Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Job dilemma/whine/advice needed
I have a contract job now. I get paid by the hour, no benefits. No idea how much longer this job will last. I should probably have a conversation with my boss about what is going on with it, now that I've passed the bar, but I'm only lukewarm about this job and I'd like a little time to shop around and see what my options are. I don't really want them to offer me something just yet, but I also don't want them to know I'm looking for other stuff.
I have some leads/contacts at some very ideal jobs and I'm working with a head hunter who thinks I've got a competitive resume for what I'm looking for. Of course, the economy blows, so there's not an endless supply of jobs to apply for.
There's a couple job openings right now that I could apply for. They are just mediocre...bad pay, not great practice areas/focuses, long commutes... If I applied and got the job, I'd basically have to take it and keep looking.
Would you bother? My financial situation now isn't fantastic, but it's not dire. And at least one of these jobs wouldn't be paying more than what I make now, it would just be that they were permanent.
My husband thinks I should hold out for what I really want. But, I'm not really convinced that that job will ever appear, or will appear before my current job dries up. The economy really, really sucks, particularly for lawyers in SF right now. But, I'm concerned about a jumpy resume, heading in the wrong practice area direction professionally, burning bridges (eg using a contact or headhunter to get a crappy job that I quit after 3 months), etc.
This is really more of a vent, but if anyone has any advice, I will listen.
Re: Job dilemma/whine/advice needed
My thoughts, for what they are worth.
First, jumpy resumes are no longer strange in Legal Land. After the early 2000s, it's strange to find anyone who actually stays with one job for more than a few years. I exaggerate, but only a bit.
Second, what I strongly recommend is that you pursue any jobs that might be a stepping stone to your ideal job. Just because you won't immediately step into your ideal job doesn't mean you shouldn't make moves in that direction. Keep your eye on the ball and move forward when there is a long-term benefit, even if that benefit is a couple jobs down the road. If your financial situation isn't dire, I certainly wouldn't ditch your job for one that is permanent but doesn't move you toward your ultimate goal.
FWIW, I did this to get to my dream job. It takes patience, but having a plan makes a difference.
Ditto to both E81 and IIOY. If you find something that would be a good step toward something else, or that has other benefits over your current job, I would take it. But I wouldn't leave your contract gig for something that holds no more interest than the contract gig but includes a longer commute.
It's cliched, but I suggest making a pro/con list for each possibility and comparing them. It'll force you to really think about which factors mean more to you than others.
Thanks, this is helpful.
I had been operating under the assumption that things would be opening up in January and February, as people would leave their jobs after getting bonuses. With bonuses sucking this year though, I'm not so sure that will be the case. Perhaps I need to stop reading Above the Law...it's just one depressing blog post after another.
While I'm asking...have any of the lawyers here ever done any bar exam tutoring? I'm thinking that could be an easy way to make a little extra cash on the side...
No, but I did consider teaching an LSAT prep course for Kaplan once. Never followed through on it. That could be another possibility.
Hmm...I don't know if they will let me. My LSAT was embarrassingly bad.
I hear the performance tests are what doom a lot of CA bar takers and I am awesome at those, so I think that will be my schtick. And there are a million CA bar tutoring companies out here. I need to figure out how to get in on this.
An old friend of mine did bar exam tutoring in DC. He actually ran his own company. I think he was fairly successful. You could probably do that part-time, too, in addition to your current job.
Anything you can achieve through hard work, you could also just buy.
Well, I think you should make an even longer commute and come work with me!
Barring that suggestion, I ditto everyone that suggests if the only benefit to the permanent gig is that its permanent, I'd probably hold off.
As to bar tutoring, I bet VTJamie would be a good person to talk to about starting up a tutoring business.
And in the alternative, you could do bar grading on the side.
This market blows and I know what you're going through. I hope you find a sweet gig very soon.