fml Forum

[Anonymous User]

2013 T20 grad. Graduated with honors. Currently have no job and not even a fake school-funded slave labor gig, despite trying my ass off for both.

My lease ends at the end of the month and I am moving cross-country (I guess) to squat with family, in a rural place in the state whose legal markets I've been looking for work. I have $37 in my bank account.

It seems none of my friends can relate to my nightmare-inducing stress and I'm losing my mind.

[84651846190]

Obama's America.

Seriously though, sorry to hear about your situation. You should have more success in finding a job after you pass the bar exam.

[Void]

2013 T20 grad. Graduated with honors. Currently have no job and not even a fake school-funded slave labor gig, despite trying my ass off for both.

My lease ends at the end of the month and I am moving cross-country (I guess) to squat with family, in a rural place in the state whose legal markets I've been looking for work. I have $37 in my bank account.

It seems none of my friends can relate to my nightmare-inducing stress and I'm losing my mind.

That sucks, dude. Many of my friends are in the same boat, and I was too until 3 days ago. Don't give up, despite the circumstances. When you get settled I recommend trying to get some volunteer work (public defender/DA, or civil legal aid) to keep your resume fresh and give yourself something to do every day. You need to stay focused on ultimately moving forward and don't get down on yourself and accept defeat. This is a tough time to get a job and you are definitely not the only one in this situation. Find a way to keep pushing back.

[CFprez]

Any debt?

[09042014]

Go to North Dakota for an oil job, while you can still comfortably camp in a walmart parking lot. Come Oct it'll be cold.

[Anonymous User]

OP here:

Any debt?

$200 K

When you get settled I recommend trying to get some volunteer work (public defender/DA, or civil legal aid) to keep your resume fresh and give yourself something to do every day.

PD, DA, and County where I'm moving have already rejected my offers of free labor. I thought finding a fake job/post-grad volunteer gig would be easy and I can't believe I've even struck out at that.

Go to North Dakota for an oil job, while you can still comfortably camp in a walmart parking lot. Come Oct it'll be cold.

I seriously am contemplating the reality of finding a volunteer gig in my target market and living in my car.

[Anonymous User]

That sucks. I can't imagine what you're going through. I'm glad your family has at least allowed you to return home. Keep your head up man. If you can't do that, then what else have you got?

I'm sure you already know, but don't forget to take advantage of IBR/PAYE and any other loan forgiveness type programs you can.

I'm just throwing things out, but have you tried volunteering at some nonprofit or legal aid thing at your parents' community? At least keep the resume active and filled.

My situation was not the same as yours, but I was an unemployed 3L. I had decent grades from a good school like you. Remember that your worth is not diminished by your lack of a job right now. You have good grades from a T20 school. You obviously have the mind to do this. Certain things, though, such as the economy, are hurting all of us. Don't let it make you feel diminished in your worth.

Edit: just read the suggestions to work for free. i can't believe the PD/DA won't even welcome the idea of having a desk monkey sift through evidence for them. Man, maybe you can contact some legal aid services or talk to a judge to just volunteer for free?

[reasonable_man]

Good luck Op. Hang in there man.

[Void]

Wow. If you happen to be headed to the northeast by any chance, PM me. I could definitely get you some solid volunteering gigs.

Seriously though- dont give up. And I don't mean that in a generically encouraging way. I mean that it's your job at this point not to give up. Because if you let yourself wallow in your own dispair on your parents' couch and slip into the darkness, you'll be completely fucked. Nobody wants to hire a depressed and desperate person, and believe me- if you are actually depressed and desperate it starts to get pretty hard to hide it. Been there myself.

I moved back in with my parents in early 2008 at age 26 after basically striking out at a different path in life. I spent a year there just getting increasingly pissed off at my situation and essentially wanting to give up. I had a graduate degree and couldn't find work at Home Depot. In retrospect I honestly feel like it was entirely my fault. My attitude sank me - I stopped believing in myself and prospective employers could smell it on me.

If you want to get through this, you can't let the rejection and feeling of failure get to you. You are smart and capable, or you couldn't have achieved your credentials. The market is just crazy right now, and there's a weird hiring lull for lots of us between graduation and bar passage. You got this- just keep moving forward.

[dood]

why u cant job? i mean whats the problem with the volunteer shit, what reasons they saying?

[sparty99]

Get any job and then apply to legal jobs on the side.

[06102016]

..

[Anonymous User]

why u cant job? i mean whats the problem with the volunteer shit, what reasons they saying?

They don't have enough work. It's a rural area; these offices have about 2 attorneys each.

[Leaborb192]

2013 T20 grad. Graduated with honors. Currently have no job and not even a fake school-funded slave labor gig, despite trying my ass off for both.

My lease ends at the end of the month and I am moving cross-country (I guess) to squat with family, in a rural place in the state whose legal markets I've been looking for work. I have $37 in my bank account.

It seems none of my friends can relate to my nightmare-inducing stress and I'm losing my mind.

Isn't being a college grad fun? I'm basically living out of my car -- I managed to pack everything in. "Go to college," my guidance counselor said. It's so "wonderful" and will get you a good life. Yeah, OK. I'm in grad school now, racking up more debt, and still w/o housing.

Why is everything so GD expensive?
I asked my friend if he wanted to split the cost of a tent?

[J. R. Capablanca]

Get out of law and retrain in something else. Law is a dying field that is increasingly being automized, offshored, and glutted with new grads which is driving wages ever lower. Good luck man.

[09042014]

Get out of law and retrain in something else. Law is a dying field that is increasingly being automized, offshored, and glutted with new grads which is driving wages ever lower. Good luck man.

Law will be the one of the last fields off shored and automated. There are just too many grads.

[hypothalamus]

2013 T20 grad. Graduated with honors. Currently have no job and not even a fake school-funded slave labor gig, despite trying my ass off for both.

My lease ends at the end of the month and I am moving cross-country (I guess) to squat with family, in a rural place in the state whose legal markets I've been looking for work. I have $37 in my bank account.

It seems none of my friends can relate to my nightmare-inducing stress and I'm losing my mind.

Isn't being a college grad fun? I'm basically living out of my car -- I managed to pack everything in. "Go to college," my guidance counselor said. It's so "wonderful" and will get you a good life. Yeah, OK. I'm in grad school now, racking up more debt, and still w/o housing.

Why is everything so GD expensive?
I asked my friend if he wanted to split the cost of a tent?

This is probably really bad advice, because NYC is extremely expensive, but in my experience, it's best to be in a big city when you're broke... I've been permabroke for 2 years now -- first, working at a nonprofit job, then law school started -- and I've found that I can make some money on the side tutoring and working random gig jobs. (Hayyyy, everybody who knows my nickname and is reading this comment! )

So maybe try for a bigger city in the general area you're looking to move? Small/rural markets will always have fewer opportunities :/. As others have said, the most important thing is NOT TO LOSE HOPE (and not to split verbs). Get a bartending job at night and work something part-time during the day, while applying to every law-related job in the meantime. Most of us have been there, and there's no shame in making ends meet, even with a law degree.

PM me if you want some caffeine-induced-madness entertainment to lift your spirits!

-hypo

[J. R. Capablanca]

Any debt?

What was the point of asking this question?

The point of asking this question is to ascertain OP's options. More debt = less options.