Job hunt, any leads? (Boston: city hall, insurance, lawyers)

[mmaf25]

So, I am just about to pass my 1st year in law school and have decided to take the summer off and study part time for the next semester (for those of you who know, being a full time student in law is so much work it will honestly make you vomit). So, now I am looking for a full time job around the Boston area, since I am barely passing by with my current income. Does anyone have any leads or know who is hiring.

I have a bachelors degree in criminal justice, I worked about 6 years in retail, and 1 year in social work helping disabled kids. If anyone knows of anyplace hiring please let me know, I am in desperate need of cash. Thank you.

[G-fused]

Harden up and push ahead. And do it happily. Although there are peaks and valleys in life, it doesn’t really get easier. Yeah, law school is tough and draining but try balancing a demanding career with a wife, home to take care of, kids, wanting free time to exercise or whatever, etc. Not to mention health – your loved ones will have moments of poor health, which is very draining and consuming.

Take it from me. I didn’t go to law school but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night…joking. I went to grad school for my MBA from a top program so I know about challenging academic work. But they were some of the best years of my life as well. The balancing act I need to play today is much tougher than grad school – that was only one thing, now I have many. Don’t get me wrong, it’s satisfying but tough. So get used to it and develop the attitude that it’s fun. Otherwise, you’ll be a miserable wretch of a person who is always looking for something else.

Aside from all that wonderful advice, why not look into getting a paralegal position? Seems to be the most logical choice and judging by your education and interests, your best bet for a gig.

Best of luck.

[mmaf25]

G-fused-take it from me, in my opinion I believe it is better to study part time at a law school than full time. If you have too much on your plate, you will end up falling behind (at least for me). taking three classes at a time would be a perfect amount.

[G-fused]

OK, I'll take it from you - I haven't been in law school and am sure it's a tough program so have no reason to doubt. It won't really set you back too long anyway and sometimes a break, a moment for reflection, and something fresh can really recharge the old batteries so best of luck.

[sharencare]

Sounds like you're interested in public service if you majored in criminal law. If I were you though, I would broaden your search. Government is furloughing those in public service who were lucky enough to survive the massive recession job cuts. Even courts have cut down on hours, which is ridiculous since it's not like the cases have disappeared! Certainly, the government is not paying for internships. Sorry to share bad news, but Sequestration is painfully real...

An additional problem is that a lot of young JDs aren't finding jobs, so they are being pushed into paralegal positions. You can try a temp agency that will place you in the legal field, but broaden your search just in case. If you are of the non-profit bent, you can also look at higher ed or hospitals. They have recovered much faster in Boston. I think the Chronicle of Higher Ed or similar organizations has job listings, and they are sometimes temp positions that offer some benefits. Anyway, look beyond Monster.com or mass job posting sites, and dig deeper into LinkedIn, professional associations or company websites. Employers post on the big sites as a last resort because they want to avoid getting hundreds of resumes that they would have to wade through. They rather get a referral. So ask your friends and family for ideas or call your law school's career office.

Of course, there's retail. But what field of law are you interested in anyway? It's not a cakewalk post-law school so you might as well find something related to get a leg up over the other JDs.

[mmaf25]

By the way G-fused I would like to get a job as a paralegal but I do not have a license to do so, I heard it was expensive also, practically six months of additional schooling.

Sharencare- yes it's true JD grads are having a hard time finding jobs, let alone JD students. Furthermore I don't know what I could kind of job I could get with just a bachelor's in criminal justice. When I was in AZ though I was a case manager for the department of economic security/Division of Developmental disabilities. You guys know if Boston has some sort of equivalent to that?

[G-fused]

It's not my field so I did not know one needed additional schooling or a license for pralalegal work but it does make that those things are needed. Sharencare offer some ok advice. I know that many hospitals have their own law depts and some have police/security services. You don't just have a BA, you also have some law school under your belt.

