My Life Interning as a Legal Assistant: Why I Do Not Want to Be an Attorney

"Mrs. Robinson," by Simon and Garfunkel, has been stuck in my head for over three days.

                
 That might seem like an odd opener to my first post about working in the DC metro area but there is a purpose to it. Here's a fact - there is almost nothing worse than having a song running through your head all day as you work 9-5 at a desk... nothing worse except the fact that you are working 9-5 at a desk. 

         

Why I do not Want to Ever be an Attorney

"I'm Biology major, pre-med!" - Me, during freshman year of college. Looking back, I see very clearly why I wanted to be a doctor/veterinarian/whatever medical profession I might have chosen - Money? Obviously. But a less known motive? I just really wanted to wear scrubs all day at work. Like - they're slightly less comfortable than sweatpants and a t-shirt! Who wouldn't want to wear that all day every day and still be seen as professional! But in the end, because of my brief pre-med experience, I am very familiar with that quiet unease that I'm doing what I'm doing for the wrong motives.

            As I have never interned in a law firm before, I am taking the opportunity to grow and improve my abilities and skills through every assignment. I am improving my phone communication skills, my technological prowess, and my abilities to draft, edit, and proofread documents. With that said, my first two weeks interning in my chosen field have been a wakeup call.

            The realities of 9-5, or 8:30-4:30, or however you prefer to squeeze in the 8 hour work day... Personally, I'm a get-it-doner. I get there at 8:30, earlier than anyone but my direct supervisor, don't take lunch or any other type break. Two 15 minute breaks + one 30 minute lunch break + 30 minutes early arrival = Laura gets to leave by 3:30! This system was only discovered after the initial week working 9-5:30 every day. Ugh. The reality is that a 9-5 job leaves you very little time to do anything but the necessities.

The simple truth is that no amount of money is valuable enough to make me work an unfulfilling eight hour job. Why? Let me break it down.

24 hours in a day.	8 hrs	Sleeping
16 hrs left.	1 hr	Preparing for work: showering, packing, everything.
15 hrs left.	1 hr	Getting to and from work.
14 hrs left.	8 hrs	Working.
6 hrs left.	1 1/2 hrs	Making dinner, doing laundry, cleaning.
4 1/2 hrs left.	30 min	Organizing everything for tomorrow, ironing.
4 hrs left.	1 hr	Paying social calls - skyping, hanging out, etc.
3 hrs left.		Did you go to the grocery store? Cut out an hr.

What are you going to do with a billion dollars and two to three hours? Fly to Europe on your private jet? I don't think so. Now, you could shave off a lot of time on some of this stuff - like sleep! Do human beings really need sleep? Nah. Do I really need to shower and look professional for work? Nah - the homeless look is pretty vogue right now! Do I really need to be social? Nah - I'll live under my cute little lonely rock!

            Both interns and lawyers spend all day pushing paperwork - requesting bills and records, writing detailed insurance claims, filing court motions, etc. While the cumulative effect is to compensate the client and reimburse them for medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional trauma, it is a drawn out process which can take months or longer. In a day to day environment, it entails working 9 to 5, sitting at a computer all day filling in forms and Excel spreadsheets.

            On the bright side, my office internship is excellent preparation for any career field I may chose, as paperwork is standard to any and every field of work. Yay. But it is just as valuable to recognize preferred tasks as it is to know when certain jobs are not as appealing. For me, I have never worked a 9 to 5 desk job before, so it is incredibly valuable knowledge to recognize that it sucks.

What Who do I want to be when I grow up?

            One of the reasons that I decided to intern with The Washington Center this summer was to further clarify my goals through the sieve of real experiences in the workplace. Since the beginning of junior year, I have questioned my status as a pre-law student. Despite being a pre-law minor, taking many undergraduate law courses, and making many connections in the Alabama law community, I did not feel wholly comfortable with my chosen path. It was a similar feeling to the one I had before changing from pre-med during my freshman year.

            My ideal career would be one where I actively participate in improving individuals and their lives daily in a meaningful face-to-face environment. Accordingly, at this point, I do not see my future in the legal field in any manner; I want to pursue a career in education and/or advocacy.

             In 3-5 years, I would like to have graduated from a post-graduate educational program and be working for an advocacy group in my extra time. Teaching primary or secondary school are two great options for me since I could enter Montevallo's excellent alternative master's degree. Alternatively, if I decide to pursue a career in higher education, I will get a degree in Political Science from a good university that can give me a scholarship and/or an assistantship.

            I have come to the conclusion that if I want to have a fulfilling life, I need to have a job that doesn't leave me feeling empty inside at the end of the day. In a job with no personal fulfillment, no matter the salary, I will always be looking for the fulfillment to squeeze into whatever free time is left to me. And if I don't have some basic me time in which I'm not checking off to do lists or rushing to reach the goal, I will burn out. That's just a personal fact. 

