Hey all you AWs! Come on in!

[schnurette]

I have an AW but I don't want to be an AW so I decided to do a thread for ALL the AWs! YAY!

[schnurette]

Today my boss and I were talking about people being lawyers who shouldn't be lawyers and how inappropriate and just straight up terrible some of the lawyers we deal with are, and I was telling her about a girl I worked with who had told me that I could just go take the bar exam if I wanted and become a lawyer just like that.

My boss said she didn't think you could take the bar exam without some sort of degree, but then said if I wanted to she thought I would be an excellent lawyer, no problem, and that my talents are underutilized as a law clerk.

I'M PUTTING A GOLD STAR ON MY CALENDAR TONIGHT!

[mrsdee1982]

I'll play. I can finally say for certain that I am feeling baby move! Yay!

[belle0720]

mrsdee1982 Yay! Still not feeling movement here hopefully soon, I'm getting impatient!

[mrsdee1982]

belle0720, it wasn't until yesterday that I could say, "Yep, that has to be the baby, because I have never felt that in my life before". I was 23 weeks on the dot yesterday. Fingers crossed you feel it soon.

[sully326]

Of course...cause I already posted mine twice. If I post here, I'll be the ultimate AW & I just can't roll like that...

[Deleted]

Last night I was practically begging my DH to have sex with me and he kept turning me down! Oh how the tables have turned...

Anyways, I started whining and saying he didn't want to do stuff with me because he thought I was fat and hideous. To which he responded "What? No! I'm just tired from working all day. You're not hideous, you're even more beautiful since you got pregnant!" Then I started ugly crying. It was still really sweet of him though

[veggiemo]

Feb 6, 2015 11:01:31 GMT -5 schnurette said:

Today my boss and I were talking about people being lawyers who shouldn't be lawyers and how inappropriate and just straight up terrible some of the lawyers we deal with are, and I was telling her about a girl I worked with who had told me that I could just go take the bar exam if I wanted and become a lawyer just like that.

My boss said she didn't think you could take the bar exam without some sort of degree, but then said if I wanted to she thought I would be an excellent lawyer, no problem, and that my talents are underutilized as a law clerk.

I'M PUTTING A GOLD STAR ON MY CALENDAR TONIGHT!

I'm a law clerk too! What kind of law do you do? My office does criminal defense, so it gets really interesting and juicy here.

I've never had much of an itch to become an actual lawyer. I kind of like what I do, getting to help and be involved (especially in the investigative aspect-that's my favorite!) but it's all behind the scenes. I like that the attorneys are the ones with their real asses on the line and I just get to work on the fun stuff

In my state (Michigan) you have to have graduated with a JD in order to take the bar and get licensed. I think there are some states (very few) who allow you to take the bar without a JD, maybe yours?? In any case, congrats on the wonderful compliment! Sounds like you have been doing some great work!

[billyhorrible]

Feb 6, 2015 11:01:31 GMT -5 schnurette said:

Today my boss and I were talking about people being lawyers who shouldn't be lawyers and how inappropriate and just straight up terrible some of the lawyers we deal with are, and I was telling her about a girl I worked with who had told me that I could just go take the bar exam if I wanted and become a lawyer just like that.

My boss said she didn't think you could take the bar exam without some sort of degree, but then said if I wanted to she thought I would be an excellent lawyer, no problem, and that my talents are underutilized as a law clerk.

I'M PUTTING A GOLD STAR ON MY CALENDAR TONIGHT!

I don't know if they're still doing this, or if every state does it, but I know some states used to have a "Baby Bar" which anyone could take. Whether they had a degree or not.  If you passed that, you could sit for the actual State Bar exam, even without a degree.

[schnurette]

veggiemo I'm in Ontario actually...and have never looked into the rules for going to take the bar exam because it has never really interested me (beyond idle curiosity as to what exactly is on that test lol) Now I might look just to see but I think the fees for taking it are astronomical as well so that would probably prevent me from going that route.

I do mostly family law but a little bit of estates as well. It's interesting because the emotions are always there - people separating, people getting together, people dying. It's crazy most of the time.

