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FearAndAnxiety 21 - 06 Feb 2010 - Main.JeffKao
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| | When Eben talks about the fear and anxiety created by law school, grades, and dwindling firm jobs, does this resonate with you? How about fear that you won't find something that you are passionate about, that fulfills you, and that allows you to support yourself and your family?
I wished that Eben had spoken more to that fear and anxiety today in class, and more specifically, what to do about it. | | | I am quite anxious after reading all of this. What is bothering the most, I think, is Nathan's memory of sitting in the library and just going on an adventure. I used to do that all the time. I do absolutely none of that now. When I think I have the time to, I end up saying to myself - why now join an extracurricular? In which you probably just listen to panels (although I'm sure a lot of them are interesting) and socializing with like-minded people who might just want to have the extracurricular on their resume. I rarely find myself going above and beyond intellectually...I remember as an undergraduate something would catch my eye when reading and I'd mark it down and then spend the next day or two just researching it or figuring it out in my head. Having grades unequivocally reduces my desire to do that...and even creates cognitive dissonance about it because I don't think any employer is really going to care that I'm intellectually curious or "take initiative" when all they say is "Please update your application with your 1L grades" --- and then wait for them to say nothing. This is of course a means/ends problem...but my sense of urgency with this 1L summer job thing is really clouding my mind and perhaps deluding me.
-- JessicaCohen - 05 Feb 2010 | |
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@Erica: Loved the quote from Kierkegaard.
Extending on Glover's point, not only are we in a good position compared to other law students, we are also lucky to even have the ability to pursue a grander goal beyond the concerns of day-to-day living and survival (although our student loans provide a persuasive counter-argument). It's a little disappointing to feel like we're being herded into the big firm job. Paying back loans and pursuing riches definitely seems like the default course here, so that we can reach a point where we've 'bought back' our freedom. In the end though, the anxiety of that freedom persists. Calming the first of the two fears described by Nathan at the beginning of the discussion is only a way of deferring the real decision. I really would like to believe Professor Moglen's pitch that it doesn't have to be a choice between firm job or economic bondage/loss of freedom. It will take some knowledge, creativity and time to figure that out.
-- JeffKao - 06 Feb 2010 | | | |
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