I start work on Monday. It's kind of a huge deal for me. I was unemployed for two full months and was really starting to panic. Then, about 5 weeks ago, things started to move slowly in a very good direction. About two weeks ago I made amazing progress and on Monday of this week I was made an offer by my first choice employer: a big law firm specializing in precisely the kind of work I want to do.
The process of getting this offer started in 2010, but more recently I sat for three separate interviews with a total of six professionals in Anchorage and the firm's headquarters back east. When studying for the interviews, I started by re-reading some of my own written work. The oldest piece was a paper I wrote after spending a semester studying the financial markets in New York City. The most recent is the article I wrote for the June 2012 issue of the Alaska Law Review. I'm proud of my work on both pieces, but the differences in style, precision, depth of topic, and even the level of confidence that comes across when reading each piece is starkly different. I've grown a lot in the past 3 1/2 years, not just by improving my writing. More that my growth as a young professional is visible in my writing and the types of projects I take on.
This realization caused one of my favorite memories to surface. It was August of 2010. Leigh and I were curled up in a tent somewhere outside of Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, catching our breath on a long drive from Seattle to Anchorage. This moment emerged following our time together in France, followed by our time apart while I finished my teaching contract there, then a summer of manual labor working the Seattle farmers markets.
It was August, but it was chilly in Whitehorse, with mornings and evenings averaging in the 40s. Leigh and I were fully dressed in layers of socks and sweatshirts and huddled under our sleeping bags. Juneau Cat was snuggled between us, still an unhappy camper. We chatted about the rest of our drive and how we would spend the few days between our arrival in Anchorage and the start of my first judicial clerkship. My first real job after nearly seven years of higher education, internships, papers, academic competitions, and part-time jobs.
Leigh reached over and pressed the tip of her forefinger against the tip of my nose. "Look at you!" She said, "you're starting your first job in a few days. It's amazing how far we've come."
I love this memory, and not just because my favorite person was being so sweet to me and praising me for my biggest accomplishment so far. Instead, I love this memory because it's about both of us and how much our lives have changed since we met. Leigh watched me grow from a semi-abandoned 17-year old into an attorney with a nice list of personal and professional accomplishments. These accomplishments sometimes came at a price- time away from Leigh, financial burdens, and sometimes even failing to develop my domestic side. But Leigh developed in ways I did not. Not only did she emerge from adolescents as a college student and overcome a number of struggles to find her professional self, but she also became a caring and conscientious spouse. Today she is a valued employee at a job she loves and a loving mother to our furry daughters and our unborn human daughter. Most of all, she is my best friend. I can honestly say that I could not have done so much in my professional life if I hadn't had her there to balance out my personal life.
The process of getting this offer started in 2010, but more recently I sat for three separate interviews with a total of six professionals in Anchorage and the firm's headquarters back east. When studying for the interviews, I started by re-reading some of my own written work. The oldest piece was a paper I wrote after spending a semester studying the financial markets in New York City. The most recent is the article I wrote for the June 2012 issue of the Alaska Law Review. I'm proud of my work on both pieces, but the differences in style, precision, depth of topic, and even the level of confidence that comes across when reading each piece is starkly different. I've grown a lot in the past 3 1/2 years, not just by improving my writing. More that my growth as a young professional is visible in my writing and the types of projects I take on.
This realization caused one of my favorite memories to surface. It was August of 2010. Leigh and I were curled up in a tent somewhere outside of Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, catching our breath on a long drive from Seattle to Anchorage. This moment emerged following our time together in France, followed by our time apart while I finished my teaching contract there, then a summer of manual labor working the Seattle farmers markets.
It was August, but it was chilly in Whitehorse, with mornings and evenings averaging in the 40s. Leigh and I were fully dressed in layers of socks and sweatshirts and huddled under our sleeping bags. Juneau Cat was snuggled between us, still an unhappy camper. We chatted about the rest of our drive and how we would spend the few days between our arrival in Anchorage and the start of my first judicial clerkship. My first real job after nearly seven years of higher education, internships, papers, academic competitions, and part-time jobs.
Leigh reached over and pressed the tip of her forefinger against the tip of my nose. "Look at you!" She said, "you're starting your first job in a few days. It's amazing how far we've come."
I love this memory, and not just because my favorite person was being so sweet to me and praising me for my biggest accomplishment so far. Instead, I love this memory because it's about both of us and how much our lives have changed since we met. Leigh watched me grow from a semi-abandoned 17-year old into an attorney with a nice list of personal and professional accomplishments. These accomplishments sometimes came at a price- time away from Leigh, financial burdens, and sometimes even failing to develop my domestic side. But Leigh developed in ways I did not. Not only did she emerge from adolescents as a college student and overcome a number of struggles to find her professional self, but she also became a caring and conscientious spouse. Today she is a valued employee at a job she loves and a loving mother to our furry daughters and our unborn human daughter. Most of all, she is my best friend. I can honestly say that I could not have done so much in my professional life if I hadn't had her there to balance out my personal life.
Leigh's support of my endeavors has been so complete that her fate and mine are entirely intertwined. So the best part of this story is that when my dream came true, Leigh's did too. It feels surreal and completely humbling to be offered my first choice and to have it mean so much to my growing family. I can only hope to continue to be worthy of my new professional position as well as my position in our home.