My bosses follow up to telling me that I could be a lawyer was basically "but I don't know if you would want to, especially having worked for them" while she laughed - I told her that I do like to be done work at some point, it doesn't always have to be 5 but eventually is nice. (She works constantly - e-mails at 1 a.m. type stuff).

It is nice too that the lawyers are the ones on the hook - today I have a process server trying to serve a woman that apparently isn't home...and she may have left the country. And while I'm stressed about it because I would really like everything to work out, I also know if it doesn't it isn't really my issue to resolve at the end of the day, which is greeeat.

[veggiemo]

Feb 6, 2015 13:14:43 GMT -5 schnurette said:

veggiemo I'm in Ontario actually...and have never looked into the rules for going to take the bar exam because it has never really interested me (beyond idle curiosity as to what exactly is on that test lol) Now I might look just to see but I think the fees for taking it are astronomical as well so that would probably prevent me from going that route.

I do mostly family law but a little bit of estates as well. It's interesting because the emotions are always there - people separating, people getting together, people dying. It's crazy most of the time.

My bosses follow up to telling me that I could be a lawyer was basically "but I don't know if you would want to, especially having worked for them" while she laughed - I told her that I do like to be done work at some point, it doesn't always have to be 5 but eventually is nice. (She works constantly - e-mails at 1 a.m. type stuff).

It is nice too that the lawyers are the ones on the hook - today I have a process server trying to serve a woman that apparently isn't home...and she may have left the country. And while I'm stressed about it because I would really like everything to work out, I also know if it doesn't it isn't really my issue to resolve at the end of the day, which is greeeat.

Ah, family law. I can't believe the things people fight over. On one hand you have a family fighting for custody of a child because of abuse/neglect and on the other hand you have two people fighting over who gets the charcoal grill and extension cord in a divorce. Interesting, yet time consuming and exhausting.

And yes, not being on the hook is the best part of not being an actual lawyer. We help to the extent for which we are capable and then it's "not our problem." Sounds good to me!

[amberdiane]

veggiemo I'm so jealous you work in criminal law. I'd love to do that. I currently work with in-house counsel at a real estate company, so there's not a lot of excitement over here. We do occasionally get some juicy litigation work, but nothing compared to criminal law.

[amberdiane]

Feb 6, 2015 13:56:45 GMT -5 @littlechivette said:

I'm jealous of anyone that's know what they want to do with the rest of their lives...I'm over here thinking, I'm 23, I don't like my job, still in school and no idea what I want to do with career... I'm open to suggestions at this point

I'm actually considering a career change.  I'm in the process of getting my teaching certification.  Since I can't be a SAHM, I figure the next best thing is having my summers off. 

[tiffbot]

This past weekend we met our friend's one month old daughter.  DS's reaction to meeting her was priceless.  If he ever noticed me holding her he'd run over for a baby hug.

[neongreen]

I'm in the legal field too, but I'm a court reporter. There have been plenty of times when I've sat in a deposition and thought "this dipshit managed to pass the bar?" the entire time. When I needed a career change (I was a music teacher, the current economy doesn't like those :-\ ), I actually did consider law school for a little while, but court reporting school was cheaper, faster, and had a better job placement rate at the end of it. (And depending on which paths you choose, you can wind up making as much, if not more as the attorneys.) The attorneys have been known to ask us our opinions on cases when everyone else leaves, though we're really not supposed to give it.

But yes, I love that I'm not the one who actually has to care about what's going on in the case, I just have to take it down. At the end of every transcript, we have what's called our certification page that has a bunch of legalese about us being qualified in the state, having no interest in the outcome of the case, not being related to any of the parties, etc. - some of us refer to it as the "I don't give a shit" page.

I have a ton of stories.

[Deleted]

Feb 6, 2015 13:56:45 GMT -5 @littlechivette said:

I'm jealous of anyone that's know what they want to do with the rest of their lives...I'm over here thinking, I'm 23, I don't like my job, still in school and no idea what I want to do with career... I'm open to suggestions at this point

What are you majoring in?

I didn't know what I wanted to do when I was 23 either. When I was 18 I thought I wanted to work in the fashion industry. Then I thought I wanted to work in the music industry. At one point I was planning to go to law school and now I'm 29 and working for a Federal Bankruptcy Trustee. It sounds so boring when I explain what I do to other people, but it is the most fascinating job I've ever had and it's what I've chosen to make a "career" out of. 

