Quest to Network

I just had coffee and torts (the fruity kind) with an old law school buddy. A buddy whom I had previously imagined as being on the same playing field as me (as if that were actually an aspiration of hers). Imagine my surprise when I walk into her study and see about nine framed Cali awards. I tried to play it off but what could I do? I submitted to my higher power and asked for the grace not to be jealous (or at least not show it). Then I laughed and said, "oh, you framed yours?" as if I had received the same amount and was too humble for the framing exercise. God knows if I would have received at least one then that one would have necessitated naming a room in my house after it. To each guest: "oh, and here is the Cali room." Needless to say, I was on my toes every minute of our conversation lest I be revealed as un-Cali worthy.

We talked about Federal Indian law which is hard to talk about when you know nothing about it. She shared about her employment woes and the difficulty of the current market. Our conversation opened my eyes to the fact that I better get off my sweet ass and do some networking. I emphasize networking because my buddy graduated in the top percentage of our class and then went onto pursue an LLM directly after. A bit nerdy but I like nerdy even if I have no Cali awards. She has not been heavy on the networking and I see that grades and Cali awards alone do not make an employed law school graduate.

My new quest is to stop hiding out and reconnect with my people in the legal world, and by “my people” I mean my fellow Native friends and colleagues. I did not graduate at the top of my class and hearing that someone who did is having difficulty finding work has reunited a passion in me for networking. As it’s been told to me more times than I can remember, getting a job after law school isn’t about what you know, but who you know. This isn’t new information. My best friend's father who was a mentor to me in my younger years said at the beginning of my professional career that 85% of getting a job is networking.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WINTER What does winter mean to me? A season of cold and long dark nights. But also a season of stories. As a Navajo, stories are all I have. Winter has become a season of the imagination for me. A season of reflection, where I am asked to face the ghosts of the past. And, in facing them, I must treat them calmly and civilly before the snows melt and the cycles of the seasons can begin once more. This week the emotion of anger boiled up between the ribs and shoulder blades. Ice packs weren't doing the trick, either. I'm not going to sugar coat this, I loathe fear tactics and folks who use them are on my less-than-desirable list of those I want to hang with. I was raised in an environment where I was scared into believing that Jesus died for my sins and that gave God license to always watch me to make sure I did the right thing. I mentioned before that that parenting maneuver wreaked havoc on my twenties. Instead of being carefree and independent, my twenties were fraught with i
Read more

FALLING IN LOVE, THE PHYSICS

Image
FALLING IN LOVE, the physics of it - it being the physical properties and phenomena of the fall.  Amidst my cleaning, I came across an old digital camera that used to be my best friend back in the day. A Canon 8.0 megapixels. This, of course, was long before I owned an iPhone. But not so long ago that the photos have lost their relevance. The damn camera was dead so I had to hunt up some AA batteries so I could see what was on it.  Love cannot be bought or sold It's actually more precious than gold I've got it in several full buckets Some may read that as arrogance But don't be fooled Everything I have is a gift I didn't earn any of it People look at her Then they look at me And they know I'm living in luxury I've dreamed of a certain kind of love since I was a kid. I'm not ready to say I've acquired it, either. I am ready to say that I'm finally ready for it, though. I'm high on romance, all idealists are. I am practical but very theatric
Read more
Image
  To Whom it May Concern The older I get, the more I realize how incredibly patient love is. I've been in and out of transformative moments this week. I began spring break with picking up my kids from school and then pulling over to the side of the road and puking my guts out. I puked so much and so hard that I thought one of my kids should call 911; I was shaking so much in the after math. I hadn't really eaten that morning so my body was releasing processed food from the day before. I got out of the car and laid on someone's front lawn hoping that the the coolness from the grass would calm my shaking body. I didn't have my bearings. I was scared. Who do you call when you're scared? I certainly know not to call a stranger. I don't know all the nurses at Indian Health Center but I know that the majority of them are Natives. I've been in ER twice in my life. Both times I was rushed to Phoenix Indian Hospital. Both times a Native nurse held my hand throughout.
Read more