*I can still remember. Why I started this blog...
... ....
Oh my my law school really flew by
May be worth it someday later, now we wait a long time
But we studied and cried and prayed our laptop wouldn't die
Only to lap dance til October to get by
Lap dance til October to get by
(*sung to the melody of "The Saga Begins")
Ok, so I'm no Weird Al. But the message is there. That's right, for us 2012 grads, we have entered the black hole of pre-bar results. The test is over, the dust has settled, and reality is setting back in. We're a risky bet: we've shown we can pass law school, but a prospective legal employer wants three letters after your name, not two. The reality is we are less marketable than we were two years ago, or even a year ago. We have entered no-man's land. And it stretches at least until mid-October, when hopefully our J.D. turns into Esq., and our slim job prospects expand slightly. Granted, there's already too many Esq.'s out there for the available jobs, but our prospects as Esq.'s are way better than our prospects as J.D.'s. Besides, baby steps. Let's get to October first. So... what do we do until October?
I for one have many things on my plate. Granted none of them are a law job. Shocking. The search remains for that, and it persists everyday. No bites yet though, so I have to find my food elsewhere.
1. I have free time again, so I can continue to try out all that fun advice we talked about earlier. I was really hoping I'd have a job by now so someone else could test all of this, but I'm still here. Maybe one of us is happy about that. I'd love to move on from that initial list of advice, so please send whatever you've heard this summer.
2. Keep looking for what I want to do. And apply. Apply. Apply. Did I mention apply? Yeah, apply for jobs. Really, apply for jobs. And then after lunch, apply for jobs.
3. Find a way to make money. We all have a dream job. Keep looking for that. We all have a not dream but I can manage job. Keep looking for that. We all have an if I have to job. Keep looking for that. But in the meantime, rent needs paid, you need dinner, and your xbox live is going to need to be renewed. Unfortunately, as I've found, it is about as difficult to find a tie-over job as it is to find a career job. And you will likely only end up making minimum wage. Hooray for that higher education. More on this search later.
4. Give your local temp agency, I mean doc review company, a whirl. More on this later.
5. Free time! Do something you enjoy. I've been improving my tennis and golf skills to show off when I get that law job. You know, to really wow them at three-day conferences with my killer backhand. I have a friend who has been trying to get back into shape and a friend who has become a master at roller coaster tycoon. I have another friend who has been training for a zombie 5K. Hey, whatever floats your boat. I for one hate running, but now I know at least one person who will be on my zombie survival team. Playing tennis will make me a valuable asset to that team, right? Maybe I'll find something else to practice. Archery could be interesting. Anyway, my point is do something that makes you happy and keeps you active. Don't sacrifice job searching for it, but make time for it to keep your sanity and so that you have something to talk about socially other than your job search. Nobody wants to hear about your cover letter when you're at the bar. Not a good pick up line.
So... that's my comeback speech. I'm sure you were expecting something better. Get used to disappointment. (That's the spirit!)
Expect more soon, and expect it more often. Wow, I wish I'd get a fortune cookie that said that.
