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JD
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| 05/31/2008 12:53 PM |
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I would greatly appreciate feedback on this: whether I should continue in this field, if there is another good option for my skills or any thoughts you would have on this posting. I am in my late 40s and making a career change.
I excel at obtaining the necessary info (in person, by Internet or by other research), writing and interviewing people; vocational aptitude and interest tests consistently pointed me to the paralegal field (and not much else). I do find law interesting and I am detail oriented. Everywhere I have worked, I have been given high marks for getting along well with others and my work ethic.
Unfortunately, I've worked at places that had high turnovers or massive downsizing, so I am hoping to work somewhere where employees are treated better than dirt and I have something better than zero job security.
I have just finished my second semester of an ABA-recognized paralegal program and I have had serious concerns about my future in the field. I have had to drop classes two semesters in a row because 12 hours of paralegal classes proved much harder than it was carrying 18 hours in my major when I was in college decades ago. (I also work part-time at a dead-end job, but at least it's decent pay.) I generally score 90 or above in paralegal classes.
Still, I don't seem to think like my fellow students, and they show strong secretarial aptitude I lack. I'm told I read too much into case scenarios. I have never been able to raise my typing speed to more than nearly 40 wpm, despite decades of typing on deadline. I fear I lack aptitude and interest.
I asked my school's adviser for guidance, and she said paralegals need to be neat, organized, detail oriented and able to meet deadlines. Out of those, I am definitely not neat, and while I can be organized, I'm not sure I'm organized in a way lawyers could find it organized.
I am worried that my return to school will do only more to dig me deeper into the career hole I feel I have been in, and I'm not a young person.
Thoughts? |
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WendyNC
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| 05/31/2008 04:06 PM |
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JD, much of it has to do with the luck of the draw--being in the right place at the right time to find the right personality match. If you're thinking about working in a law firm, if you do draw the right straw and get into a small firm where you have a good match, you can be set for a long time. If you can think within the system--the way it really works--and have the aptitude for applying the law to the facts, you're good to go.
As for the neatness thing, again it's a matter of what works. I have one attorney who has so many systems, boxes, cubbies, folders and storage methods that most people can't ever find anything in his stuff. In fact, the only person who ever could find anything consistently in his office was another attorney whose office appeared to be total chaos.
As for the secretarial aptitude, in this day and age it's not how well you type, but how well you understand the programs you use and how effectively and efficiently you can use them. That's a different skill set. You can be a mediocre typist, but if you're good with cut and paste, can build yourself a good personal forms bank, and know how to use what you've built, you can turn out impressive documents in short order.
You're welcome to contact me off-board if you'd like. You can email me by clicking on my user name. The rest is in the sig block below.
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Wendy Kimbel, ACP, NCCP
Paralegal Assistance, Inc.
105 E. Center St., Ste. C
Mebane, NC 27302
Phone: 919-967-4495
Fax: 919-304-0743 |
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