My Son the Lawyer…Not Anymore

It used to be a comfort to one’s parents when one would go to law school and become a lawyer, as that represented – in their eyes – the ultimate level of success. Go to school, study hard, apply yourself, graduate, and get a top job in a prestigious firm. Work 16 hour days, bill hours like crazy, and in 4-5 years make partner. (And then work 16 hours a day for another few years until you make senior partner, etc.) Follow the yellow brick road to “guaranteed” success, security, & happiness.

And then the crash of ’08 came. Down came the financial giants of Merryl Lynch, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, and Bear Stearns. Down went the stock market, the big banks, and corporate America. Away went the big bonuses and the clients with endless budgets. Law firms were the first to suffer, and with it came the layoffs.

Now there are probably hundreds of formerly high salaried lawyers who are out of a job. And when the economy does turn around, their old firms won’t take them back. Why should they, when they can hire a young lawyer straight out of college for a fraction of the salary? The yellow brick road didn’t take them to the place they were told it would.

We should take to heart the lesson Hashem is teaching us. If you leave Him out of the picture, its not going to have a happy ending. There is no such thing as a guarantee. No law degree, medical school, or MBA are a replacement for Siyata D’Shmaya. When it is His will that you do well, you will, and nothing will change that.

Running your own business is a constant reminder of Hashem’s presence. When you are in the captain’s seat, manning the controls, you see clearly how you are so NOT in control.

So I leave you off with this thought: If you are anyways not in control, why not had it over entirely to him? Why work for others, enslaving yourself to 16+ hour days, when you can be your own boss? Cut out the middleman, and rely solely on Hashem for your income. Teach yourself, its not your boss – or your shver – who give you your money. Ultimately, it all comes from Him.

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Filed Under: Business Tips • Parental Support

Tags: bitachon • guaranteed job security • lawyers