[William St. Guthlac]

This Tuesday morning I interview for a new job. It is legal services again, about which I have mixed feelings. It is mostly depressing, frequently stupid and sometimes evil. I greatly miss criminal law, which was always depressing, frequently evil, and sometimes stupid. But it was a lot easier for me as I think like a criminal which helped enormously. Both are better than insurance defence which was the most soul sucking, dead head void I ever had to pass through.

If I get this job, it will be a distinct improvement. The three or more hour commute will be gone. No more dark to dark hours. I waste about 18 hours a week driving along dirty and dangerous I-10 and have watched two wrecks occur which were absolutely hair raising. I suspect one was a fatality or serious injury. I've lost any count of the wrecks I have driven past. It is a continuous speed trap. Speed doesn't cause the wrecks. Dumb, distracted and aggressive driving causes those. That isn't policed. Speeding is easier to monitor and the fines are brutal. Dead animals, shredded tires, shed rubbish and pieces of vehicles mark the way. The state every once in a while makes an effort to clear the debris, but not regularly or all that often. I drive 2,000 miles a month, and have for a year and a half.

Anyway, the new job will take about 40 hours a week including the short drive, and pays better, and will put me in court again.

But I am sick of law to be honest. Never liked it much, I just thought the results were necessary, with criminal at least.

What I want to do is sacred art, and to write. Today after sleeping in - my routine and necessary Saturday oasis, I was able to poke around again with gemstones, metal and paint. Presently I have only a few hours each weekend to do what I love, what I hunger for. Hopefully I will recover about ten more hours without the commute.

Hopefully some day I can shift out of law completely, and move entirely into art. That is about the only time I am content now. 

My marriage is mostly remote admin and documentation for now. A necessary thing to cut through a lot of red tape, but scant nurturing of wife and step children, although I do talk to her an hour or so per day, and sometimes the kids peek from behind her and smile, or assess. My art work and reading time is a few hours for two days a week, while about seventy hours a week is driving and explaining to distressed people that pay day loans are bad, not paying rents results in evictions, not paying notes results in foreclosures, not paying taxes results in seizure and tax sales. Of course, when there is no health, no job, and no money, it is hard to pay all these things. Oops. You stumbled? Here. Have a few fines and penalties to encourage more diligence next time.

Fascinating, fullfilling and creative stuff I can tell you.

Give me my family, beads, candles and colors. I understand the whole sweat of the brow thing, but didn't Mary chose the better thing than drudgery, and wasn't that given to her? Most of life is in the rear view mirror and there are so many prayers and sacramentals and paintings to be done.

But life is an aggregate of our choices. We are supposed to shape it, not let it shape us. We bury ourselves when we bury our talent. So the car is out of gas? Get out and push.    Beer emoji, because I can.

[James]

Law was never my first choice, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Is it possible to work as a legal editor (not for a newspaper, but for a legal publishing company), which would involve writing, but not the king that you would do if you had the choice?

There comes a point when you get sick of making other people's problems your own, even if you are paid for it. In New South Wales, we have several members of the Bar - not to mention solicitors (US = attorney-at-law) - who are well past retirement age but still practising. I can't think of too many things worse.

All in all, it's probably better to take the new position if offered.

[enchantmentadm]

I don't know if I ever shared this before but I am also a recovering lawyer. I worked in legal services for 10 years until I just had to get out due to burnout. I was also a public defender for a brief time. I ended up getting a job with Social Security (then the Office of Hearings and Appeals), where I stayed for 28 and a half years as a staff attorney and a senior attorney. It was not very exciting but I was able to get a very good retirement from it. And I did not have to deal with clients, unless you consider the ALJs my clients. I had been wanting to get out of the legal profession for a long time. My way out was retirement. I can certainly empathize. William.

