Submitted by Jordan on
I've been following the blog of a young lady who decided to switch careers from law to web design. Sound familiar? It should - I did the exact same thing. I've got about 2 years on her, which is enough of a perspective to know that she will turn out just fine.
Still, her latest blog post contained some frustration and disappointment, and I wanted to offer her some words of encouragement. I left a note on her blog, here it is reprinted:
YOU'RE DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT.First: I took the same exact journey that you are currently on. I graduated law school in 2007 and had an awful time for five years before I decided to switch careers. I'm currently earning an excellent salary as a web developer at an airport, which is an insanely cool place to work. I've got exactly the kind of job I want and I'm glad I was picky.And that's my point: You SHOULD be picky. There is a WEALTH of web design jobs out there. You just need to find one that's a good fit for you. Front end work is a totally legitimate focus. If you don't feel you're strong enough, do some more professional development. I did that too.Coming from the current legal market, you get the feeling that the job market in general is a big, scary place filled with rejection. It's true in the legal world, but not in web design. Web design is the Happy Hunting Ground.Last year I tried settling for a job that wasn't quite right, and I didn't last more than a month. Yes I got paid for my time, but there was an opportunity cost: I could have spent that month on more professional development and looking for a better job.Don't settle. Get the skill set you want, then get the job you want. In this industry it really is that easy. I am so, SO happy that I switched from law to web design. I'm glad you made the switch too. Be patient and have confidence in yourself. I know that's hard, coming from the legal world. But hang in there because you'll land your dream job a lot faster than you expect.
Not that kind of changeling.