(a) i am sorry i was cranky yesterday. errr, and monday. i’m chalking it up to sleep deprivation and deadline stress, but you can chalk it up to whatever you like. this posting experience has taught me yet another a valuable blogging lesson: you never know who might be reading your book/blog, so think long-and-hard before you risk offending vast swaths of potential readers. that said, i gotta be me and say what i feel… (also, i smell a blog post coming on re the practiced polish of a book and the off-the-cuff rawness of a blog, but that’s another can of worms for another day.)

(b) THAT SAID, i had NO idea that anti 9-5 lawyers would read my book. or this blog. that is so cool. in fact, when i wrote the book, i had no idea ANYONE AT ALL would read it (aside from my editor and friends and family), so it’s lovely to get positive feedback on both efforts. thank you. thank you. THANK YOU. i am glad it’s been helpful.

(c) when i wrote the initial post in question, i was mostly scoffing at the 50something/60something lawyers/doctors i’ve met along the way (my parents’ contemporaries) who i’ve heard complain about things i think they have no business complaining about. you know, people with too many cars or rooms in their houses who whine about their workaholic lives. (these are the very people who gave me grief about my chosen profession when i was young and could have used the emotional support of some older folks in my life. i moved 3K miles away to get away from this culture. but i guess i still have a chip, eh?) those folks in question likely have the means to change gears if they need to, even if it means selling off some assets. i was not at all intending to bash anti 9-5/creative/do-gooder lawyers with flex gigs, PT gigs, grassroots gigs, novels in progress, etc. those are the people i relate to and wrote the book for… anyway, i’m sure everyone will have more to say about all this, and you’re welcome to. as long as it’s not pornographic, i’ll send the comments through. but i’m moving on, except to say this:

(d) i think barack is pretty fab too. if he gets the nom, i’m with him 110%. but first, i’m gunning for hil. she won me over this month.

I just wanted to say that, although I was a little turned off by this post, I still LOVE your book. It’s my new “how-to” manual for making a living as a part-time environmental lawyer, part-time Starbucks barista! And your blog is really great, too.

And, although I’m more of an Obama fan, I also really love Hillary. She’s awesome.

Love,
Amy

i, too, work in a field that the average person does not understand. that is why this nytimes article tickled me so (btw, the article, if you read it, DID point out the hardships of law grads today).

i understand that the lawyers are pissed off. i am contemplating shutting down the comments. of course, i am holding out hope that hillary clinton, my absolute favorite female lawyer (i’m totally serious — i’m rooting for her in a big way), will chime in about how she’s offended too. somehow i think she has better things to do though.

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/trying-times-for-law-students/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119040786780835602.html?dlbk

Many of us are doing contract work and don’t have benefits. I have a flexible schedule, which allows me to pursue my writing on the side, which is great, but it’s hard trying to explain to people the reality. There are many attorneys struggling to make a living just live everyone else.

(BTW, Michelle, I LOVE your book, read it religiously during my career change, and recommend it to everyone I know. I’ve also given it as a gift at least twice.)

I, too, know fantastic attorneys who are both ethical and good at what they do. I also know full-of-themselves pricks who were incredibly petty to a boho theatre major like me during law school, because their sheltered little minds couldn’t handle anyone “different.” See why I was so eager to get out of law?

I don’t regret getting my JD–I feel like it really improved my writing and problem-solving skills, which are useful in any profession (and when you are trying to keep yourself fed and housed during your career change!). That said, I do agree with the MD-Esq dynamic due being held up as the Holy Grail of careers, and that can really lead people who aren’t quite sure what to do with their lives after college (heaven forbid!) into a path that ultimately isn’t right for them.

So that’s my two cents. Keep on rockin’!

even though the Sunday Style section is often fluffy bunk (note how the article i’m referencing paints most doctors/lawyers as lamenting that the work just ain’t what it used to be), this article made me smile. and i wanted to share why. call it my revenge of the freelance nerds moment. (maybe you had to grow up in the tri-state area in the 80s…)

That said, I think the careerists (those who choose the profession of doctor or lawyer because it’s prestigious or money-making) are hurting these careers a lot. They’re the ones driving up tuition and learning to do well on exams rather than out any passion or appreciate of the subjects. And they’re probably infecting their idealist co-workers with regular, unhealthy doses of cynicism. As someone who has thought a lot about a legal career it’s this aspect of the career that’s putting me off.