Oops, sorry, my fault, although in my defense, the following sentence was ambiguous to me, because I couldn't figure out which thread was "this thread": "This horizontal line separates this thread, where I attempt to permit us to collaborate to attempt to frame questions about how to become lawyers that we can carry with us for the next two years..." In other words, I thought you were ticking off a total of three threads in everything you wrote, when I guess you were referring to only two.

-- BarbPitman - 14 Apr 2008

Julian, I think the answers you are looking for are within you. Hope I don't make you self-conscious here, but after reading your paper about your experience in looking for summer employment, I realize that your go-getter attitude and energy will direct you as close as anyone to that equilibrium that you're looking for while pursuing the four criteria you listed. None or little of this may come with the first job or the second, though. But you'll keep looking. As I hope you know, all life is an experiment.

Just one thing about #4 -- I think this is a spectrum issue, which means that different people have different definitions of autonomy and hence different tolerances, needs, and wants in this area. I gather you are getting the concept of autonomy from Eben's lectures -- I may be wrong, but Eben projects a large amount of autonomy in his working life (we really shade into control issues here), so when he talks about autonomy, he may be talking about a whole different degree or type of autonomy than would fit you. All this by way of saying, I would look at autonomy as an open-ended proposition, and not get stuck on the idea that flat-out autonomy in every facet of a job is the only thing that will make you happy.

-- BarbPitman - 14 Apr 2008