It has been well over seven months now since I accepted an F/T position and stopped blogging. At the time, I had little to say and starting a new job kept me quite busy. Other than commenting on TTR and Poor Paralegal, I have little to say in comparison to someone like Nando who has been vigilant in bringing issues surrounding law schools and over supply of newly minted attorneys to light. Good for Nando! Nando rocks and so do the other scam bloggers.
It has however left me with little voice. I'm not an attorney, I'm a non-lawyer. However I'm not one of these legal professionals who view attorneys as over paid dick-heads. I know their job is difficult and the wrong decision made can result in having their career finished. Working in law made me realize law is not LA Law, Allie McBeal, Law and Order. It's stressful at times and deadlines are tight. However I do enjoy the challenges, and being part of something when a person is successfully defended in a case which his actions were not the cause of another party claiming damage.
However full speed ahead to 11 years later, I am not sure passing on law school was such a good idea. Yeah I don't have the crushing debt that law students have. Back in 1999 when I was accepted, law school was also pretty expensive back then too (sidebar: 1999 version of tuition pales in comparison to tuition today). However taking the non-JD route in law well...sucks. This is the first time I hit a brick wall.
My new boss is an utter idiot and it's shocking that he is a graduate of a T50. He knows little, no scratch that...nothing. When I first came on board, I was given carte blanche in communicating from everyone from claims adjusters, to defense counsel, to the courts and police department. Now there is hierarchy. He is the one that things have to go through. For seven months when I was doing everything, he didn't care. Now there is a shift and I do not get it. When I questioned if any tasks were carried out incorrectly, or if any info was inadvertently released, "hierarchy" is the reason. OK...I get it. I report to you, no problem. But this dude obviously lacks decorum.
The new job became the death star in less than 7 months. I managed to put things into place, only to have no credit. No chances of any promotion either. It's crushing to say the least that after arriving at a satisfactory salary, I stepped backwards to the 80's. In NY, southern NY (near NYC) $45K is nothing.
Yes I know...don't complain. Bad economy and serves you right in not going for the coveted JD. However I never thought I would find myself at a job which I had sufficient reason to leave, but I can't because the pickings are slim. This country and the legal profession are in tatters. The quality of new attorneys is alarmingly scary. From not knowing what a preliminary conference is, to have to effin' clear all e-mails, through him, I resent being micromanaged by some idiot who has less experience than me, but has the position because he is connectedand knows the right people. Is it wrong for me to feel this way while so many people would give their right arm to work again?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
First day (sort of...)
Today was sort of my first day at the new job. For two and half hours I filled out paperwork, listened about the history of my new employer, and found out that NY State has some pretty funky gambling regulations.
I scoped out my new office which is pretty much a desk and an oversized filing cabinet stuck in a cramped corner, with a wee window facing the parking lot. A far cry from the corner office I had almost a decade ago and the beautiful office I worked in before being downsized. I could not help but have a sinking feeling when I saw my new office. It was small, dank, and dirty with a gross out view of a parking lot. The new job is also located in a busy, grimy, business zone located off the thruway; not exactly a pedestrian friendly neighborhood. I was also inadvertently told that one of my assignments is to help establish a records system for the department *and* (get this) I am replacing an attorney who “left” (I have no idea what to make of this).
But I shouldn't complain; I am now gainfully employed. Although I took a cut in pay, it is still way better than the $11 per hour I was making for a short time in retail. The job will be more stable than when I temped (my assignments ended with no warning), and getting a nice paycheck each week sure as hell beats filing for unemployment every damn week and hoping for my blackberry to ring.
Am I expecting more out of my first day? Not sure why I feel so forlorn right now. Not sure if I am being sub-consciously cautious in not to get my hopes up too high. Having a job I really liked and losing has been pretty rough for me. I’m not one of those X’ers or Boomers that have been downsized before. Every job I held, I left on my own accord and my move was lateral in which I increased my salary and I handled more responsibilities. I had no say in my leaving my last job. Nor did I have any say in how much I desired to earn (asking for what I made before the recession could have put me at risk in not being considered for this position).
Perhaps I am just tired. Past few nights I had some trouble sleeping. Working in retail during the holidays, I had to adjust to some crazy hours and it threw my internal clock off. But I feel...so blah. I am a real sucker when it comes to image and surroundings. I have always been a sucker for beautiful offices, fancy titles, and name plates on my office door and I am a little peeved about the salary cut (which in a way was my own doing to make me a considerable job candidate).
I know…I know. I am making much ado about absolutely nothing. Perhaps I need some much needed sleep to help readjust my attitude. I should just be grateful I have joined the ranks of the American Middle Class again.
