Big Girl Job by Violet

This summer is my first big girl job, and I am very excited about it- but also anxious. I have always been a work-a-holic, dating back to when I churned out friendship bracelets to sell to family members. I begged my mom to let me work as soon as I got a car, but didn’t wear her down till I started working at Outback Steakhouse senior year of high school. Since then, I have only worked in restaurants, first hostessing, then waiting tables, and finally bartending and waiting at fine dining establishments. I learned an incredible amount from those people-based jobs in a service industry. I continually use my experience in job interviews as a way to describe my stellar client interaction and ability to deal with conflict and cantankerous personalities. It has transcended the 45 minute meal time one gets with the restaurant patrons into my perspective on dealing with people in general. Waiting tables for 5+ years has greatly shaped my people and social skills. At the time, I would pick up as many shifts as possible because waiting tables was the best way to make cash money while still in school. And the hours were perfect- I would arrive after I was finished with class, and I would be through by the time my friends wanted to go out for the night. I could have waited tables for a lot longer, if it wasn’t for the demanding study schedule that law school brought.

So I guess now that I have my MBA and am almost done with my JD, I should put my newly obtained skills to good use. My new job is to “clerk”, a term I have had to explain to my mother over and over again, at a law firm in town throughout the summer. “Clerks” are basically researchers for the lawyers. While the lawyers meets with clients and represents them in court, clerks stay in the office all day and read case law and statutes to resolve the issues that come up in specific situations. So basically I get to read all day long- which.is.heaven. I get to write about my findings and research on LexisNexus all day long. Plus- I us
ually get taken to lunch- and free food is always a good thing. They only adjustment for me is staying in the same place for 10+ hours a day- I am used to hopping from business school to law school and running errands all day. This “clerkship” is my job for the entire summer, and I look forward to learning from my practical experience and hopefully making an impression in this legal community. Without boring anyone (mom would say- impossible), I will continue to keep everyone updated on my progress and funny stories that I gather.