A Little Help?

As most anyone can tell you, the market for employment sucks. And if you've just dropped six figures on a law school education, you're probably not too thrilled with your income prospects. Rather than dwell on my graduating class' employment percentage (which appears to be in the low teens if you are scoring at home), I have set out looking for alternative ways to use my soon to materialize J.D.

I've looked at operations, education, indoctrination, incantations, and even a bit of mutilation. Not one of those sectors is hiring at this point. It appears as though I'm going to set up my own shop with some highly capable friends. I think there's success in the future, but I learned long ago that putting all your eggs in one basket usually leads to disaster. Armed with such wisdom I am looking to supplement the earnings of a first year attorney with some side income. One such side job opportunity resulted in a meeting with a big shot in that field thanks to the efforts of my father, who was happy to leverage his contacts to get me in front of the "right people". Perhaps I'm out of practice in such interactions, but this meeting was an unmitigated disaster.

I arrived early and waited. No big deal I figured, this is playing the game. And it's better to be early for a meeting than late...especially when you are the one looking for the help. After this captain of industry arrived and dispensed with the random small talk, we got down to business. She asked me what I was looking for. I responded with the specifics (specifically a way to supplement my soon to (I hope) materialize income with some part time work). Apparently I was either being obtuse, shady, or maybe I was speaking another language. Why? Because for the next 25 minutes she sat there explaining how I shouldn't be running away from my profession just because of hard times; that I need to stop attempting to use other peoples' relationships for personal gain; and to read a book. (Side note: The book is called "What Color Is Your Parachute")

After absorbing the initial battery of unsolicited advice, I got the following gems: "You should look to move away from here, because you are putting a tight collar on your future", and "my nephew worked in Italy and France for two years and then came back and had a great market for his services. Maybe you should look into that."

Shortly after this motivational, intercontinental anecdote she abruptly gathered her bags and thanked me for meeting her and took off to [presumably] bigger and better things. I was left to sit and wonder what just happened. I went in hoping to get some advice on how to find some part time work to offset the risk of navigating a small business in this economy. Instead I got an audit of a life and character I'm not sure I'm living. Though - one way or another - I came away having learned a good deal.