It has been a while since I gave you updates on life at law school. Let me remedy that. Yesterday was for us, that’s the fourth years, one of the most important days in our lives. Yesterday was Day Zero. I know the name makes you crumple your face and wonder if it has anything to do with the origin of the earth but no, that’s not what it is about. It is the first day of recruitment. The top law firms fly down to the campus to steal away the best brains in the batch. If you grab this job you become a Harvey-Specter-2000s-Balckberry-Boy with all of it - the big bucks, fancy clothes, late nights in state of the art offices with international clients.*wink wink* The ultimate dream.
So why wasn’t I particularly thrilled when I received
a mail stating that I had been shortlisted to appear for one such law firm?
Maybe I didn’t like the idea of spending my life as a corporate slave to the capitalist master. Or maybe as often accused, I am indeed the ‘crazy Marleyian
with stupid concepts’. Nevertheless, like a diligent student and a devoted
daughter I began my preparations.
Step 1 –
Know your CV
This wasn’t so
bad. With a number of internships, a few publications and a little bit of this
and that, the three page document seemed to sum up my time as a law student pretty
impressively. And since I have always enjoyed working, recalling the details of
each of the entry came pretty easy.
Step 2 –
Know your law
Companies, commerce and contracts – you have
got to know it all. Except, I didn’t. So I switched on my laptop and opened a
popular corporate blawg. “Private equity….paid up share capital…takeover code…acquisition
of capital”. As I read on, a cuckoo-clock-like noise became louder in my head.
Next thing I know I felt like a caveman running haplessly on Wall Street, yawping
among the elegant beings from a more civilized age. Inhaling, I entered new
search words on Google; ‘Corporate Law for dummies.’
Step 3 –
Know yourself
Ha! Now you’re
talking! ‘Personality’ is my middle name. I’ve got this. After running through
a number of imaginary interviews, I went to a few helpful seniors to give my
mock interview.
Q. So Miss Jain,
why are you here?
Imaginary me – “I
am here to grab an opportunity.” *Impressed look* *polite applause* *shaking hands* *epic background music as I walk away with the job*
Real me – “I..uuhh...coz
the girl outside said it was my turn. I am sorry” “Why are you apologizing?” “I
don’t know. I’m sorry.” *Increased heartbeat* *Sweaty Palm* *Hazy brain*
Q. What do you
want to be in the future?
Imaginary me – “I
want to be a successful transactional lawyer at the top of the corporate hierarchy
with unparalleled experience in the field.”
Real me – “I..err..want
to be a lawyer…I think.” *Dad’s voice in head asking the same question during
innumerable family dinners* *more sweating* *leg shaking* *existential crisis*
Q. Why do you
want to join our firm?
Imaginary Me – “Your
firm is the best in the country. From the day I set foot in law school I have
worked to join your firm. With a large clientele and a team consisting of experienced
professionals, it helps to develop one’s legal acumen.”
Real me - *makes
a mental note to learn the spelling of the full name of the firm* *tries to remember
how to breath*
Q. Why do you
want to pursue corporate law? Are you sure you do not want to pursue a career
in academics, NGOs or international organizations?
Imaginary me – “Corporate
law is challenging. It thrills me. I am absolutely certain about it. Pursuing
any other option is beyond my imagination. I am least inclined towards anything other than corporate law.”
Real Me – “Corporate
law interests me a lot. This is what I want. I am not interested in any of the
things you mentioned. I never have been. I never will be.” *stops shaking* *looks
on blankly* *feels empty* *dies inside*
And that’s
pretty much how my one week of preparations went. Thankfully on the eighth day I
received a mail saying that the writer regretted to inform that the shortlist had
further been shortened and I had unfortunately not made the cut. I shut the laptop
and for the first time in three days, smiled. And so ended my climb on the corporate ladder.
On Day Zero I was
there in the waiting room to support my friends appearing for the interviews. I
saw my batchmates flipping through reading material, recounting points. Among
them was a boy who had once told me that he wanted to be a professor of legal
philosophy. He was sitting next to one of the batch toppers who could have been
a foreign ambassador of India if he had pursued his interest in foreign policy.
The social litigator and the UN worker were also waiting their turns. Destiny
seemed busy at work.
Day Zero was
indeed one of the most important days in my life. I didn’t get a job. I didn’t get an internship. Hell, I didn’t even
get an interview. But being forced towards something I didn’t want in fact made
me confident about what I wanted. A lost spark was rekindled. Do I have a plan?
Nope. Will I get there? Absolutely.
Destiny and I have only begun our dance. The rhythm
is yet to pick up and the night is yet to come alive.
