Friday, March 18, 2005

Job update

I had a job interview yesterday that went well. I was told that while
they can't make official offers until the budget is finalized, that they
are definitely making me an offer. Whoot!

I might just be able to do what I want to spend the rest of my life doing!

Am I going to accept? Maybe. Am I stupid if I don't? Probably. The
only thing preventing me from sending flowers to this agency every week
with notes like, "I can't wait to start working for you!" and "You're so
pretty!" is the location. You see, I'm a cut-off jeans shorts, t-shirt,
and flip-flops kind of girl. My favorite thing to do in the whole wide
world is to sit on my front lawn in my lawnchair, drinking beer and
listening to the Allman Brothers. I love having BBQs. I love mosquito
candles. I like doing this in a relatively densely populated area. There
are some cities that are able to blend this well. I sense, however, that
this city is not one of them. I'd be completely willing to give it a
whirl for a year, maybe two. But like every other public defender, I have
to hand over a 3 year commitment. That's a long time to go on a
lawn-beer-BBQ hiatus.

Another great thing about this city is that most of my law school friends
will be there after graduation. When the firm lets them out of the
office, they will be able to buy me expensive dinners and drinks. More
importantly, they are very important people to me and I just know that if
we split to different locales, it's all over.

City #2, the only other option I'm pursuing at this time, seems a more
likely candidate for my preferred lifestyle (sounds so sordid, doesn't
it?) but the job opportunity is uncertain at best. However, if the job
came to fruition, it would be my all-time top dream job. How many people
get a shot at that? Additionally, I only know enough people to avoid
feeling lonely, and none of the people would necessarily be nearby (but
would be within an acceptable driving distance). That's both a pro and a
con for me. Another con - it brings me within close proximity (both
professionally and personally) with Mr. STF. That has potential for some
discomfort.

A pro for City #1 is that I can study for the bar in the house I live in
now, which gives me one more summer near the state parks and diving into
waterfalls, in addition to the BBQs and beers on my lawn.

It's a coin toss at this point. But I have nothing to accept or reject
(officially) yet, so I'm not going to worry. I'm going to pursue both
opportunities for now, and at some point, one will take themselves out of
the running.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

CDOG:

3 year contract . . . f'ing hilarious. First, tell them to up the salary to 100k, then you'd consider it. Second, any so-called "contract" that attempted to restrict your ability to practice law would be (1) illegal and (2) subject both the signee and the organization who required it to professional discipline. I assume the "contract" would be a moral obligation only. I say, take the job and if you don't like it after a year, tell them to f' themselves.

WomanoftheLaw said...

Yes, it is a 'moral commitment' not a contract. But who wants to be the blackballed PD?

Anonymous said...

C Dog:

Is there a listserve or something?

Blonde Justice said...

Actually, 2 things. First, some agencies are disappointed, but in the end aren't going to hold you in a contract dispute if you leave before your 3 years are up.

However, I do know of at least one place that will (at least threaten to) charge you the cost of your training (you did a get a free education at their expense with the understanding that you'd stay there to put it to use). And I know that some employers will report you to the Character and Fitness Committee of the Bar. So, that's something they can hold over your head.

On the other hand, I think that most employers (and most PDs offices) are just using it, like you said, as a "moral" contract, with the hope that they'll get their moneys worth out of training you. And if you decide it's not working out for you, they'll probably wish you the best and get on with training someone else.