I don't think you need to have it all figured out just yet. Some people take a bit longer to realize what they want to do. Sometimes you need to experience different things that eventually lead you to what you're supposed to be doing. You might be surprised by what you end up loving most!

edited for missing words 

[amberdiane]

Feb 6, 2015 14:25:55 GMT -5 @littlechivette said:

I'm majoring in business administration with an emphasis in leadership. I've always like the idea of teaching but don't know what I would major in to teach aside from English.

I have my BA in Risk Management, so it obviously has nothing to do with teaching.  I'm not sure where you live, but in Texas you can teach K-6 with a bachelors degree of any kind.  The only thing I have to do is pass the state test and take an additional 12 hours of school.  The good thing about the 12 hours is I can do it online after I get a job teaching. 

[brennaz]

I finally got my red velvet oreos.

My sister saw them and thought of me...so she brought me FOUR boxes. BTW, the boxes are WAY smaller than the usual boxes, for whatever cruel reason.

They are amazing and I don't plan to share any more than the ONE DH got last night. So now I just have to figure out how to pace myself...

[blasto!]

For those of you looking at teaching, find some teachers in your area and have an honest conversation with them about their hours and what they spend most of their time doing. As a former teacher, I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing it, but there are things I wish I had known before I went in--I was very idealistic.

The idea of having summers off sounds great until you spend 2 weeks unable to think because you're recovering, another week in unpaid training, two weeks before the school year (of your own time) setting up your room. Some people are really efficient and this doesn't happen, but I spent at least a month working every summer. I also worked 13 hour days and was exhausted, mentally and physically, all of the time. But I KNOW that varies by specialty (I taught upper level HS English; there is a shit-ton of grading). I absolutely knew teachers who worked a 40 hour week, were home every day by 4 and spent their weekends with their loved ones. That was not my experience, but it is that of others.

A lot of that depends on where you are and what extra requirements you have outside of your classroom. It depends on your school and principal. Some of that you can get a sense of by looking at how many teachers make it past year 5 (where I live, it's less than half).

ALL of that being said, it is the most rewarding job I have ever had. I quit after last year because I was getting sick from working so much, and despite that, last week I had a full breakdown because I missed it so much. Just take a very careful look at how much of your life you are willing to give to your job before you go into it. Trying to find something new at 30 because your dream job failed you is not a position I would wish on any of you. It's a sad, frustrating, sometimes hopeless place. And fuck. Now I'm crying. Sorry for the long post and being a Debbie-Downer.

Tl;dr: Teaching is super hard, vacations are not all they're cracked up to be. Research CAREFULLY. It's also the best worst job I've ever had.

[PurpleIris]

Feb 6, 2015 13:56:45 GMT -5 @littlechivette said:

I'm jealous of anyone that's know what they want to do with the rest of their lives...I'm over here thinking, I'm 23, I don't like my job, still in school and no idea what I want to do with career... I'm open to suggestions at this point

I think there are very few people who know definitively what they want to be at 23.

At 23 I had a literature degree and was working in asset management. At 38, I'm a nurse practitioner. I think if you're open to new things you'll figure it out eventually.

[amberdiane]

Feb 6, 2015 15:05:30 GMT -5 blasto! said:

For those of you looking at teaching, find some teachers in your area and have an honest conversation with them about their hours and what they spend most of their time doing. As a former teacher, I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing it, but there are things I wish I had known before I went in--I was very idealistic.

The idea of having summers off sounds great until you spend 2 weeks unable to think because you're recovering, another week in unpaid training, two weeks before the school year (of your own time) setting up your room. Some people are really efficient and this doesn't happen, but I spent at least a month working every summer. I also worked 13 hour days and was exhausted, mentally and physically, all of the time. But I KNOW that varies by specialty (I taught upper level HS English; there is a shit-ton of grading). I absolutely knew teachers who worked a 40 hour week, were home every day by 4 and spent their weekends with their loved ones. That was not my experience, but it is that of others.

