It has been some time since I last had a job.  There, I said it. I’m not proud of it. I really want to work. And to some extent, I also NEED to work. But in this day and age, desire and necessity only get you so far. I am both proud and ashamed that I am an attorney. It’s quite a perplexing feeling. I’ve put so much effort into getting to this point in life, and before I get my footing, Wall Street (of all people) pulls the rug out from under me! But the legal market stinks, as you and I know. In the past few months, I’ve heard of more friends being laid off than hired, although there has been some good news here and there. But those stories are pretty isolated events, and I’ve come to terms with what looks to be a prolonged period of unemployment, as an attorney at least.

In past posts, I’ve bitched about the situation, and I thought that maybe a discussion of the “perks” of my current situation might be a nice change of pace. So let me start outright with the best part of unemployed life. I have never been this free in my life. I have so much free time on my hands that it is ridiculous. For the great majority of my life, I’ve been a student. And after school, we are taught to enter the work force and become a productive member of society. Well, I never quite made it to that part. Caught on the fringe (pyah!) between being a student and being a working citizen, I have zero responsibility. My main objective of getting a job is pretty much impossible at this point, and by accepting the situation, I’ve been able to enjoy my time to a degree that I never imagined possible at this age. I can lay in bed all day if I want to, and some days I do just that. On other days, I work on this site (my apologies for being horrible on writing any posts lately, I’ve been out and about). Oftentimes, I hang out with other friends in similar situations and typically end up getting into some kind of mischief, or just cruise around and check out new places I haven’t been to. The point is, I have something most people wont have until they retire, so I can’t completely whine about not having a job. Of course, money is tight, but I’m a great hustler so I manage somehow.

Another side effect of my current situation is that I have had the time to explore a number of creative outlets that I probably wouldn’t be involved in if I had a regular 9-5. One of the things about law is that it is creatively stiffling. Law is boring, period. The ebb and flow generally follows the same format: there is an issue, some law on the subject, and then you argue your side. If you’re lucky you get a case of first impression and you can get crafty in your arguments, but this deep into our society, they aren’t common. With this newfound freedom, I work on TLL, and a few other sites as well. Also, I’ve turned back to my first passion, which is art. I’ve brushed up on my photoshop and GIMP skills, and have been getting back to drawing, which is one of my favorite things to do. I’ve also taken a liking to photography and video editing, and hope to soon start vlogging. Garage Band has also become one of my favorite new things, which is a bit sad since I’ve had my macbook for well over two years now. I just never had the time to get into the program while I was in school. All in all, I have to say that as bad as things are, they aren’t that bad. So my advice to the unemployed lawyers out there, and to those soon-to-be lawyers is to relax a bit and accept the fact that you might not get a job immediately as an attorney. That isn’t any reflection on you or your ability to practice. The times suck, and the sooner you accept the present situation, the better off mentally you will be. Lawyers are known for being neurotic and intense, and are more often than not fall into the “gunner” category. But those types (I am fortunate enough to be much more laid back than most of my legal counterparts) are the ones who will really agonize over their employment situation. Chill out! Work on your skills, but realize that there is much more to life than practicing law. Pick up a new hobby, learn a new skill, reignite some old passion. Do something that you wouldn’t be able to do if you had that hectic law firm gig. You might be surprised at how much happier you can be, even without a job. To my friends clipping coupons and slumming it out, stay up.

-J Boogie [TLL]