I scoped out my new office which is pretty much a desk and an oversized filing cabinet stuck in a cramped corner, with a wee window facing the parking lot. A far cry from the corner office I had almost a decade ago and the beautiful office I worked in before being downsized. I could not help but have a sinking feeling when I saw my new office. It was small, dank, and dirty with a gross out view of a parking lot. The new job is also located in a busy, grimy, business zone located off the thruway; not exactly a pedestrian friendly neighborhood. I was also inadvertently told that one of my assignments is to help establish a records system for the department *and* (get this) I am replacing an attorney who “left” (I have no idea what to make of this).
But I shouldn't complain; I am now gainfully employed. Although I took a cut in pay, it is still way better than the $11 per hour I was making for a short time in retail. The job will be more stable than when I temped (my assignments ended with no warning), and getting a nice paycheck each week sure as hell beats filing for unemployment every damn week and hoping for my blackberry to ring.
Am I expecting more out of my first day? Not sure why I feel so forlorn right now. Not sure if I am being sub-consciously cautious in not to get my hopes up too high. Having a job I really liked and losing has been pretty rough for me. I’m not one of those X’ers or Boomers that have been downsized before. Every job I held, I left on my own accord and my move was lateral in which I increased my salary and I handled more responsibilities. I had no say in my leaving my last job. Nor did I have any say in how much I desired to earn (asking for what I made before the recession could have put me at risk in not being considered for this position).
Perhaps I am just tired. Past few nights I had some trouble sleeping. Working in retail during the holidays, I had to adjust to some crazy hours and it threw my internal clock off. But I feel...so blah. I am a real sucker when it comes to image and surroundings. I have always been a sucker for beautiful offices, fancy titles, and name plates on my office door and I am a little peeved about the salary cut (which in a way was my own doing to make me a considerable job candidate).
I know…I know. I am making much ado about absolutely nothing. Perhaps I need some much needed sleep to help readjust my attitude. I should just be grateful I have joined the ranks of the American Middle Class again.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Hired!
I made mention on a few responses on various blogs that I have recently accepted a job offer. I am in the process in waiting to hear back from my new employer regarding my background check and my official start date. I already passed the mandatory drug test just before Christmas. It's just now a matter of when results for my criminal background check and credit reports are received. Since I did not commit any crimes, do not have any pending civil suits filed against me, and I only have one credit card outstanding in which I make my monthly payments timely, I should start my new job next week.
Last year (2010) I temped, volunteered, helped close my father's business, audited some legal classes, and worked in retail while I continued to look (and to also to avoid becoming further depressed about my situation). Timing and luck certainly have everything to do in landing a job these days. I consider just snagging an initial interview with my new employer a miracle. I have no idea who my competition was. Perhaps my background in insurance law, civil litigation, and general contract administration cinched the offer? Who knows; I am just grateful that my hunt to be gainfully employed has ended on a happy note.
When I started my blog, I wanted to write about my experience in being unemployed. December, 2010 has been a whirlwind for me between job interviews, working crazy hours in retail, and moving back home. I was unable to sit down and compose what was happening. Moving back home and having to organize and unpack took up much of my free time. One thing I am happy that I did not do was throw in the towel and give up, although I was damn close in doing that. After nearly two years of job hunting, I was becoming quite disgusted with the whole process in sending resumes, having interviews and never hearing back from anyone, having two companies interested in me, only to be told the companies had hiring freezes, and dealing with staffing agencies and the unscrupulous sales people who work for them. No one knows how difficult looking for a job is until you are in that position.
I’ve heard so many platitudes and lousy advice given regarding looking for a job. I have been told countless times to network, temp, volunteer, and just take any job. I did all of that during the last two years. It all came down to luck and good timing with my recent job offer. I took the chance in sending my resume in applying for a position in which I was fortunately perfectly matched for. (In this job market, candidates have to possess 100% of the criteria the employer seeks.) I spotted the position on Indeed.com, sent my resume, and six weeks later I received a call to come in for an interview. It’s not glamorous and I don’t know what to expect. However I am grateful that finally an employer gave me the chance and did not hold being downsized against me.
I am excited about the new job, but nervous that I am re-entering the legal field in that I am expected to be perfect again. I will also be learning about a new area in law which is not widely practiced. Last few days have been spent reviewing the NY CPLR and my hornbooks so I am ready. I am also preparing to take my Notary Public license test (I actually got away without being a Notary Public for many years). It’s a small legal department, probably the smallest legal department I have worked in. I am expected to be the “hub” (so to speak) between the company, various outside counsel, and executive management. I am relieved that I will be gainfully employed again, granted that my 90 day probation goes well.
I never had the chance to blog about my experiences in temping (which was a miserable experience for me), nor when I volunteered at legal aid (which was comical and disturbing at the same time). I do intend to write about these experiences because I think some may be able to benefit from what I had experienced.
