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What Purpose Do You See in Your Future Career? By Surajit Sen Sharma A law student is still in greater charge of his/her future than a lawyer who has slogged away in the profession for five years. Today, in a modern context, far greater number of career options is there for a person with a law degree than simply joining a law firm, practicing solo, or joining a company as in-house staff.
Whatever be the career you choose for yourself, it is essential to find out what you see in that career. What purpose do you see yourself fulfilling that is aligned with your core values, needs, and long term goals? If you find concrete answers to these questions, and you like the answers, then my good wishes for your new career. With a little bit of hard work, you are bound to excel. However, if you have only vague notions about all the career alternatives that exist and suit your values, and are studying law because you have got the merit and have an idea that lawyers have power and money, then it may be time to reconsider things seriously. Do not go by exteriors. Beneath all the glitz that you see in a successful lawyer’s life there is immense labor and sweat that remains invisible. You think it’s all intellectual labor, then forget it. Every good lawyer is hundred percent physically fit and have to do a lot of moving around and book lifting to get there. A lawyer’s life is one of the toughest that there can be, and an average lawyer does more hard work than in most other professions. While in many professions you have the chance to control your workflow to a great extent, in a lawyer’s life most of the workflow is under control of court dates and client exigencies. Usually, you have little time for your family or kids, and by the time you are in control of the situation sufficiently to spare some time for them, you find to your surprise that your kids have already grown up. This is one of
the biggest reasons why many lawyers leave and shift to inhouse jobs while in mid-career. If you are ready for that intellectual marathon of a courtlawyer’s life, then my respect and good wishes are for you. However, excelling in a lawyer’s career does not depend only on hard work and intelligence. There are many kinds of lawyers and many types of practices from that of a defense attorney, to that of a corporate lawyer. You need to choose a role that suits your values and in which you find a purpose. It is essential that you find pride and satisfaction in what you are doing to find success. I am quoting below from an excellent eight-page article by Dr. Maynard Brusman: ‘’For lawyers to really excel in their work, they need more than just ambition. Satisfying goals, winning cases, reaching billable hour requirements, receiving rewards and compensation and attaining status is rarely enough. We must be connected to our core values and intrinsic motivators in order to be truly fulfilled. Determining what our internal drives are is not an easy task. Most of the time we require a professional coach or a career coach to assist us in our quest.’’ This is why you need to answer the question: What purpose do you see in your future career? If you are unable to see a purpose that fits your values, don’t go for that career, it is not for you.
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