“Wake him up.” Mark, my boss at a high powered Washington DC law firm told my wife. It was 7:30 am on a Sunday. Mark’s directive was in response to my wife saying “Daryl is sleeping” when Mark asked for me.
I got to work as soon as possible, expecting some type of high pressure legal situation. It turned out to be nothing that couldn’t have waited until Monday or Tuesday or maybe ever. I actually liked Mark more than the other law partner who was my other main boss. He once left 17 messages on my voice mail dictating edits to a memo I had written.
In retrospect, I was fortunate. The allure of high pay and prestige at top law firms coupled with the enormous investment it takes to become an attorney makes most attorneys who are mismatched with a legal career power through twentysomething misery. Many “wake up” in their late thirties or early forties after being diagnosed with anxiety or depression.
I do need to clarify. Some misery could include paying one’s dues on a suitable career path. Those medical residents sleeping 3 hours a night are likely miserable. But, as archaic as the practice seems to be, all nighters are part of paying one’s dues to become a doctor. Some misery could come from a bad situation within a well matched career path. We can look to the sports world where we see some athletes performing terribly under one coach or system and then flourishing under another.
I tell some of Career Counseling Connecticut’s clients that I view my bosses as a gift. They helped me question my career path. I already had questions because I felt a true calling to enter education and counseling.
Nonetheless, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had the “bad” luck of having great bosses? What if I had a partner who took it upon himself/herself to mentor me, coax me through the travails of being a young lawyer, and, otherwise, treated me so well that I liked my job (even if I didn’t like the work)? That’s a far bigger nightmare than having had a couple years of tough bosses.
I got to work as soon as possible, expecting some type of high pressure legal situation. It turned out to be nothing that couldn’t have waited until Monday or Tuesday or maybe ever. I actually liked Mark more than the other law partner who was my other main boss. He once left 17 messages on my voice mail dictating edits to a memo I had written.
In retrospect, I was fortunate. The allure of high pay and prestige at top law firms coupled with the enormous investment it takes to become an attorney makes most attorneys who are mismatched with a legal career power through twentysomething misery. Many “wake up” in their late thirties or early forties after being diagnosed with anxiety or depression.
I do need to clarify. Some misery could include paying one’s dues on a suitable career path. Those medical residents sleeping 3 hours a night are likely miserable. But, as archaic as the practice seems to be, all nighters are part of paying one’s dues to become a doctor. Some misery could come from a bad situation within a well matched career path. We can look to the sports world where we see some athletes performing terribly under one coach or system and then flourishing under another.
I tell some of Career Counseling Connecticut’s clients that I view my bosses as a gift. They helped me question my career path. I already had questions because I felt a true calling to enter education and counseling.
Nonetheless, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had the “bad” luck of having great bosses? What if I had a partner who took it upon himself/herself to mentor me, coax me through the travails of being a young lawyer, and, otherwise, treated me so well that I liked my job (even if I didn’t like the work)? That’s a far bigger nightmare than having had a couple years of tough bosses.