Update

So the summer continues. I'm just about done with my fourth week of work, and I'm feeling pretty good about it right now because my boss praised my work today. I'm sure at some point soon enough I'll feel confused and stupid again, but right now, it's kind of nice.

Also, the rest of the interns have shown up (I think - there might be one more yet to come), and they're all cool people I'm enjoying working with, so that's good, too. I think I have yet to master the etiquette of conversations in cubicles... there are four of us in the same room, and while we do chat on occasion (apart from asking each other questions, which we also do), I occasionally worry about being that person who won't shut up. The last time I shared an office was in grad school, where I had squatter's rights on one of a dozen desks in the big T.A. bullpen, and no one really even pretended to get work done there (beyond meeting students, that is), so I might get a little over-social sometimes. Plus, sitting in our cubicles, we communicate as disembodied voices and I can't see facial expressions and body language to read whether someone wants to keep talking or is trying to get their work done. (It amuses the admin. assistant no end to walk by the interns' room and see no one, because we're all behind cubicle walls, but hear our conversations floating through the air.) But I think it's all okay so far. 

I have to confess that the first couple of weeks were kind of hard, not because I disliked anything in particular about what I was doing, but because, honestly? Starting this job felt much more like leaving academia than starting law school did. Law school involves a new role, new people, and wrestling with a new conceptual universe, but it shares pretty much the same rhythms with my previous universe. There are whole chunks of my day open for me to dispose of as I wish. There is no one time designated for lunch. I always take work home with me. And it doesn't matter what I wear. None of these things are true about having a legal job. I think I actually had to spend a little time doing the last of my grieving for my academic career.

Of course, it didn't help that I was completing the write-on assignment for the journals at my school. (Law reviews, in which much/most legal scholarship is published, are run entirely by students. Each school has at least one, usually the Your University Name Here Law Review, which is general, and usually some other journals on specialized topics. To be part of a journal, at my school you have to "write on," that is, write a paper based on a set of sources provided by the current journal managers, as well as put citations in proper Bluebook format. For any academics out there who have complained about their field's style guide: the Bluebook is worse. Trust me.) Because my school's journal people are insane, they gave us a month to work on the write-on. (A lot of schools give you a week.) That month starts right after finals. I started working the Monday after finals, so needless to say, I did NOT spend a month working on this thing. Rather, I spent three weeks worrying about how I was not working on the write-on, and about a week truly working on it. That did NOT make for glee and cheer. But anyway, at least it's done now!

So that's what's up with me. Weekends have taken on a whole new significance and I confess I'm thrilled tomorrow is Friday. Big plans for the weekend: seeing Up, and doing lots of laundry. Just maybe I'll think of something to blog about, too.

Comments

[Cathy]

It depends on the office environment, of course, but one of the big differences I discovered between working in academia and working in a cube-based office environment is that out of politeness for your office mates any conversation longer than 5 minutes should be kept for lunch. When you're chatting to your neighbor -- even if you're both interested in the conversation -- your other neighbors have to listen, too. And they might not be interested in squirrel's diets, the NFL, or how drunk your dad got at dinner. Or, my least favorite, how stupid the 17th century colonists to Massachusetts were because DUH! didn't they KNOW what the weather was going to be like? I mean, how stupid can you BE? (this went on for 10 minutes while I tried to concentrate because I was on deadline).

[long hot summer]

Oh, man, good luck with UP I found it overly schmaltzy and boring. It tugged at my heart strings a bit too much.

[The History Enthusiast]

I am glad that you've found a rhythm!

We had a TA bullpen here at one point, and it was tons of fun hanging out, but everyone did their work at home or in the library.

At my old job we had cubes in one straight line, and sometimes the person on my left would have a conversation with the person on my right, and I would be stuck in the middle. It was a little unnerving, but generally I didn't mind. I think Cathy's rule is an excellent one, though.

[Janice]

I think I actually had to spend a little time doing the last of my grieving for my academic career.

I think that's a very important insight, here. You're mourning that loss but I hope you're also careful not to idealize what's lost -- remember the horrific elements as well as the wonderful parts. And give yourself that chance to see what else is good and wonderful in the new job style. (As well as the weekend movie!)

[Sabine Hikel]

New Kid, I'd love to interview you for my podcast at LeavingAcademia.com. When I sent the interview request to your Yahoo email account, though, it got bounced back--twice. Could you let me know how I can best get in touch with you to talk about the possibility of an interview? You've got a unique angle on the process of leaving academia, and I'd love to talk to you about it.