After Failing The Bar, A Crisis Of Confidence But Also Redemption

The year
As they always had, my parents came through. My dad drove my moving truck, while my mom and I drove separately with my dog. We arrived in Minnesota on December 17th in the middle of a snowstorm—how fitting. Along with my parents, old family friends showed up to help me move in and start this crazy journey.
Looking back on that year, I still can’t believe the amount of things I accomplished. Yes, I took 26 credits in the spring semester. Yes, I passed the Minnesota bar that summer. Yes, I did my student teaching and finished all course work that fall. Yes, I happen to take the best class in the history of education that led me to my dream job. Yes, on the day I completed courses I was hired by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce as an education and healthcare lobbyist. The date also happened to be December 17th. The plan had been fully executed in exactly one year.
The aftermath and reality
Nothing is as easy as brochures make it sound. When I had started law school, I thought that upon graduation I would just find a job and then be a partner by the time I was 30. The reality was that I hated working in law firms. The life style wasn’t for me.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t use my law degree to do what I wanted to do. What it does ingrain in a person like me is perseverance. For me, my law degree helped to open a door into the corporate world but it never defined who I am. Having a law degree and passing the bar doesn’t mean you can or want to practice law. It means you know know how to get shit done!
You have to be ready to be your own best advocate and create your own path. No piece of paper will ever do that for you. The people that think a degree of any kind will automatically get you a job, are living in a fantasy world.
Be fierce. Be resilient.  Be willing to fight for what you want to do. Also, be ready for a few bruises while you’re taking names.
Next post: How did you really get your first job?
Cecilia Retelle is the co-founder & chief operating officer of goranku.com, a discovery engine for online degrees from traditional (or non-profit) universities. The startup is funded by Mark Cuban. She has a law degree from the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. Her previous posts on TippingTheScales.com:
Was My JD Worth It? How Did I Even Get Here?
Yinged When I Should Have Yanged

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