One of the most abnoxious things to me are some of the off the wall comments on news websites.
The most likely to respond, similar to a survey, are those that are either really happy or really pissed off. The actual information and comments is not really a good indication of how things are actually going or what people actually think. Similarly, this goes for blogs as well. Those that are the most pissed or most excited or happy or whatever are going to write about it. If its just "blah" nobody is going to waste the time commenting on it, unless you're a history book person or just documenting events with no opinion whatsoever. But then still, what gets reported on, even in a documented fashion, is still likely to be stuff that whatever news agency thinks people want to read about. I don't see how a news agency's website is really the right place for people to get up on their soap boxes. I think that's what blogs are usually for... right? Haha...
I also, since I'm headed to law school next year, have been reading a lot about reasons not to go. There are a myriad of reasons listed, some evidence points to blogs of disgruntled graduates finding a job market lacking. I do sometimes wonder what kind of expectation management they've been doing. Contrary to, it seems, these recent graduates' opinion, they're glorified college graduates. Most students to graduate law school are just that, college graduates with a little extra--a professional degree. But these students, despite their LSAT scores and GPAs that made them promising law students, they don't really have a whole lot to offer the job market in general. Sure, there are some exceptions, and there are some even differing exceptions where a student graduates from law school prepared to get a post-school job (though proving this to potential employers takes considerable effort on the part of that student I think). I have learned a couple of things, having worked for a couple of years in a rather demanding job. One is that college doesn't prepare you to work. It gives you a tool box full of nifty tools, but doesn't really tell you even how to use them or teach you the creativity to use other tools en lieu of tools you might not yet have. Creativity is something not taught in school, neither are people skills, the ability to communicate effectively with others. I just had a conversation with my mother yesterday about a situation at her former job. A guy that worked with her was so difficult to work with, that he kept getting moved from job to job. Regardless of how smart the guy was, he was pretty much useless to everybody because of his, well mostly, lack of tact when dealing with people. There was always a general consensus with my friends in the Army: we'd prefer a Soldier that was easy to work with and that could effectively communicate over one that couldn't. You can't teach people skills, but most other things you can work with.
This isn't to say that experience guarantees success. I watched a guy that screamed "Joe" (a guy that looks like a Soldier and has the mannerisms of a Soldier... even the hair cut) when I was at the Law School fair in Atlanta and I cringed when I heard him talking. The military does a couple of things... but teaching you to communicate with civilians is not one of them. If you can't take a step back and remember who you are and what you're doing then you need to just stop and take a breather.
Will I still go to law school? Yes. My main reason is I want the legal education that comes with it. However, am I this disillusioned to realize that the job market might be hard on me when I get out? No, I'm not. I'm hoping nepotism (you do what you can to get your foot in the door, that's just the way it is!) might get me a little, and if not I'll take what I can get. I never had dreams of being a Law and Order type of attorney; I've always been more fascinated by some of the philosophy. I hope that when I get out my successes as an Army Officer will add an extra polish onto what I have to offer. I'll just make sure I follow my dad's three H's: Humbleness, sense of Humor and Hardworking. I think that these really are the keys to success.
The most likely to respond, similar to a survey, are those that are either really happy or really pissed off. The actual information and comments is not really a good indication of how things are actually going or what people actually think. Similarly, this goes for blogs as well. Those that are the most pissed or most excited or happy or whatever are going to write about it. If its just "blah" nobody is going to waste the time commenting on it, unless you're a history book person or just documenting events with no opinion whatsoever. But then still, what gets reported on, even in a documented fashion, is still likely to be stuff that whatever news agency thinks people want to read about. I don't see how a news agency's website is really the right place for people to get up on their soap boxes. I think that's what blogs are usually for... right? Haha...
I also, since I'm headed to law school next year, have been reading a lot about reasons not to go. There are a myriad of reasons listed, some evidence points to blogs of disgruntled graduates finding a job market lacking. I do sometimes wonder what kind of expectation management they've been doing. Contrary to, it seems, these recent graduates' opinion, they're glorified college graduates. Most students to graduate law school are just that, college graduates with a little extra--a professional degree. But these students, despite their LSAT scores and GPAs that made them promising law students, they don't really have a whole lot to offer the job market in general. Sure, there are some exceptions, and there are some even differing exceptions where a student graduates from law school prepared to get a post-school job (though proving this to potential employers takes considerable effort on the part of that student I think). I have learned a couple of things, having worked for a couple of years in a rather demanding job. One is that college doesn't prepare you to work. It gives you a tool box full of nifty tools, but doesn't really tell you even how to use them or teach you the creativity to use other tools en lieu of tools you might not yet have. Creativity is something not taught in school, neither are people skills, the ability to communicate effectively with others. I just had a conversation with my mother yesterday about a situation at her former job. A guy that worked with her was so difficult to work with, that he kept getting moved from job to job. Regardless of how smart the guy was, he was pretty much useless to everybody because of his, well mostly, lack of tact when dealing with people. There was always a general consensus with my friends in the Army: we'd prefer a Soldier that was easy to work with and that could effectively communicate over one that couldn't. You can't teach people skills, but most other things you can work with.
This isn't to say that experience guarantees success. I watched a guy that screamed "Joe" (a guy that looks like a Soldier and has the mannerisms of a Soldier... even the hair cut) when I was at the Law School fair in Atlanta and I cringed when I heard him talking. The military does a couple of things... but teaching you to communicate with civilians is not one of them. If you can't take a step back and remember who you are and what you're doing then you need to just stop and take a breather.
Will I still go to law school? Yes. My main reason is I want the legal education that comes with it. However, am I this disillusioned to realize that the job market might be hard on me when I get out? No, I'm not. I'm hoping nepotism (you do what you can to get your foot in the door, that's just the way it is!) might get me a little, and if not I'll take what I can get. I never had dreams of being a Law and Order type of attorney; I've always been more fascinated by some of the philosophy. I hope that when I get out my successes as an Army Officer will add an extra polish onto what I have to offer. I'll just make sure I follow my dad's three H's: Humbleness, sense of Humor and Hardworking. I think that these really are the keys to success.
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