[ezdays]

I always told my kids that the day you regret going to work is the day you look for a new job. It's easy to be unhappy in a profession you love and I had a few jobs where they hired me for what I do best and then just let me sit around doing  pretend work or no work, so I quit. I finally moved back where I wanted to live and we started our own business doing what I loved to do and that lasted 25 years until I retired. No, I did not make a fortune or get a super retirement package, but I live comfortably and never regret for a moment the choice I made. What was even better, my wife learned how to do electronic assembly and she was not only a big help, but she enjoyed doing what she did.

The moral of this story is, never be afraid to step into the unknown and take a chance at being happy in your work life.

[Stargazer186k]

I also used to commute 3 hours round trip. Not having to do that anymore really freed up a lot more than just the hours saved not driving....including having less mental drain, and more energy to do the things I wanted to.

If it makes the drudgery seems better...I suppose even Mary's reprieve was probably only temporary??

[April Maccabees]

I am experiencing burnout and stagnation in terms of knowledge and growth opportunities. Lots of micromanagement, rules, protocols, blame game. I am ready to move on.

[William St. Guthlac]

I am experiencing burnout and stagnation in terms of knowledge and growth opportunities. Lots of micromanagement, rules, protocols, blame game. I am ready to move on.

I think all of this is a mark of the times. Strawbosses were always around, alas. Corporate paranoia and intermeddling less so, and HR not at all.

I actually like clear and effective protocols, but they need both of those qualities, and have some stability too. I find they are effective restraints on abusive management - if they are clear.

But yes, bureaucracy seldom intruded on life and much less in work back in the day. I notice those jobs are usually held by the unremarkable and unintelligent. It is very Soviet in a way.

[ezdays]

I am experiencing burnout and stagnation in terms of knowledge and growth opportunities. Lots of micromanagement, rules, protocols, blame game. I am ready to move on.

I think all of this is a mark of the times. Strawbosses were always around, alas. Corporate paranoia and intermeddling less so, and HR not at all.

I actually like clear and effective protocols, but they need both of those qualities, and have some stability too. I find they are effective restraints on abusive management - if they are clear.

But yes, bureaucracy seldom intruded on life and much less in work back in the day. I notice those jobs are usually held by the unremarkable and unintelligent. It is very Soviet in a way.

One finds that they leave their personality and inspiration at the door when they enter the large corporate environment. Some folks thrive there, but to those free thinkers and creative ones, they can lose their identity, their reason for being. One example, my primary care physician of 20 years retired in December, not that he really wanted to or had to, just that he sold his practice to a small corporation who in turn sold it to a very large one. He could not function in that environment and he felt better to leave his patients than put of with their control. The practice is no longer one-on-one, but regimented, 100% of the old staff left as well. When I questioned their approach I was told that this was the way they did things there. The care is still acceptable, but you and sense the difference.

[MaryAlice]

This Tuesday morning I interview for a new job. It is legal services again, about which I have mixed feelings. It is mostly depressing, frequently stupid and sometimes evil. I greatly miss criminal law, which was always depressing, frequently evil, and sometimes stupid. But it was a lot easier for me as I think like a criminal which helped enormously. Both are better than insurance defence which was the most soul sucking, dead head void I ever had to pass through.

If I get this job, it will be a distinct improvement. The three or more hour commute will be gone. No more dark to dark hours. I waste about 18 hours a week driving along dirty and dangerous I-10 and have watched two wrecks occur which were absolutely hair raising. I suspect one was a fatality or serious injury. I've lost any count of the wrecks I have driven past. It is a continuous speed trap. Speed doesn't cause the wrecks. Dumb, distracted and aggressive driving causes those. That isn't policed. Speeding is easier to monitor and the fines are brutal. Dead animals, shredded tires, shed rubbish and pieces of vehicles mark the way. The state every once in a while makes an effort to clear the debris, but not regularly or all that often. I drive 2,000 miles a month, and have for a year and a half.

Anyway, the new job will take about 40 hours a week including the short drive, and pays better, and will put me in court again.

But I am sick of law to be honest. Never liked it much, I just thought the results were necessary, with criminal at least.