I can say that being downsized and unemployed for two years took a financial and psychological toll on me. After a while in going to interviews and sending numerous resumes, you begin to really doubt yourself. You rip apart and analyze what you had said and what you should have said during the interview. You rip apart how you look, question you age, question if you have enough of experience or even have too much experience. You start to wonder if it is too late to go back to school for another degree, or should you bother spending a great deal of money (which you do not have) to learn the latest software that only a handful of law firms in NYC use. It was a rough two years and I hope I do not have to go through another experience like this again.
I’m not sure what advice I can offer to those who are out of work other than keep trying and do not be too hard on yourself. In working at the food market where I worked at for nearly three months, I have come into contact with many educated and under-employed people. The store manager and the produce manager have MBA’s. I worked with a former sports editor for a newspaper, real estate brokers, art and music teachers, stock brokers, insurance salespeople, small business owners who lost their businesses, non-profit casualties, and recent college grads from 1T UGC’s. If anything I learned while working in retail is that this economy does not discriminate. People of different races, educational backgrounds (some with advance degrees), having prior work experience, being a recent grad, and different generations were all in the same big under-employment boat as I was in.
I know this is a really long post. My blog most likely will take a new direction once I start my new job.
Last year (2010) I temped, volunteered, helped close my father's business, audited some legal classes, and worked in retail while I continued to look (and to also to avoid becoming further depressed about my situation). Timing and luck certainly have everything to do in landing a job these days. I consider just snagging an initial interview with my new employer a miracle. I have no idea who my competition was. Perhaps my background in insurance law, civil litigation, and general contract administration cinched the offer? Who knows; I am just grateful that my hunt to be gainfully employed has ended on a happy note.
When I started my blog, I wanted to write about my experience in being unemployed. December, 2010 has been a whirlwind for me between job interviews, working crazy hours in retail, and moving back home. I was unable to sit down and compose what was happening. Moving back home and having to organize and unpack took up much of my free time. One thing I am happy that I did not do was throw in the towel and give up, although I was damn close in doing that. After nearly two years of job hunting, I was becoming quite disgusted with the whole process in sending resumes, having interviews and never hearing back from anyone, having two companies interested in me, only to be told the companies had hiring freezes, and dealing with staffing agencies and the unscrupulous sales people who work for them. No one knows how difficult looking for a job is until you are in that position.
I’ve heard so many platitudes and lousy advice given regarding looking for a job. I have been told countless times to network, temp, volunteer, and just take any job. I did all of that during the last two years. It all came down to luck and good timing with my recent job offer. I took the chance in sending my resume in applying for a position in which I was fortunately perfectly matched for. (In this job market, candidates have to possess 100% of the criteria the employer seeks.) I spotted the position on Indeed.com, sent my resume, and six weeks later I received a call to come in for an interview. It’s not glamorous and I don’t know what to expect. However I am grateful that finally an employer gave me the chance and did not hold being downsized against me.
I am excited about the new job, but nervous that I am re-entering the legal field in that I am expected to be perfect again. I will also be learning about a new area in law which is not widely practiced. Last few days have been spent reviewing the NY CPLR and my hornbooks so I am ready. I am also preparing to take my Notary Public license test (I actually got away without being a Notary Public for many years). It’s a small legal department, probably the smallest legal department I have worked in. I am expected to be the “hub” (so to speak) between the company, various outside counsel, and executive management. I am relieved that I will be gainfully employed again, granted that my 90 day probation goes well.
I never had the chance to blog about my experiences in temping (which was a miserable experience for me), nor when I volunteered at legal aid (which was comical and disturbing at the same time). I do intend to write about these experiences because I think some may be able to benefit from what I had experienced.
I can say that being downsized and unemployed for two years took a financial and psychological toll on me. After a while in going to interviews and sending numerous resumes, you begin to really doubt yourself. You rip apart and analyze what you had said and what you should have said during the interview. You rip apart how you look, question you age, question if you have enough of experience or even have too much experience. You start to wonder if it is too late to go back to school for another degree, or should you bother spending a great deal of money (which you do not have) to learn the latest software that only a handful of law firms in NYC use. It was a rough two years and I hope I do not have to go through another experience like this again.
I’m not sure what advice I can offer to those who are out of work other than keep trying and do not be too hard on yourself. In working at the food market where I worked at for nearly three months, I have come into contact with many educated and under-employed people. The store manager and the produce manager have MBA’s. I worked with a former sports editor for a newspaper, real estate brokers, art and music teachers, stock brokers, insurance salespeople, small business owners who lost their businesses, non-profit casualties, and recent college grads from 1T UGC’s. If anything I learned while working in retail is that this economy does not discriminate. People of different races, educational backgrounds (some with advance degrees), having prior work experience, being a recent grad, and different generations were all in the same big under-employment boat as I was in.
I know this is a really long post. My blog most likely will take a new direction once I start my new job.
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