ril's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not Job Hunting... Not Job Hunting� So there I was, minding my own business, when all of a sudden� (ever notice how many of my stories start out that way? � but it�s true, it really true)� When I first agreed to come to New York (I turned down the job the first time it was offered), it was because: a) I would be able to work for my old commanding officer/former VP � and it _never_ hurts to have a �Godfather� on the board of directors; b) It was a position that would look reasonably well on my resume, and which I could justify accepting as �a great opportunity� if I ever decided to jump back into the law firm frying pan; and, 3) it was about a $40K pay raise. The money and the job title weren�t the end-all-and-be-all (honest)� but they did represent golden opportunities to work 40 hours a week instead of 60-70 (and the occasional 80), and to get the �instant gratification� of the paycheck (though I would already be making about the same at the firm � assuming I were still alive� and not insane). So, when � as you may have noticed I�m prone to do � I sat down and weighed out the pros and cons of the options available to me, I decided that if I could pick _any_ opportunity in the world, that I�d open up my own private law practice in the small Texas Gulf Coast town where I grew up (and where my Dad and Aunt still live)� The problem was that I wasn�t in a position to do that just yet (divorce, school loans, etc. meant that I had to make more money than I could reasonably expect to as a small town solo practitioner)� besides, although I was admitted to the Alabama and DC bars, I was not yet admitted in Texas � and it would take me about a year and a half from that point to register for, take, and receive the grades from the next Texas bar exam�and _that_ realization was the birth of �The Five Year Plan.� The 5 Year Plan was (and is) pretty simple� I was going to come up here, work less hours for money at a job I could do in my sleep (and, hopefully, look good doing it) for a few years� and, in the meantime, I was going to get my Texas license, pay down the old student loans (which, in the aggregate, are more than I paid for my first house� *sigh*), and put aside enough money to be able survive the first year without income (just like they tell you to do in business school, but no one ever does � because who the hell ever has that much money?)� Bring on the Yankee dollars! I _love_ my job! It�s frustrating� some days even _very_ frustrating� but, all-in-all, I�m paid very well to do very little� and am appreciated for it� how cool is that? So how come I sometimes feel like I�ve sold out? Well, the answer is, of course, that I have� it was a well-thought decision at the time, and there�s nothing I�ve seen so far that makes me think it was a bad one� except, as it turns out, I actually miss the �lawyer� work� not the hours� but the work� and, sometimes, the people� I occasionally get the urge to look, but have been _extremely_ picky about expressing interest in anything� if I�m going to do this, it will be on my unconditional terms� the kind of firm I want, the location I want (Texas, of course � though, for some strange reason, I sometimes think about DC), the area of practice I want, and the kind of money I want� I�ve been here (in NY) for about a year and a half, and have only sent about half a dozen resumes. A couple of nibbles, including one interview (which was in Chicago of all damn places) � I think I just got caught up in the moment, and I came to my senses about halfway through the six freakin� hours of interviews they had me scheduled for� Then �The Princess� moves back in with me (she�s starting her second semester, and doing very well, thank you � Dean�s List and all)� which sort of extends The 5 Year Plan� but that�s okay� it�s my plan� I wrote it, and I can change it� Then I start the Master�s program� and, although I�m not wild about it, I�ve got just enough other things going on in my world right now, that I decided to put the job hunt on long-term hold� and today (and you _had_ to know that this was coming, didn�t you?)� my phone rings� �This is super-duper recruiting. We got your name from a friend of yours at Ye Olde Firm and, based on what he said about you, we think that you would be a perfect candidate for a position we have with Dream Firm in Houston.� Hmmm� recruiters _always_ think you�d be a perfect candidate (it�s in their best interest to make you, and the firm think so, too)� but still� I _almost_ wish it hadn�t happened� but I�m mostly glad it did� it�s sort of nice to know that you can still flirt successfully, you know? Think I should call? - 2002-01-28 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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