The Build-Up: Monday

Well, we've made it. After all the blogging about diagnosis, studying, the test, and unemployment, results-week is finally here. This Friday, I find out whether or not I passed the bar exam. I toyed with the idea of not reminding anyone of that fact. It would be easier, after all, to fail and hide. But that simply wouldn't be my nature. I am the over-sharing type, remember? I am also proactive. So, I am spending this week mentally and emotionally preparing myself for the big news. That includes having a game-plan if I pass and a game-plan if I fail.

It has been a fun Monday so far. I had lunch with some girlfriends at Buckley's Lunch Box, but I wasn't ready to go home afterward. I thought to myself, where do I like to kill time? Easy. Bookstores. So, off to Davis Kidd Booksellers (or whatever they call themselves these days). Bookstores can be so overwhelming, but I find comfort in them. I think they speak volumes about our American culture. I noticed an entire section on the economy, career-building, job-searching, money-managing, etc. After taking several laps around the store, I determined this was the section I needed to explore.

My best friend in a bookstore is a cup of joe. It makes the experience that much more rich. 

This is what I mean by defining our American culture. There is a tutorial for everything. If you can't make it here, you can't make it anywhere, right? I remember being in this exact same bookstore right when law school started, purchasing books on how to survive law school. Guess what? I survived! 

Well, what did I come away with, you ask? A book called What Color is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers by Richard Bolles. He updates the book every year to fit the current market, and I have to admit I have been dying for some professional guidance. I'll share little tidbits with you along the way. It has already helped shape my perspective before the "Big News."

Am I the only sucker for introspective self-help books? I love being forced to ask myself the hard questions. I find that in the thick of the hard questions, you finally stumble on self-discovery.

Remind me to turn back to this quote if the Big News is bad. I think it is true that our lives can take unexpected twists and turns. Heck, I never planned for Diabetes, but here I am in the throws of it. Maybe it has never been a good thing to have tunnel vision when it comes to your career. Maybe the ability to see outside the "plan" is a healthy thing. 

Ah, yes. The discussion section. I still find it awkward to write what I consider an "I'm Awesome" section. There is something a bit strange about writing, "I am a great communicator. I am very organized."Ugh. It just sounds like an ego-robot. But that is the name of the game. My goal is to discover my real strengths and weaknesses and use that to shape my path.

Here are my career possibilities: 

• Law - Attorney.
• Journalism - Blogging, Broadcast, or Print.
• Teaching - English, Government (not kids).
• Fashion - Blogging, Designing, Store owner.
• (TO BE AMENDED)

It is important for me not to think about the bar exam every waking hour of the day. I can still enjoy Fall and dinners with Andrew.