Looking Down the Road

I'm still unsure of what career path I would like to follow and often jump from one idea to another. Among several others, a possibility I've found recent interest in is becoming an attorney.

To learn more about someone's path in and after law school, I spoke to my mom, Ruth. She is currently the Principle Self-Help Attorney at the Los Angeles Superior Court. She also happens to have attended UCLA for undergrad, earning a B.A. in English, as well as for law school, earning her J.D. She let me know about her time as a law student and beyond.

Q: When did you decide law school was the right choice for you?

I never really decided that it was the right fit for me. Even when I was in law school, I was never completely comfortable with the decision and wasn't sure it was the right career path. It wasn't until I was already out of law school and a young attorney that I realized I had indeed made the right decision – that I was doing something that actually was intellectually stimulating and enriching.

Q: Do you feel that your uncertainty throughout law school impacted your happiness?

I think maybe I would have been a happier person in law school if I was one of those people who went in knowing 100% sure this is the best decision for me. But, it's not in my personality to really feel that way until I'm doing the work and realize wether I like it or not. When I was in law school I did different types of legal work and found what I did and didn't like about the law. This helped me decide what areas I wanted to go into.

Q: How much of your work is interdisciplinary?

It's probably the most interdisciplinary work I've ever done. In part, because law draws on so many different areas and skill sets, but also because of the work I've chosen to do. For most of my career as a legal aid attorney, I've done work out in the community, a lot of housing law, family law, and worked a lot with community organizers. And, definitely I used my English degree because so much of it is writing. But also, it involves a lot of urban planning, community organizing, a whole lot of social work – and I have never been bored.

I've also made sure to choose as I've gone along to reinvent what I do from time to time, so I didn't get stuck doing the same thing over and over again. I don't like getting stagnate, but I also don't like giving up skills – I try to do new things that build on the skills I have.

Q: How important is networking in your field? Did you network at all in undergrad or law school?

In my career, networking is extremely important depending on what you want to do. I'm not a natural networker, so as an undergrad I could have done more and I saw friends who definitely benefited from it, making connections. On a smaller scale, networking with bosses through on-campus jobs and professors did open up opportunities. And, it's always good to have a close network of people to rely on. Doing meaningful networking and building some strong relationships is better than a huge network of just people you know on LinkedIn.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you can give to those unsure of their path?

Explore as many options and work experiences that you can, listen to other people and what their experiences are, and just learn. Eventually, hopefully you will learn your passion.

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Thanks for reading! It's important we all remember that it's ok not to know what road to follow – we can find ourselves on the way there and can always switch it up in the future.

– Sara :)