Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?These are lyrics from Keane's Somewhere only we know beautifully written and rather poignant for me at the moment.
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when, you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
I've been pretty good recently all things considered, and I'm hoping that the underlying feelings are a blip in my general "I'll be ok" outlook. Problem is, I'm getting impatient (even in the face of a recent flurry of activity - nothing to get excited about - yet). I wont go into too much detail about my personal situation, but I'm starting to feel like my time is limited professionally, if I don't get cracking soon. I need a career.
I am now, officially a legal professional. But now I'm here, I have to face facts that the situation is pretty dire. In the past weeks I've met dual qualified lawyers, real high fliers, who have been out of work for 8+ months. I have to ask myself, can I afford to wait another 8 months to start my professional life, when the reality is, that I've already waited 7 years? I know I that I can't.
The big deal here, is that I'm out of ideas. I'm not sure now, what I am good for. I know I'm clever, hardworking, social and good value for money, but what else other than being a qualified solicitor have I got going for me?
I've subscribed to websites like Monster, Timesonline jobs, Guardianjobs where there are an array of career paths on offer, and I'm trying not to limit myself and keeping an open mind. No joy. But lets say I draft a CV which bags me an interview as an executive something or other. How exactly do I explain away the last 7 years and convince my prospective employer that I'm worth taking a chance on? Maybe I'll know when the time is right.
I'm not sure where this blog post is going, so I'll leave it to you guys. I've hit a wall. There must be jobs/careers that I'd never thought of doing or heard of before. Ideas required...please comment below...
hey little lawyer. i'm in the same position you're in and i'm having identical thoughts! i trained in a shipping law firm and find myself barred from crossing over to 'non-shipping' firms due to lack of relevant experience. transferable skills and an ability to learn don't seem to count for much anymore. it's ironical that graduates currently applying for training contracts have a wider spread of firms to apply to than i do and are perhaps luckier in the long run as a result. i've run out of ideas too and i've got a headache from being bitter. nobody's going to give me back my last 7 years. my plan B is to give myself a few more months and if there's no improvement, change professions (even if i have to retrain) and never look back.
ReplyDeleteTough times out there. I'm giving myself a year - not planning to retrain, but hoping (if I can get funding) to add to my current qualifications. I'm not planning to think more than 3 months ahead, and hope for the best. I'll keep some of my optimism aside for you too! Best of luck.
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