A lot of that depends on where you are and what extra requirements you have outside of your classroom. It depends on your school and principal. Some of that you can get a sense of by looking at how many teachers make it past year 5 (where I live, it's less than half).

ALL of that being said, it is the most rewarding job I have ever had. I quit after last year because I was getting sick from working so much, and despite that, last week I had a full breakdown because I missed it so much. Just take a very careful look at how much of your life you are willing to give to your job before you go into it. Trying to find something new at 30 because your dream job failed you is not a position I would wish on any of you. It's a sad, frustrating, sometimes hopeless place. And fuck. Now I'm crying. Sorry for the long post and being a Debbie-Downer.

Tl;dr: Teaching is super hard, vacations are not all they're cracked up to be. Research CAREFULLY. It's also the best worst job I've ever had.

Thank you for this. I will definitely do more research. I understand where you are coming from, but I'm hoping that's not the case for me. I'll be transitioning from a 50 hour work week, with very seldom days off, so I'm hoping the transition will be a good one.   There are a lot of hurdles to overcome before I can find the ideal teaching job, but hopefully someday soon I will find something that suits me. I envy you for having the patience to teach high school English.

[sugarkissed]

Today at the gym a couple of people commented that I looked great and gave me props for still working out. It's the first time anyone has said anything, so I was feeling all super-mom. Haha... and then I went home and ate cookies.

[tjanca22]

I completed my training at work this week and am now certified to teach Social Styles at my company. I'm the first of 3 ever in my company to have this certification! Yay me!

[carolyngrace]

Feb 6, 2015 14:25:55 GMT -5 @littlechivette said:

I'm majoring in business administration with an emphasis in leadership. I've always like the idea of teaching but don't know what I would major in to teach aside from English.

Unless loan money is an issue, I see no reason not to get a little bit more education and open more doors (whether it's teaching or whatever)... Then again, I sometimes question my master's degree and think about how I could have worked towards doing the same thing without taking out all of the loans. But again, if money isn't a concern I would tell anyone to go for it!

Also I agree with what most people have said. Few people know where their path will take them at 23! At 22 I wanted to be a teacher, then I went back to school for administrative social work (wanted to "change the system" so to speak). Within a year I changed to direct practice, and now I'm a therapist.

Seems like less and less people stay on one career trajectory now days.  

[mmo2112]

Feb 6, 2015 12:59:00 GMT -5 billyhorrible said:

Feb 6, 2015 11:01:31 GMT -5 schnurette said:

I don't know if they're still doing this, or if every state does it, but I know some states used to have a "Baby Bar" which anyone could take. Whether they had a degree or not.  If you passed that, you could sit for the actual State Bar exam, even without a degree.

California still has something like that. I think you can even become an attorney if you do some sort of apprenticeship program and pass the baby bar and the "real" bar. I've never met an attorney who went that route, though, and I have no idea how they'd successfully market themselves.

I'm in legal, too--currently a civil litigator.  We represent a lot of banks and oil companies, so we don't usually get the juicy work.  I used to work in criminal and sometimes miss reading police reports.  Getting away from the really emotionally demanding aspects of crim was nice, though.  I don't know how you guys do it in family law.

If any of you are thinking about law school, please do a serious cost-benefit.  Tuition/fees have skyrocketed in recent years.  I had zero undergraduate loans, but law school was a different ball game.  I now owe and pay more in student loans than I do on my mortgage.  I have a very good job (there's my AW for the day), so it'll work out in the long run, but I know plenty of people who are basically fucked for the foreseeable future.

blasto!: DH is an upper level HS English teacher, too, and I can attest to those hours and those struggles. I know it sounds trite, but it's so true and I see it firsthand every day: teachers are grossly underappreciated and undercompensated in this country.

[Deleted]

Feb 6, 2015 15:52:50 GMT -5 mmo2112 said:

Feb 6, 2015 12:59:00 GMT -5 billyhorrible said:

I don't know if they're still doing this, or if every state does it, but I know some states used to have a "Baby Bar" which anyone could take. Whether they had a degree or not.  If you passed that, you could sit for the actual State Bar exam, even without a degree.

