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This is a humorous and sarcastic blog written by a paralegal in a mid-sized law firm in a mid-tier market. The goal is to share some of the pitfalls and foibles encountered in my own day-to-day experiences. Feel free to contact me at aparalegalslife@gmail.com with comments. Complaints, not so much :)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Blahs

I have hit full-on, stage one burnout.  My get up and go just plain got up and left.  Nothing at work seems important anymore, because everything I get is always important and must be done immediately.  When everything is important, then nothing is. 

Let’s be honest, I didn’t seek out Paralegal as a career choice.  I fell into it by accident when I needed a job many years ago.  Turns out, I’m pretty good at it and the money is OK.  But even after 15 years I’m still not sure I want to do this forever.  I already know that I am NOT going to law school.  (I like still having a soul.)  But what else is there to do that I’m qualified for?  It seems that you don’t learn many skills as a Paralegal that translate into other occupations, especially outside the legal industry.  (Please correct me if I am wrong, I’d honestly like to know.) 

Right now all I can do is count the few good things about the job.  I work inside, usually sitting down.  Nobody is trying to kill me.  There’s usually not much overtime needed. 

5 comments:

Deanna said...

Dear GH
Like you, I came into this profession by accident. I have made a few attempts at moving onto a new profession, but it is almost as if bing a "paralegal" is a strike against me. My only saving grace at this time is working-in house. I just cannot stomach biglaw any mmore!

jenna! said...

I think the toughest part of finding a new job isn't figuring out what you're qualified for but what you actually want to do. Think about the super powers we have to employ every day: the ability to do and prioritize 14,000 tasks, to get along with EVEYRONE, to see three steps ahead of the work you're currently doing, to keep cool no matter how much pressure is on you... The list goes on and on and all of these are very marketable skills. But again, the real trick is just knowing what that next step is.

P.S. - Deanna - Three cheers for in-house! But I disagree that being a para is strike against us. Nothing touches the stigma of retail. I'd walk into an interview and people would be openly surprised at how "bright" I was since I worked retail.

Andrea Schultz said...

"I have hit full-on, stage one burnout. My get up and go just plain got up and left."

My attorney and I were both singing this same song earlier this week... not good when we both hit the wall.

Anonymous said...

Being a paralegal can be limiting. Most people think you are only qualified for clerical work. Any chance of wanting to be an office manager type?

Momalegal said...

I've heard this from so many paralegals lately. I'm still battling this myself, but thinking about an upcoming vacation is keeping me going for now. It'll probably take a grand total of 15 minutes back in the office to undo all the un-stressing from vacation.