On its website, Harvard Law School devotes a whole section to Careers.
Those in the trenches of this volatile economy roll our eyes.
After all, consulting firm Willis Towers Watson made it official: The old-line career path is mutating into a broad and nonlinear portfolio of work experiences. The new story we tell those hiring for jobs (what a quaint concept) and project assignments (more aligned with the times) is how those experiences make us the one to generate the results they need.
So, yes, rename the Career whatevers at Harvard and other law schools as simply "Work." Those searching for actual work or insight about how to transition could recognize the portfolio approach is more open than the careerist track for earning a good living.
Also, it could be fun for them to be creative about pulling together their myriad income-producing stints out there and packaging them as "Here's what I can do for you, Employer/Project Leader."
In itself that might reduce the mental illness and substance abuse which are at an-above-average rate in the legal sector. For example, when in one work slot, no one has to hang on for dear life to hold onto that source of income. The skills acquired can simply be tucked into the portfolio of experiences and resold somewhere else.
For some, this is nothing new. The methodology was arrived at intuitively, to be able to make a living. An early example of that among the so-called best and brightest was the collapse of the academic market for doctorates in the humanities in the beginning of the 1970s.
The government had gotten it wrong. It predicted a surge in demand for college professors in that niche. It funded that projected need with the NDEA Title IV fellowship, providing a free ride for those willing to invest several years matriculating for the doctorate degree.
We wound up as a new tragic version of a Lost Generation. Those of us who were able to loop out of that disaster have done this: We keep repackaging those years "pursuing academic excellence" into what we could and actually are selling on the labor market. Yes, Project Manager, I have been trained in research.
Currently, law firms, just like so many other businesses, are struggling to restructure. The "law firm" as we have known it might be a fading memory by 2025.
Harvard Law School can prepare its students and alumni for that now.
First steps:
Tear down all signage about "careers."
Talk straight about work: landing it, holding onto it and moving on to other kinds of work.
Provide free workshops on creative repackaging. In continually doing mine, I discovered I could leverage the record number of subscriptions I sold for the Newark Star Ledger as a fundraiser for Sacred Heart Parish School. I was 12. I was awarded a three-speed bike.
Then, to siphon off angst, post the logo of those adorable seven little guys whose work is joy. No, work doesn't have to mean suffering.
The Future of Work is now. Ghostwriting on those issues and coaching for job search, transition, personal branding, re-entry after recovery and reputation restoration. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)