Confessions of an Unemployed JD

That was actually my second choice for this blog's title. I'm generally a very private person and did not want to turn this blog into a personal diary (Dear Diary, I need to tell the world everything I did today and then complain about girl problems. YEAH, that is SO not for me). I prefer keeping this forum for this, that, and the other thing--lots of that other thing. Plus, "Death of the Courtesy Wave" has a much better ring to it.

Of course, since I make the rules, I can also break them...

First, let me clear up one small point. I am not exactly unemployed. In fact I have a great part time job where I set my own hours and love what I do.

What can possibly be wrong then? Well this job requires professionalism, some basic knowledge of accounting, and good people skills. Most of my work can be performed by someone with a two-year degree from a community college. I chose to go to a top tier private college and then to law school. Total tuition was roughly $180,000 for those seven years. I got scholarships but I still had to pay the difference. Let's just say I know owe somewhere in the area of less than $180,000 in loans.

I know I made the choice to go to a private college and then law school so I am not exactly bitter about the debt. I am a little bitter about how I still see no return on that investment. Yes, I definitely learned a lot in those seven years, but it's debatable as to how much I gained from actually sitting in the classroom.

I've been looking for a job since the start of my final semester of law school. I took a break from the intense job hunt so I can focus on studying for the bar. After taking some time to recover, I resumed my search which leads me to where I am today, sitting in a massage chair writing this post. I was told jobs would surface after the bar--LIES! I was then told more jobs would appear after the results of the bar exam came out (which I passed)--more LIES! I was then told that jobs would surface after New Years when firms have money budgeted for 2009--still more LIES!

You don't need an economics degree to see the direction our economy is going (but I have one anyway). Still it would be nice to read about hirings rather than firings and layoffs.

I've seen sporadic job postings and have sent some resumes out to firms who practice areas of law that interest me. I have not applied for just any law job because I don't want to be trapped in an area of law that I don't like. The last thing I want is to see that perfect position in real estate but my resume shows recent experience in insurance defense.

Maybe going to law school really isn't worth it these days. Heading in, I was never sure how much I wanted to practice law. I still applied and enrolled because I wanted that advanced degree to open doors for other career paths. In this economy however, I am looking at alternative career paths and tradition law jobs, partly for the experience but partly for money to start my own businesses.

At this point I'll take anything that requires at least a college degree and a major in something other than music, English, or underwater basket weaving.