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pegkerrTomorrow, as part of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work, Fiona is going to be visiting Rob's store and spending the day with him, learning about his job. The last two years, she has spent this day with me at my office, learning about my job.
I'd like her to give her the chance to learn about a lot of jobs. Specifically, your job.
Won't you tell Fiona about your job, so she can get an idea of the vast possibilities in the World of Work out there?
If you can, please leave Fiona a comment by tomorrow night, telling her about your career. Something like:
What your job title is, and what that means
A description of a typical day
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Why you like it and (if you dare)
Why you dislike it
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
What kind of person thrives in your job
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
I'd like her to get as many replies as possible. Thanks ever so much!
Cheers,
Peg (and Fiona)
I'd like her to give her the chance to learn about a lot of jobs. Specifically, your job.
Won't you tell Fiona about your job, so she can get an idea of the vast possibilities in the World of Work out there?
If you can, please leave Fiona a comment by tomorrow night, telling her about your career. Something like:
What your job title is, and what that means
A description of a typical day
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
Why you like it and (if you dare)
Why you dislike it
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
What kind of person thrives in your job
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
I'd like her to get as many replies as possible. Thanks ever so much!
Cheers,
Peg (and Fiona)
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Date: 2003-04-24 06:08 am (UTC)What your job title is, and what that means
I'm an Associate. Which could mean anything, really, but in my case it means that I am a Corporate Finance and Transactions lawyer at a big law firm. "Associate" refers to the fact that I am not a "partner" -- or a part owner of the business.
A description of a typical day
I spend most of my time 1) researching, 2) writing, or 3) talking to clients. The part of my job I like best is far and away drafting agreements. There's a bit of an art to it, which makes it a challenge.
What you need in the way of training/education/experience to do this job
You need to get an undergraduate degree, first. The field doesn't matter. Most lawyers have undergraduate degrees in English or history or political science, but mine is in music. Then you have to go to school for three more years to get your law degree. Unlike other graduate programs, though, the writing requirement for law school is pretty minimal, and a law degree is the equivalent of a doctorate.
Why you like it and (if you dare)
I like that it's intellectually challenging; it requires a lot of sophisticated thought. I like being able to help my clients by drafting them a great contract or by restructuring their deal in a better way.
Why you dislike it
It's boring most of the time. I pretty much do the same thing -- generally -- day after day. Once you've learned how to draft a sale agreement, they all look pretty much the same. Researching is all pretty much the same.
But the part of my job that I dislike the most is the people. There tends to be a certain type of person who excels as a lawyer, as I've answered below, and that type of person doesn't tend to be interesting to talk to or even particularly nice or friendly. I often forget that lawyers tend to be socially awkward, and I tend to be disappointed when I remember.
What sorts of things can go wrong at your job?
Luckily, because of the type of law that I practice, my clients are rarely in danger of going to jail or losing their personal property. For some lawyers, that's a daily pressure. If something goes wrong at my job my clients can only lose their money. Of course, sometimes that's millions of dollars. But I always want to tell them that they aren't allowed to scream in my office unless they're in danger of going to jail or losing their children.
What kind of person thrives in your job
People who like details; perfectionists; people who like to research and/or write; for lawyers who go to court (which isn't me), people who like to perform
Anything else you can think of that would give her an idea of what it might be like to choose your career?
The tricky part about my career is how much law school costs. It's prohibitively expensive, and it's very hard to pay your loans off doing anything other than working for a big firm. People do it. I have a good friend who represents special education students, but she won't live financially comfortably for the next twenty years. It's a bit of a trap, so you have to be sure you want to be a lawyer before you go to law school. Of course, it's hard to know at that point, isn't it?
Best of luck!
Amy