I'm going to assume that law is what you want to do as a career so If I were you, that is where I wold focus. I would look for anything and take anything law related, even if it paid less than other things. I'm talking about being an administrative assistant or whatever in a law office or in a law dept of a nonrelated organization. If you can get anything like that (and I know it's a big if), you can not only get paid and recharge, but also work on forming connections and relationships, which may pay huge dividends in terms of finding a job after graduation. Even if you work with a temp agency and can get a temp or part time position in a law office it may pay off. Brush yuor teeth, comb your hair, dress and represent the office well, and try to make friends with a couple of the lawyers by looking for opportunities to do some extra work for them. nd ask them what they think about an easy case you worked on in law school, people love to know the answers. Then tell them about yourself and what your goals are. They may help you out with a more permanent position in their office or a colleagues.

I know, before any of those dreams become close to reality you have to get a foot in the door. Do whatever you can to get that foot in...maybe a temp agency can help. And don't waver from identifying some larger law practices and send them a cover letter and resume, even if they are not advertising as hiring. When I was in my 20's and needed a job (this was before the Internet...yes, there was a time before the Internet) I identified places that looked OK and actaully went there. Yes, I showed up at the front desk in my suite with my bag in hand and resumes inside. I talked to whoever would listed about wanting a job. They all said no but I was still able to leave my resume with most of them. And I came back every couple of weeks to say hi and leave another and try to talk to someone else. Counds crazy right? It wasn't...it worked. It was hard and awkward at first but got easier as I went. I fugured out what to say and how to say it. They were all surprised at what I had to say when I walked in but after a couple seconds of conversation, things went OK. We are all people and I got mostly respect for trying, even if nothing was available - but I left my resume anyway. Lots more to say on the methods of that but I'll let you decide what you want to do. Although I will say that a law office is suited to that kind of door to door job solicitation, an IT company would not be. BUt in law, you're talking about a consevative atmoshphere that isn't super heavy with technology. Yes, they'll likely tell you all their jobs are posted on line and you should look at their website, don't accept that for an answer. It was an alternative method then and I know it sounds even crazier now. Hard times call for alternative measures. Clean up, put on your suit, puff out your chest, smile, be friendly but confident, think of what to say, how to say it and to whom (have a script and practice a little), think of what their initial response will be and have a retort ready, and be ready to improvise. You must be ready to expose who you are and make yourself vulnerable. Be persistent but not a pest. This worked for me when I was living with my girlfriend who was going to grad school and I needed work to support us (family was 4 hrs away) and we were old enough to be on our own. I got a job and actually got a couple other calls doing this. You just need to be thoughtfull about it and have a plan.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

[sharencare]

Sorry, I don't know about "department of economic security/Division of Developmental disabilities". I would check out the City Hall and the Boston Public Schools websites, though I know positions aren't exactly plentiful and they may require more licenses and degrees. There's probably a lot of non-profits in that area, but if you really are looking for money, it might be tough.

If you want your position to be related to criminal justice, you can try going to local college websites and checking out if there are any office positions for campus police. But I really think you are qualified (in fact, overqualified) for a lot of the administrative positions available. There's also a lot of cultural and disability offices on campuses. The colleges were hurt badly in 2008, and there were massive layoffs--sometimes 10% of staff. Now the colleges are more stable, but some may have endowment issues in the next few years, so they won't hire permanent staff, but they may test the waters for short-term or part-time staff...perfect for you.

I hope I didn't worry you. I'm quite sympathetic. My husband went to an excellent college and a law school with great local connections. But he still had the year after college and the year after law school, where he was stuck scanning papers at an insurance company, a job he got through a temp agency. Not great for his resume, but it was enough to pay the bills. Anyway, don't be discouraged. He eventually got his dream job in the public sector, but he worked really hard networking and proactively planned out what internships he wanted and what courses would be most useful. As I've said in other threads, Boston has a relatively small legal community, especially the public sector. There are some really idealistic, awesome people fighting the good fight. They are usually connected by interests, alumni, and professional associations. So if I were you, I would also go your law school career office and look for networking events. No one can ever hand you a job--life never works like that--but fellow lawyers can offer moral support, informational interviews, or even pass along internal job postings.