Career - Understanding the why: Part 1

At a young age, it is difficult to say with certainty if you wish to become a lawyer or if you 'like' the job - because at that stage you haven't had the opportunity to do the job yet.

Then the question to ask is

1. Do you wish to become a lawyer because you take pride in being a lawyer? OR
2. Do you wish to become a lawyer - because it offers a fairly stable job, good pay and prestige in society?

I feel - depending on how you answer the above questions - you'll have a very different approach to how you tackle obstacles along the way.

Case 1: You take pride in the idea of being a lawyer
Basically, in you head, there is this particular image of a what a lawyer looks like, what a lawyer does, how a lawyer lives etc. and you probably have romanticised the idea so much you are willing to do whatever it takes to reach your end goal. You are willing to work hard with very less pay, work late nights for weeks, probably even bear the brunt of a toxic workplace because you see yourself as a lawyer in the future. It is definitely good to be self motivated. However, there is always the slight chance that reality hits you or certain events happen and you have to reconsider your decision to becoming a lawyer - because you may realise that your expectations of what a lawyer does is quite different than what the ground reality is.

But let's say you fall into the second category - you want to become a lawyer because of the stable pay and the prestige it offers in society, but you also want work-life balance, and time to enjoy life.

[Contd. in Part 2]