ended up with multiple offers.

Woohoo, I'm spending the summer in the best place on earth, fighting injustice! ;)