f r e s h s t a r t

Sunday, January 16, 2005

 

Reflect
I'm applying to law school, and as I wait for answers to come back from the schools I'm looking at, I'm trying to figure out whether it's the right decision for me. Some days it feels absolutely right; I get excited about the types of careers that a law degree would allow me to pursue and even about the idea of school itself. As part of the process I'm considering other options, trying them on in my head, seeing if they might also feel right, and sometimes they do.
A part of me wants to cry out "Yes! Me too!" when a friend tells me that she wants to open a bakery, when another tells me that she wants to start a bath products business, and when I read profiles in Stitch n' Bitch about people who discovered knitting during grad school or while in the midst of some other career and dropped it to run a crafty business instead.
My parents owned and ran a small ceramic pottery business for 17 years, so I'm very familiar with the lifestyle of a small business owner. Its hard work, and many small businesses fail, but there are a lot of great things about it too. Being your own boss. Having a flexible schedule. My parents were able to come to all of our sporting events while we were growing up, even the ones that started right after school, and my Dad coached my two sisters' basketball and softball teams until they got to high school. Family vacations did have to revolve around business trips to shows, but we loved it.
My folks made the difficult decision to close their business when it became unprofitable during the last few years, and now they're starting new careers around the same time their children are. Which is fine, and they're doing great, but it's not where most people expect to be at that stage in their lives.
I'm not one to make career decisions based on fear, so if I was in a place in my life where it would be financially feasible to say, open a bookstore or a cafe or a vegetarian restaurant, I would. But wanting to say yes to that dream doesn't mean that I should say no to law.

20:25 0 comments