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Originally Posted by Unregistered
im the original poster of the question. fortunately, i have graduated a while ago and am now an associate in a big 4. i am in an practice area that i hate and am deciding either working in a different practice area in another firm (which means starting afresh and potentially competing with the NQs) or non-law.
i am not against the "hard work and long hours" - if i am, i will probably sit tight and wait until i can move to a cushy in-house job. i just never liked law or the practice thereof and have always wanted to pursue a non-legal career. my question is, since i eventually want to do something non-law, should i just embark on it now or should i nevertheless stay on and get a couple more PQE. in other words, do my PQE make a difference if i want to pursue a non-law career?
FYI, i strongly disagree that associates are paid more than market rates, if you consider our meager bonuses and extremely long working hours. also i guess that i don't want to be, and am not satisfied with working in a sweatshop at the beck and call of partners and clients and doing research and churning advice day in day out. lastly, i don't think it is true that every employer "will work you to the bone"... not in the way that law firms do.
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You know why you hate your work? Because you're incompetent at it.
It's not your fault of course. You're new, so you're naturally incompetent. You've got a steep, daunting learning curve ahead, and whilst climbing that already painful curve, some a**hole partner or SA is throwing you meaningless grunt work to do.
The older birds have been there, done that. I started out where you are now, almost 5 years ago. I stuck with it, pulled the hours and took the crap. Hard times don't last forever, and things got better with the passage of time. I became more competent and efficient, making work easier and my hours shorter. New NQs and pupils came in year after year, taking on what used to be my grunt work and filling the bottom bun roles.
With better competence and a support base of junior associates came more time, more sleep and more confidence. As a 5PQE senior associate in a Big4 now, life is oddly cushy. I wouldn't dream of leaving my job for anywhere else - not even for double pay. I couldn't stand starting from the bottom again.
Bottom line my friend - stick out the hardships at the start and things naturally get better. If you keep jumping around, you'll always be the new bottom bun, and your life will never get better. All the best!