So you don't want to be a lawyer

By Kelly Nuxoll

You know who you are. You briefly considered law school. You never considered investment banking. You never, ever considered medical school. But you're graduating—soon, and without any career options. The most frightening aspect of all this is that for the first time in four years, you're actually jealous of those suckers who majored in econ.

I write as a fellow Yalie, a very recent alum, who can identify only too well with those of you who are struck by pre-graduation panic. It's not so much the sense of leaving; it's the certainty that your next step will be into a gaping abyss. But there's no need to fear—I am here to attest that you will find both jobs and lives even beyond the warm embrace of Mother Yale.

Here's the most important thing to remember: you have qualifications. Not only that, but you have the kinds of qualifications that employers find valuable. It will probably not be your command of obscure languages, or your knowledge of German expressionist music, or even your ability to explicate the social dynamics of Bonobo monkey communities that will land you a job. It will most likely be the fact that you made eye contact during your interview. And that you dressed appropriately. And that in your cover letter, you didn't write, "I am having very good communication skills."

There's even more good news: once you are hired—and sometimes before you even start work—you will rise in professional rank and stature. Any familiarity, let alone fluency, with computer software or office equipment will be cause for spontaneous applause. Your written word will be praised for its logical organization and grammatical correctness. Your knack for Miltonian verse? Sheer gilt on the lily.

I do not mean to imply that the working world is without challenges. I simply want to affirm that you have a place in it. If you can't prepare for your next step because you have no idea what it's going to be, be assured that someone wants to pay you for qualities you already have. Don't underestimate the value of being pleasant and articulate, poised and polite. Don't overestimate the importance of having experience or a real passion for the field. You're smart, and you'll learn quickly. If you truly hate your job, quit. In my last job, I had a welcome lunch and a farewell dinner in the same week.

The harder task, of course, is identifying where you want to apply in the first place. This is where your liberal arts education is actually somewhat relevant to your life. Yale, I hope, has provided you with a hefty sampling of philosophies, inspirations, and role models. Pick some. Allow them to inform your choices and steer your course. You will be surprised how often you use that humanities reading as a personal touchstone. I, for one, have found Shake-speare surprisingly pithy.

The world you are about to enter is no more real than the one you are preparing to leave. I would instead compare it to a foreign culture, complete with its own language and mores. You can't possibly know how to navigate it until you are ensconsed in it. There is nothing more to do than go for it, making the best decisions you can with the alarming scarcity of information you have. Just remember that you are by no means bereft of resources. In my experience, there are few finer allies in this world than the abiding aids of light and truth.

Kelly Nuxoll, SM '98, works at an ad agency in New York.

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