I'm not much of a writer, and I'm still not even sure if this is a good topic, so any help is appreciated.
I am a nerd. Who else, other than a nerd, would have a keen interest in the convoluted world of bankruptcy, estates, and music royalties? While my extroversion precludes me from meeting the exact criteria of a nerd, the way I immerse myself completely in new topics qualifies me. When I come across an interesting subject, I try to consume and digest as much of it as I can. It is this strong desire for learning and dedication to academic success that makes me an apt candidate for admission to [INSERT NAME].
When I was younger I fit the nerd stereotype to a T with my interest in computers. At one point, my life was filled with building computers, programming, web design, network design, and even assisting with the development of a Linux distribution. My interest won me several awards in high school, but that interest soon waned. Eventually I reached what has been jokingly called “the end of the Internet”. This was before the advent of Web 2.0 and more modern programming languages, so computers were limited by the technology of the day. This limitation indirectly led me to delve into a new passion. Sitting in front of computers for a long period of time, I would listen to music to drown out the hum of computer fans and keep my sanity.
Often staying up until the early hours of the morning, I had plenty of time to listen to music and developed a voracious appetite as a result. Gradually, I transformed from a computer nerd able to discuss my hobby with only a few select friends, to a music nerd able to share my diverse interest in the subject with everyone. Combining the ability of the Internet to do research, my summer job earnings, and the local record store, I was able to explore the world of music thoroughly. When I would discover a new band, my nerd-dom would surface and thrive in the unconstrained world of music. I could listen to a band’s complete works, research the band and their influences, and then learn the work of the artist that inspired my favorite artists.
However, there was one drawback to this new hobby; the intellectual inside me still craved the satisfaction that comes with having solved a difficult problem. Besides designing new instruments, there was no apparent problem to solve. This left a gap in my life and an idle mind, but two years later an unforeseen source would fill that gap.
During my sophomore year of college, I was taking the prerequisites to a general business degree and found myself in a class I had heard nothing but bad things about: the Principals of Financial Accounting. But after the first few class meetings, I found that I had a natural talent in the material that seemed to “just make sense” to me, and that it wasn’t as advertised. Soon my inner nerd began to reemerge and I was majoring in the topic; the subject had the problem solving aspect I had been craving, and was applicable to real world situations. The challenges accounting presented were interesting, and they pushed me intellectually. The subject also taught me to think analytically and critically, two skills I believe will serve me well in the legal field. It wasn’t until the unfortunate death of my grandmother and the subsequent problems encountered that my nerdiness would excel in the most unlikely of places.
Upon death, a person’s estate is valued and taxes are levied on everything in the estate that qualifies for taxation. My grandmother’s estate met certain requirements that allowed it to be valued six months from the date of her death, and our family chose to do so. During this time the United States entered the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, and companies throughout the country were failing. Six months to the day after my grandmother passed away, the day her estate was valued, was a Friday and that meant the stock markets would be closed for the weekend. During the next two days, the bank that most of her stock subsisted in, announced that the company was about to collapse. Monday morning, when the stock markets opened, the value of the stock, (and the majority of her estate), fell by 90 percent. This drastic decline in value presented an interesting tax implication.
Coincidentally, while this was unfolding, I was covering the topic of estates and liquidation in two separate classes, and was thus able to follow along in class while at the same time witnessing the real world implications. I quickly learned, however, that accountants mainly handled the numbers, and that it was attorneys who were given the pleasure of solving the complex problems. Ergo, the decision to pursue a career in law instead of accounting was made much easier for me.
While reading a book about the music industry, I realized that a law degree would give me a unique set of skills that would combine my passions. Music publishers handle the contracts that govern how royalties are distributed by record companies and songwriters. With technology advancing at the pace it presently is, new problems are becoming apparent. For instance how do you split the royalties of a 99¢ song? While this specific problem has been solved, I am positive more like it will emerge in the coming years with presently unforeseen technology.
Since then, I have had the vision of being a musician’s “one stop shop” for their legal needs and being the best at what I do. Once again I am finding myself and my interests in a state of change. This time, however, I am directing the change and can already foresee my next stage of nerd-dom being in the area of law.