            But if I have a job that leaves me excited (or at least not dreading) the next day, I won't need to worry about cramming in some nameless fulfilling hobby. But in the meantime I'm learning more about me, the justice system, and the living hell that attorneys willfully/happily sign up for.

Keep an Eye out for My Next Blog Post!

 What Justice Is Not:

What do McDonalds and the United States Justice System Have in Common?

The Start of My Journey

My Amazing Moving Helpers!

Welcome to Maryland!

                The drive from Birmingham, AL to Silver Spring, MD took around 15 hours - lunch, dinner, and snack breaks included. Never did a hotel roll out bed feel so comfortable. My mom and sisters drove me up and helped move me in! 

                My first few days were... interesting? Rough? I'm searching for the diplomatic way to express the frustrations and anxiety that led to an eventual change of rooms and roommates. (In fact, I as of yet, have no suitemates or roommates; they arrive tomorrow.) Let's just say that courtesy and common sense are not universal norms - I was accused of a couple uncomplimentary things. To justify my roommate change request, I was challenged, mocked, and interrogated. But through that entire unfortunate experience, my family was amazing - they let me crash in their hotel room, moved me in, out, and in again! All during their vacation in DC!

                On the weekend, after my orientations, we toured the National Zoo, the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, and enjoyed some pretty amazing meals! I discovered this incredible place with free, endless sourdough bread - La Madeleine! Although all the tourism was incredibly fun, it was all pretty rough on my poor feet and I made a large investment in blister band-aids after the fact.  Saying goodbye to my amazing sisters and mom for the summer was not easy - I've never been away from home for an entire summer!

Living in the DC Metro Area: Let's Get Real.

• They have a grocery bag tax. It arose in an effort to prevent river pollution from plastic bags, protect the environment, and raise the government some nice cold cash. I hate it. A nickel per plastic baggy to Uncle Sam? Nope. On the up side, I get to haul my groceries around in this cute little purple wheely thing!
• There is so much walking. It's not so much the walking itself, as it is the complete lack of alternative. (I live and work in Silver Spring, so the metro is no avail.) It's a time sucking, hot, boring affair

  

  Where I Sit Writing This

  
  
  
• My apartment is absolutely incredible. Like wow. I feel like I'm living in a hotel! (See: The Suite Life of Zach and Cody)
  
  
• The Metro seems insanely complicated, until you realize it's actually extremely simple - the only complications being that the trains absolutely never run "on time." On a dark note, sometimes people (who probably work 9-5 desk jobs) throw themselves in front of the trains. Unfortunately not kidding on that one - it's already happened twice on the red line since I've been here. As far as I can tell, they have no prevention method for such tragedies.
• There are a lot of solitary down times - be it sitting on the metro to go to class, waiting around for the metro, or even some lunch breaks. I don't go anywhere without my ear buds and my Robert Jordan book on tape!
  
  
• Nobody knows what Milo's Sweet Tea is. They have never even heard of it in passing. And don't even bother trying to order sweet tea at a restaurant - they don't have it.

Bye Bye Bacon(?!)

               

                Healthy living is not only extremely popular, it's extremely viable here! Everywhere you go has the calories listed next to it and fried chicken is not a thing. It's actually pretty awesome, because I can be just as lazy but automatically be healthier.

                In fact, I've pretty much cut out fast food, junk food, and meat out of my diet. I eat a lot of tofu, tomato soup, caesar salads and mushrooms. It's actually pretty incredible. Not to say that I've become a vegetarian, just that - if there is a yummy looking vegetarian option, I will almost always pick it. It's cheaper and I feel healthier. My junk food exception? Sugary drinks! I love me some Arizona Green Tea and Lipton Citrus Tea (hello high fructose corn syrup!)

Let's "Rap" it Up

                To end this post, I thought I'd share a few micro opinions and mini reflections on my week and a half in DC.

My Sisters and I Outside my Apartment

                First, if you are listening to rap music on your earbuds in the metro and have the volume turned all the way up, please realize that everyone can hear it and that everyone hates you and your music. Turn it down or turn it off. Yes I did only include this micro opinion so that I could title this section with a play on words.

                 Second, I do not like living by myself in an apartment (my first time!) - the creaks and squeaks you can normally blame on your roommate or family suddenly get a whole lot creepier. I admit that I wake up every time the AC turns on/off and might get up a couple times a night to go make sure the deadbolt is still locked.

                 Lastly, I miss my family and friends. I know this is a growing experience, and I'm so grateful to everyone who is providing me with this opportunity, but I miss y'all. I want to end on an up note, but the simple fact is - I'm homesick. Write me letters.

Keep an Eye out for My Next Blog Post!

 My Life Interning as a Legal Assistant:

Why I Do Not Want to Be an Attorney