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By: Tashania Morris
There you are standing on the stage in your graduation gown, waiting anxiously to accept your award…the degree you worked so hard to earn. You remember all the late nights you had to stay awake, missed vacations, and least of all the many, many cases you had to read, especially the ones written with soooooo much legalese you just wanted to run around the building screaming, “Who talks like this anymore?” (Or maybe that was only me).
Then your name is called. Yes, your moment has arrived! You walk proudly on the stage; collect your degree, shaking the hands of professors who helped to make this day possible. You can hear the whistles and screams of your family and friends cheering you on, and as you pose to get your picture taken. A great sense of accomplishment sweeps over you. On the inside you are yelling, “I did it! I did it! I am on my way.” All your hopes and dreams are riding on this. The thought enters your mind that this will be a new beginning; you will finally get the job and money you so eagerly awaited.
Then one of four things happens:
Thing 1#
A year later, you are still in your old job. Yes, the one you wanted to quit the moment you walked off the stage with a degree in hand. Finding your first job in the field is not working out. You have submitted one application after the next – and still nothing. It was not supposed to happen like this.
Thing 2#
A year later, you are able to land a job at a law firm. But, it’s not your dream job. Everyone knows you work at a law firm as a receptionist, and sometimes you feel a little embarrassed. As you answer one call after the next, the discouragement builds, you begin to think to yourself, surely, one does not need a college degree to answer the phone or do data entry!!!
Thing 3#
A year later you are in your second Legal Assistant position and feel overworked, underpaid, and can’t wait to find another job. Your life is unfulfilled. You have yet to make a difference…at least not the way you thought you would. Recently, you were yelled at for not being able to find a file that was sitting on your attorney’s desk. To make matters worse a “no eating at your desk” policy was implemented because you accidentally spilled your coffee on a few files while hurrying. You go home at nights thinking, “What did I get myself into?” If you didn’t have bills to pay, and a family dependent on your income, quitting would be a great option. While you enjoyed learning about the subject – you hate the job, the deadlines, the clients and everything else that comes with it.
Thing #4
Six months later…you are living the dream. You have landed your first job and you are in love with it. This is what you have always wanted and luckily you were able to receive it. You are in an office with great people willing to teach and mentor you along the way and in the back of your mind, you know it is what you were created for.
The Rationale:
Most of us at some point in our lives have been in one of the four situations mentioned above. Unfortunately, too many of us did not do the proper research necessary when choosing a major and embarking on a career path. We have all seen the television commercials and often mesmerized by the images of people on college campuses with the promise that a college degree will allow us to improve our financial stability and launch us into the next realm. We don’t take time to figure out if there will be a return on our investment or if a job market exists for the position we will be seeking in the cities we live. Some sadly enough don’t even know what job skills are required for such a position until after the graduation ceremony takes place.
The cold, hard, reality is – in the legal field most employers require experience. Your first job might not be as a paralegal, legal assistant or legal secretary. It might be making copies, answering the phone or data entry and if it is, make sure you do it to the best of your abilities. Ask questions, learn as much as you can and make it known that you would like to learn as much as possible with the intention of eventually earning your way into a higher priced seat.
Sometimes leaving a company might be the only way to get into the position one desires. Don’t underestimate the value of hard work and persistence. If you are a legal assistant and you hate your job, it’s never too late to change industries to find something that you are passionate about. The great thing about working as a legal assistant is that you create a number of transferable skills most employers seek. Find people that work in the field you are interested in. Make sure you do the proper research. It might be a good idea to meet with a career coach to help you on your way.
Remember that, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ~ Calvin Coolidge
Finding your first job might not be easy, nor is changing industry. The world does not owe you anything because you have a degree. You have the ability to change your future just get up, go out and start. Make a list of your goals and start working on them daily. Do something every day that takes you one step closer to your dreams, no matter how small. Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before inventing the first practical bulb and Lucille Ball was told by an instructor to forget her dream of acting. Volunteer, join local organizations, attend a seminar and take continuing education classes. Whatever you do – don’t give up. Anything worth having is worth fighting for.
_____
Hey TPSers – Want to know what’s a wee bit intimidating? Writing your first article. Then watching it go live. Want to know who did that today? Tashania. If you appreciate her viewpoint or enjoyed today’s post, please give her a warm shout out by leaving a comment. We like to encourage creativity and sharing at every bend in the blogging road.
