I feel a little duped. I feel like Cher in Clueless when she discovers that her love interest, Christian, is gay. It is not Christian’s fault, but it is Cher’s for being naive. While I did not go into law with this wide eyed view that it wouldn’t come with its lows, I didn’t quite expect this.
Before I go into explicit detail, I will tell you about my background.
Not many people know this but I never actually finished high school. High school for me was too much of a system. A system of white, middle class families and if you did not fit the mould you were out.
When I was three years old my father passed away from cancer. My mother was then left to raise my older brother (who was four years old at the time), myself and my younger sister (who was merely a one- year-old). My upbringing was not conventional, my mother’s parenting style was very liberated. I was allowed to work from the age of 11. We had the Italian influence from my grandparents. These differences – such as the culture I was raised in and the loss of my father at a young age – meant that I was forced to grow up quicker than my peers.
Once you’ve been exposed to life and death you have a deeper and more complex view of the world than another 16-year-old who has the two parents at home and enough money. I could never be the same as my peers (even if I liked them).
At the tender age of 16, I no longer considered myself a child. The issue with school was that it kept insisting that I was one and kept treating me like I was one. I eventually decided to leave and pursued a Diploma of Business at Bedford Business College. This course taught me the fundamental skills I use to this day such as computer skills and got me my first job as a legal secretary at the age of 17. Eventually I got tired of that role and went to University to complete a Social Science degree at Macquarie University and then went on to do a Graduate Law degree at Western Sydney University. The point is I worked hard to get to where I am. Just like Aretha Franklin sings, all I ask from my employers is a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Top Comments
Yeah my sister is a lawyer and honestly it seems terrible. We both did business degrees, she went on to do post grad law (so twice the study time) and yet she doesn't make any more than I do and has had to put up with so much bullshit (my job has never exactly been a cake walk either). I know people raking in the big bucks in law but there are also those making crap money for what is long hours and extremely stressful work. Coincidently those i know who make good money are men (who have admitted there are very few women in senior positions at their firms). I do wonder if legal work is becoming poorly paid because there is now an abundance of women and they're easier to take advantage of.
I had a very positive first law job experience. Good colleagues, good partners and yes, I worked 10 hours a day on average but would also get to have coffee with my partner once a week to discuss files and any matters I was struggling with. Yes, there was one senior colleague who had limited management skills - but meh? The biggest challenges I think any graduate or early career professional faces in employment is the fact very few people understand HOW to work, how to work with clients and how to work with colleagues. I grew up with parents who both owned their own companies and employed people. I knew how to impress (and annoy/disappoint) a manager. I made a point of billing efficiently but carefully and brought any matter that threatened a client relationship straight to the partner. I’m pretty sceptical of complaining stories from employees - read between the lines, most of it is just a whinge about having to work at all.