FINDING YOUR PASSION AND MEANINGFUL WORK THROUGH PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY FORMATION
Law students should take professional identity formation seriously because it is the bridge to finding meaningful work, which leads to career satisfaction and overall happiness. Sounds good right?
But don't take our word for it. Watch this short clip from Harvard Professor Arthur Brooks about finding your passion within your profession. To find happiness at work, you have to put in the work, and this site was built to facilitate that journey for those willing to take it.
It starts with asking and discovering "who am I" (personal values and knowing ourselves).
This leads to exploration and reflection, over time and through experience, as one integrates these personal values into a professional setting with its own norms and values. This combination produces meaningful work and career satisfaction.
Professor Brooks notes meaningful work has two components:
- a deep sense of responsibility to others
- a continuous commitment doing your best all the time, striving for excellence, (as an expression of who you are) in service to others. Brooks calls this "earned success."
See also: Harvard happiness expert Arthur Brooks: The 2 job tips that are 'both terrible' (cnbc.com)
[Spoiler alert! The findings of happiness expert Arthur Brooks noted above on the path to meaningful work in general are very closely aligned with the foundational values and guiding principles that produce a successful legal practice. More on those values and principles in a future topic.]
Exercise
Students often put a lot of pressure on themselves to find the perfect legal job right out of the gates. This is often an unrealistic expectation given the limited vantage point. While it is very important to explore legal career paths, students do not need to know what path they are pursuing to engage in meaningful professional identity formation.
Notice the advice from happiness expert Arthur Brooks focuses on "How" we approach our profession not "What" our profession is. Take the time to reflect on "who am I" and how you can incorporate the two components that comprise meaningful work (1. service to others and 2. earned success) into your professional future.
After identifying your values, add that information to our Hire Law Career Compass and begin to craft your career strategy: Hire Law AI Career Compass! - Hire Law.