#2 - I'm a Lawyer, get me out of here!

Sitting at a dingy bar 3am on a Wednesday, staring down another empty glass. My phone is in my hand, open to Messages. I haven’t texted my ex since we broke up 6 months ago.

I try to find the right message: ‘heyyy wyd?’ No, no, too on the nose.

That’s how sending my CV for a Law job feels. Like that jilted ex-lover longing to text my ex again, knowing full well it was a toxic, one-way relationship. Am I ready to jump back into this again?

6 years of study, 4 years of work as a clerk and then a lawyer. I’ve worked consecutive 20-hour days while being yelled at and put down more times than I can count. I’ve been left without proper mentorship and taught myself how to use legal software and draft documents.

I’ve been to Christmas parties where my (now successful) peers kept asking me about my religion and sex life to make me so uncomfortable I’d leave. I’ve screamed, I’ve punched walls.. I’ve even shed a tear or two.

So if I send that text to my ex, or a CV to my recruiter for the warm embrace of the Law to envelop me again – am I doing the right thing?

That’s where I’m lucky to have my network. Friends, family, classmates have all reached out to me. To let me know that it’s not all bad out there in the world of Law. That I need to take a moment and not rush into sending that text.

To call me an Uber, let me know I’m a Lawyer, and get me out of here.

Next week: The Red and the Blue – a beginner’s guide to supporting Melbourne