What I want to do is sacred art, and to write. Today after sleeping in - my routine and necessary Saturday oasis, I was able to poke around again with gemstones, metal and paint. Presently I have only a few hours each weekend to do what I love, what I hunger for. Hopefully I will recover about ten more hours without the commute.

Hopefully some day I can shift out of law completely, and move entirely into art. That is about the only time I am content now. 

My marriage is mostly remote admin and documentation for now. A necessary thing to cut through a lot of red tape, but scant nurturing of wife and step children, although I do talk to her an hour or so per day, and sometimes the kids peek from behind her and smile, or assess. My art work and reading time is a few hours for two days a week, while about seventy hours a week is driving and explaining to distressed people that pay day loans are bad, not paying rents results in evictions, not paying notes results in foreclosures, not paying taxes results in seizure and tax sales. Of course, when there is no health, no job, and no money, it is hard to pay all these things. Oops. You stumbled? Here. Have a few fines and penalties to encourage more diligence next time.

Fascinating, fullfilling and creative stuff I can tell you.

Give me my family, beads, candles and colors. I understand the whole sweat of the brow thing, but didn't Mary chose the better thing than drudgery, and wasn't that given to her? Most of life is in the rear view mirror and there are so many prayers and sacramentals and paintings to be done.

But life is an aggregate of our choices. We are supposed to shape it, not let it shape us. We bury ourselves when we bury our talent. So the car is out of gas? Get out and push.    Beer emoji, because I can.

How cool William ... an interview with what appears to be a much better opportunity for you!  
Prayers for you, and you'll have to let us know how the interview went.  All the best to you!

 

[William St. Guthlac]

I think the interview went well, but I am the only one I know who enjoys job interviews. Surely there are others, but I don't know them.

Both of my interviewers were attorneys, no HR, and we talked quite a bit of shop. During the course of that I realized that now I am one of the old mossbacks.

They told me that I should know something within a week. I was struck by their expertise, candor, and objectivity. 

People told me this organization is squared away, and that was certainly my impression.

[James]

?

I like the bit about HR not being present.

[William St. Guthlac]

If your query is about enjoying job interviews, it is because I enjoy evaluating them as much as they enjoy evaluating me. I do that with every alleged 'authority'.

If about 'squared away' it is slang I grew up with and using. It originally derived from the USMC and means organized, equipped, prepared and all necessary things in proper order. Inspection ready. It has become more generalized in the US.

HR, one of the bosses where I work says, is neither humane nor a resource. I quite like that. Unproductive commissars for the most part. And who polices them?

Bad management always runs bone deep, given time.

[James]

Actually, the question mark was a failed emoji. I don't know wby it didn't turn out properly.

It was meant to be a thumbs up.

[ezdays]

Actually, the question mark was a failed emoji.  I don't know wby it didn't turn out properly.

It was meant to be a thumbs up.

When you see something you want to correct after it's been posted, you have 30 minutes to edit your post and even delete it. Beyond that, you will have to ask one of the staff for help.

As for your emojis, you can only use the ones we have listed unless you link to one using the source URL. We don't have a thumbs-up emoji, but I will try to add that to two others that I think would be fun.

[Jericho]

I hope it goes well with your new potential job William and you have more time for your artwork and family

[William St. Guthlac]

The job was offered and accepted this afternoon. It would not have happened without other people helping me.

[enchantmentadm]

The job was offered and accepted this afternoon. It would not have happened without other people helping me.

Congratulations, William. I hope this turns out to be a good experience for you. I worked in legal services for 10 years and in retrospect, have mixed feelings about it also. Thanks for sharing the good news and please keep us posted.

[James]

Hopefully, this time, the thumvs up works

[ezdays]

Hopefully, this time, the thumvs up works

Ah ha, don't use the one above for the "Post Icon", but the ones on the left, "Smilies".   Just click on where you want the smilie (emoji) and click on it. Click on "get more" if you want to see all the smilies you have access to.

[ezdays]

The job was offered and accepted this afternoon. It would not have happened without other people helping me.

Congrats to you William, this sounds like something that will put your life at ease. The best of luck to you....