- You chose law school because you didn't know what else you wanted to do.



- You chose your first legal job because the firm was recruiting at your school.

If you answered "Yes," congratulations, you're a lawyer by default.

You're not alone. There are lots of us out there, toiling away at law firms, wishing the telephone would ring and the perfect non-legal job with a six-figure salary would be calling.

If you chose law school by default, you probably chose your legal career by default too. Why? Because just as going to law school is the easy choice, choosing to go to a firm is also the easy choice. Law schools have extensive recruiting programs.

Every fall, law schools line up the most prestigious, highest-paying law firms in the country that are interested in their students, and offer you a seductive opportunity. Maybe you're still not sure what you want to do, but it wouldn't hurt to fill out the form and go do a few interviews. You interview with the firms. They make offers. It's too hard to turn down a ready-made job.

So, here you are. A lawyer by default.

Beating yourself up about that isn't going to help. Where you are is where you are. The question is what do you do now?

Here are 5 simple steps to finding and pursuing fulfilling work outside of the law:

1. Accept that you want to do something else with your legal degree. If you resist that idea, you're going to have a heck of a time getting out. You're not the first person to change career fields and you won't be the last. Would you rather find work you love or suffer for the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years?

2. Identify 3 -4 options. What fields look interesting to you? Don't worry so much about job titles or salaries right now; you're just brainstorming. If you don't have any idea, start keeping track of what appeals to you. Is it baking, spending Saturdays at the bookstore, reading stock quotes, what?

3. Explore your options. This is the fun part. Do some research on the fields that appeal to you. Go online, read books. Call someone up and do an informational interview with them. Spend a day with your local florist or pastry chef. Experience and visualize what it would be like to spend your days doing this kind of work.

4. Plan. Time to left the left brain in. Think about what would get in the way of you pursuing a career you love. Finances, family, lack of experience, turning your legal resume into one that opens doors outside of the law? Now figure out whether those obstacles are real or just in your head. If they're real, decide whether they're worth overcoming.

5. Make the leap. As much as we'd like to plan it until it's perfect, there comes a time when you have to put the legal pad away and just go for it. It's often a messy and unpredictable ride but the end result is worth it: no more Sunday night countdown and a job you want to get out of bed for on Monday mornings.

© 2008 Monica R. Parker

Copyright (c) 2008 Monica Parker