California still has something like that. I think you can even become an attorney if you do some sort of apprenticeship program and pass the baby bar and the "real" bar. I've never met an attorney who went that route, though, and I have no idea how they'd successfully market themselves.

I'm in legal, too--currently a civil litigator.  We represent a lot of banks and oil companies, so we don't usually get the juicy work.  I used to work in criminal and sometimes miss reading police reports.  Getting away from the really emotionally demanding aspects of crim was nice, though.  I don't know how you guys do it in family law.

If any of you are thinking about law school, please do a serious cost-benefit.  Tuition/fees have skyrocketed in recent years.  I had zero undergraduate loans, but law school was a different ball game.  I now owe and pay more in student loans than I do on my mortgage.  I have a very good job (there's my AW for the day), so it'll work out in the long run, but I know plenty of people who are basically fucked for the foreseeable future.

blasto!: DH is an upper level HS English teacher, too, and I can attest to those hours and those struggles. I know it sounds trite, but it's so true and I see it firsthand every day: teachers are grossly underappreciated and undercompensated in this country.

It is California that allows this. I believe it's a 6 year apprenticeship. 

I was considering law school for a long time (my mom is an attorney as well) but I knew so many people that came out of school with $100k & up in debt and couldn't find jobs. I live in Florida and literally everyone and their mothers has a law degree. Every summer, we get an influx of law school graduates applying for administrative positions at our firm. It's awful!

[amberdiane]

Feb 6, 2015 15:52:50 GMT -5 mmo2112 said:

Feb 6, 2015 12:59:00 GMT -5 billyhorrible said:

I don't know if they're still doing this, or if every state does it, but I know some states used to have a "Baby Bar" which anyone could take. Whether they had a degree or not.  If you passed that, you could sit for the actual State Bar exam, even without a degree.

California still has something like that. I think you can even become an attorney if you do some sort of apprenticeship program and pass the baby bar and the "real" bar. I've never met an attorney who went that route, though, and I have no idea how they'd successfully market themselves.

I'm in legal, too--currently a civil litigator.  We represent a lot of banks and oil companies, so we don't usually get the juicy work.  I used to work in criminal and sometimes miss reading police reports.  Getting away from the really emotionally demanding aspects of crim was nice, though.  I don't know how you guys do it in family law.

If any of you are thinking about law school, please do a serious cost-benefit.  Tuition/fees have skyrocketed in recent years.  I had zero undergraduate loans, but law school was a different ball game.  I now owe and pay more in student loans than I do on my mortgage.  I have a very good job (there's my AW for the day), so it'll work out in the long run, but I know plenty of people who are basically fucked for the foreseeable future.

blasto!: DH is an upper level HS English teacher, too, and I can attest to those hours and those struggles. I know it sounds trite, but it's so true and I see it firsthand every day: teachers are grossly underappreciated and undercompensated in this country.

Totally agree about the cost-benefit. I considered law school and even took a pre-law course designed to educate us on the ins and outs of law school. One of the professors that spoke to us was adament about the costs outweighing the benefits of law school. A law degree from SMU would cost around $250k and graduates would be lucky to find a job in Texas that pays six figures.  However, if you wanted to work 90+ hours a week then you may make over $100k.  Not sure if the statistics are factual, but it definitely made me reconsider law school.   

[kemdupuis]

I am absolutely POSITIVE I felt my little man kick/punch/poke me last night- several times. I could even barely feel it from the outside- and DH was able to feel it too!

[Deleted]

My AW is that I got to see our little guy again today! 22 weeks and measuring spot on. I know I'm biased but he is SO cute! Upside... I could actually tell he's a boy today. I totally believed the tech last time...just couldn't see it myself... But yep! He's all boy in there. :-)

[andreap525]

DH works third shift, so when I get home from work I like to put his cooler together for him for his 'lunch'. Tonight I am evidently full of piss and vinegar, because once I finished packing his food, I ran around finding the most random shit to put in there also. So now when he goes into his cooler he'll find his trail mix, his egg salad sandwich, a light bulb, a Reese's heart, an open tea bag, some fruits, veggies, and a baseball. I've been cracking up over it all night long, waiting for the text from him when he notices... This is the kind of shit that amuses me.