On Unemployment

I took the Michigan bar exam last week. So did 1000 other people.

Which begs the question: Does Michigan really need 1000 new lawyers this year? The answer is almost certainly no.

The legal market is terrible everywhere, and Michigan is probably among the worst. I think it's a combination of the bad overall economy plus more law school grads plus technology changes that make it possible for law firms and clients to accomplish more work with fewer actual attorneys. I'm not saying efficiency is a bad thing. I'm just saying it's perhaps partially responsible for my current unemployment.

Trying to find a job has been brutal. I wish I'd kept track of how many resumes and cover letters I've sent. I know I'm qualified. I just need to find the right fit.

I keep reading articles about how my generation is lazy. The other day my mom overheard an older man at the eye doctor lamenting the fact that so many "young people" are unemployed. As if it's completely our fault.

I don't think my generation is lazy. I know plenty of hardworking yet unemployed people, and I generally include myself in that group. My sister just graduated from college and has been applying for jobs all summer with no bites. My cousin was recently laid off from his job at a school due to privatization. About half of my law school class graduated without a job.

We're willing to move to a new city or state. We're willing to earn low wages and receive crap benefits. We're willing to work long hours and get little to no credit for our hard work. We're willing to hit the ground running. All we ask is that the job be somewhat related to our education, that people recognize that a college or graduate degree isn't just a piece of paper.

But everywhere, it's the same story. You're overqualified. You're underqualified. You don't already live here and we don't believe you when you say you want to live here. It's getting to the point where a lot of people looking for work are saying, "What else can I do? I'm doing everything I possibly can."

Maybe we need to recapture that "American" pioneering spirit, but most of us weren't taught that way. We were raised to join some sort of industry, to find a company/organization/etc. that fit our training and talents. We weren't taught to be entrepreneurs.

Law school in particular did not teach me to be an entrepreneur. My coursework and internships were geared towards working in a firm or for the government. That's always what I planned to do. Over the course of the summer, I've realized I need to broaden my horizons.

I know I have to make opportunity happen for myself. When I figure out how that works, I'll get back to you.