Something you must experience yourself

I figure that this post is perfect for Labor Day.

I worked at my first job out of college for two years. I had plenty of responsibility and was close to my coworkers. The only thing that I didn't like about the job? My paycheck. Even though I was working a second job on the side, my credit card bills were steadily increasing. I decided that I needed to change jobs to get rid of my debt. I thought that as long as I made more money I would be happy.

One always hears the phrase "money is not everything." Boy did I find that out in my second job after college! It was a sales job for a large work equipment company. I never had to go out into the field to schmooze, but was constantly on the phone talking to dealers. We had operating instructions (OIs) for absolutely everything...except on how to go to the bathroom. I was making a lot of money, but hated my job. I could not make any independent decisions; everything had to be discussed with my boss first. People were nice enough, but there was always competition. My managers were all about the bottom line. When I would get home every night I felt worthless that I was making money for a large company...not using my intelligence to make a difference in the world. I was chipping away at my debt, but would cry on the phone to my mom because I hated work so much.

After a year with the company, I decided that I was wasting my life at a job that I hated. That I had always thought about law school, so what was I waiting for? Although that was a tough year, I'm glad that I went through it. First, it was great to get me out of debt. Second, it was a great learning experience. I knew that I would never put money ahead of happiness at a job.

So when I started law school, I knew that I didn't want to work for a large private law firm. I didn't need to make $150,000 and bill 100 hours a week. It was an easy decision to work at public interest internships: with the city government, non-profits, and federal government agencies.

The summer after my second year of law school I went to an interview for a middle-sized private law firm that specialized in employment law. I had just finished an internship in employment law and thought that I might be interested in that area of law. Plus, it was paid. The women that I interviewed with were nice, but I decided to withdraw myself from consideration. I KNEW that I didn't want to work for a private law firm. Instead I could use the summer to work for a public interest employer that I would potentially want to work for after graduation.

The concept of trying to find a job that you love instead of one that just pays a lot of money is a hard one to explain to others. It really is something that you have to experience yourself and hopefully learn from that experience. I'm glad that it is something that I learned early on in my career. I do have student loans from law school. And as nice as it would be to quickly pay off that debt, I would rather be a sane and happy person when I get home from work every day. So far I love my new job and feel that I am making a difference. I am extremely happy that I went with my gut and not money.