Now that I’m thinking about it – Tashania did forget to mention Thing #5 – that’s when you take a big ole drink of that caffeinated beverage sitting desk-side, laugh in the face of impossibility, smile as the winds of crazy hang heavy in the air, and seize your talent to successfully meander your way through yet another day of fun in the legal gauntlet. Yep – Thing #5, the time has come. Buckle up, my friends.
We’ll see you soon!
OH BOY!!! THIS WAS A GOOD ONE!!!!!!!!!! Excellent excellent excellent post!!! Further, a degree, a CP, a CRP or an RP does not a paralegal make! What a degree and the other designations does is provide the ground work to begin a career in the legal field and, with time, with working in a firm/for a lawyer, with getting some work experience, the opportunity to qualify to work as a paralegal. As said above in #4, there are some firms/attorneys that will take you on, sans experience, so they can mold you as they chose – those are far and few but they are out there – not enough though. Don’t be discouraged, don’t be embarrassed to be a receptionist, file clerk, copy person, legal secretary/assistant, you are learning and with your education behind you the final goal gets closer every day. Tashania, Great Article!!!
Thank you. I enjoyed reading your comment.
Couldn’t agree more. Thank you for such fun reading. Great article, please keep them coming. Your newly avid reader in sunny South Africa
Welcome to the Paralegal Land, Tashania! Great Article! Great Start! Looking forward to reading many more to come.
Thank you. I appreciate your kind words.
I’m on Thing #2 lol..thanks for the encouragement!
Great article! I submit Thing #5: You have no legal experience and no legal degree, but have years of experience as a secretary. You accept a job as a legal secretary and are thrown into the deep end of the pool as the sole assistant to a very busy attorney who is a solo practitioner. You have no idea what a caption or a pleading is, and you quickly realize it’s either sink or swim so you paddle as hard as you can, all the while screaming, “what the heck did I get myself into?!” After a year or two of climbing a mountain of legal knowledge as rugged and as steep as Mount McKinley, you end up falling in love with the profession, going back to school and becoming a “real” paralegal, even though you have been doing the work for 5 years. AND you still get the same pay even though you have the fancy certificates on the wall!
I love your thing # 5. Lol@ you still get the same pay even with fancy certificate on the wall.
Simply an AMAZING first article Tashania! I am so proud that you have finally written it ;). You are truly the eyes, ears, and voice in the Professional Legal Community. You are also an inspiration to many Paralegals and Legal Assistants today. I am looking forward to reading more of your articles. Keep them coming!!!
Your Colleague,
Donnette Bloomfield, M.S.H.L
Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
Tashania,
I am the Assistant Newsletter Editor for the Dallas Area Paralegal Association and I would like to seek permission to republish this article in our November 2013 edition. Thank you for your time and assistance!
You have my permission to republish it in your November 2013 edition. Please email me a copy of your newsletter if possible. Thank you for sharing it with your members.
Thank you so much for permission. As I did not see your response until just now, I will include it either in our December or January issue. I hate to be a burden, but I do not know your email address and could not find it when I perused this site. I would be delighted to send you a copy of the newsletter with your article once published.
Great article. A paralegal is one career path that I am seriously considering. I am a recent high school graduate and I have just been obsessed with doing research about this job ever since. Your entire blog has been great. I also found another article that I think can help people like me determine if it is the right path. It centered around important responsibilities paralegals have. Anyone who is on the fence should give it a read.
Hi Kristine as a recent high school graduate its great that you are already on blogs like these and trying to get an accurate picture of what being a paralegal consist of. Thanks for sharing the link above. If you ever need to someone to speak with you can contact me I would be happy to share the some of the information I have learnt along the way. Good luck.
Excellent article! I love this blog where paralegals maintain their professionalism AND their senses of humor. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I look forward to reading more from you in the future.
I am the Professional Liaison and Ethics Committee Chair of the Vermont Paralegal Organization. I would also like permission to publish your article in our upcoming newsletter.
Hi Melissa you have my permission to republish the article in your newletter. If possible please email me a copy. Thanks for your kind words. Have a great day.
loved your article! I really hope it doesn’t take me a year though!
Hi Tashania,
I am the editor for the National Capital Area Paralegal Association’s publication, OnPoint. I am writing to ask permission for NCAPA to reprint this article in our next issue. If this is possible, please let me know and send any reprint language that would be necessary. Thank you!
You have permission to reprint the article. Send me a copy of Onpoint if possible. Thank you.
I am a paralegal student and I just stumbled across this website. I’ve been stuck for hours reading all of the articles. I find them all to be quite helpful. Thanks for creating this page!!