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Hi All,
A suggestion required on the following companies. My personal details are YOE: 10+, Tech stack: React, Node, Express, Mongo, Jenkins, AWS(basics)
Offers in Hand:
Caterpillar Inc. : 37(32 Fixed)
@GE Healthcare : 44(38 Fixed)
How is work culture in Caterpillar & GE Healthcare?
Caterpillar: Don't know much about the project details, manager is friendly
GE Healthcare: Manager is like stretching work hours, weekend working etc.
Please help choose a company
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Hi Fishes,
Does Deloitte USI have any cool down period, if you apply and do not get any response from the company? I had previously applied in a role, but didn't hear back from them. So, I'm planning to try to apply via referral this time and I'm wondering if I should use the same e-mail ID or a different one! Deloitte USI
I am currently recruiting for a number of critical roles at START Treatment and Recovery Centers in NYC .
workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=c58607d4-2b95-4715-834d-b3deab740f49&ccId=19000101_000001&type=JS&lang=en_US
Please feel freeto call me at 718-260-2940 or email at wmohammed@startny.org to discuss these opportinuites.
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Has anyone else been feeling this way?
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Plot twist: it’s not about having the chops to cut it at your firm. There is not a specific or set number of hours, cases or clients you need to reach. It’s just infinite and the partners / the firm will suck you dry until you say stop or gtfo
How have you survived this long? How has your marriage survived? Throwing up every day is not a sign? Take a leave of absence and get into therapy and figure out why you have let this happen (that is, why you have chosen this) and how to determine and achieve your goals.
P1: is a LOA a real option? I really need it for the same reason as OP
Seriously if you don’t absolutely love the work or absolutely need the money, this shit is not worth it
Pro
This is why I’ll always advocate for paying off your school debt (if any) ASAP. Gives you flexibility to say no and not care about the repercussions. Do the kind of work you want in an amount you feel comfortable with. If that amount is below your billable target, just go to a part-time schedule. Don’t play the games. Don’t shmooze. Just do good work and put yourself and your family first. Let the dominos fall where they may at that point.
You’ll be able to pay your mortgage and car payments with a non big law job
I felt the same years ago and realized that most of my most brilliant and accomplished class mates in law school (some of the ones everyone was certain would make partner because they had the looks, smarts and social skills) were also the first to leave. Then my therapist made me realize that it’s not that people can’t do the job, it’s they no longer want to.
Honestly you need to set some boundaries. No one I know in big law works every single weekend, that sounds like hell. If your firm doesn’t let you set those boundaries or say no to work, long term would recommend going on a part time / counsel schedule. It allows you to say no to work and if you do bill more than the required hours some firms pro rate salary to hours you worked.
I don't think that matters. Even the non partnership track counsel seem expected to bill around 2200-2400
I could have written this!
Me too
Most of the people I know who made partner
are the people that nobody liked in law school. The field might implode in a couple of years when those people get deequitized and the boomer partners retire. People who can’t make friends don’t have clients.
You. Are. Not. Alone. I feel the same way and have for way too long. Now it's trying to figure out what to do about that realization!
Leave. That’s the only answer and if you can’t leave right away plan the exit.
I used to - and sometimes still do - stress about not matching up to my peers, not being the top pick etc. But then I remind myself that stellar work is rewarded with more work and the way to stay in the longer term (no intention to make partner) is to be amongst the average associate
The partners billing the crazy hours love the grind and don’t feel the way OP feels. This is a tough profession and we need to go where we are happy and enjoy the grind because it’s never going to be easy making money doing this. Sticking it out somewhere where you’re unhappy is one of the worst things you could do, unless you put a timer on it and plan your exit
Definitely take it easier. You may be putting more pressure on yourself than warranted, but then again that may be by design.
I got to big law after starting small and realized there was a ton of red tape and bureaucratic B.S. So I left after 5 years. I still get recruited but its not worth it. There are any number of boutique start-ups handling everything from M&A, commercial litigation, real estate, insurance litigation, banking...the list goes on and on. There should be something out there for you. And I would reiterate one of the other comments I saw below about clients. If you don't/can't develop clients, you'll always be a worker bee, even if you're a partner. If you enjoy what you do at a place, you're more likely to be able to develop business, which will only benefit you in the long run. Best of luck.
Agreeing with the above. Don't force yourself to overachieve, especially if you don't enjoy the job. Try to shift to thinking about it as a 40-hour obligation (or whatever number you're comfortable with) and don't let it take over the rest of your life. I'd also look at other practices or career paths - could you go in-house, or into a JD-adjacent position?
I’m where you are now, you’re not alone - strategizing now for a way for this to not keep happening. I haven’t wanted this either for a long time, and am the main breadwinner, so can’t give it up just yet. Speak with your husband, a therapist about how to cut back on work in the meantime, and importantly, find out what it is you’d rather be doing with your life and figure out how to get there - wishing you all the best 🙏
Hang in there, OP! I’ve gone thru these stress cycles too (sans puking - I just don’t eat when I’m that busy/stressed!) and they can be tough. I’m also a BL mid/sr in a lg market, and my field isn’t M&A bad (which seems to be the most notoriously busy) but it has crazy peak periods for sure. I’ve pulled back to back all nighters on a few occasions over past few years, I work 14+ hour days often and worked almost every weekend for 16 months during Covid. I really love my field, colleagues and clients, so that has made the challenges manageable and my job worthwhile. For me it wasn’t an issue of “can I do it and/or do I want to?” - it was more so “why is everyone so pissy and when do I get to sleep and go for a run?”
Setting boundaries - when you can - is the best you can do during busy periods. When you can’t, sometimes you have to grind it out and just work toward the light at the end of the tunnel (easier said than done when the work doesn’t stop, I know). And when you can’t find motivation, you need to figure out how and where to find fulfillment as an attorney (if that’s possible). Some folks are happier going in-house if it’s the firm culture that’s the problem. Others pivot to another practice area. It can take a while to find the answer but if you’re a BL senior associate, you obviously have the chops to make it - you may just need a change of scenery.
Best of luck to you and don’t give up!
You were made for better things than this. I know the pressures that conflate your self worth with your career, and specifically a career practicing at the highest level, but as someone who has been in this world for a long time, with rare exceptions, nothing you achieve at a law firm will bring you the joy and meaning to your life that you are seeking.
It may require a change of living standard, but you will be happier living with "less" when you have more with your family.
I founded a boutique firm that handles significant litigation and trials. We pay associates close to what BigLaw pays. We never expect weekend work unless we are in or about to start a trial. There’s no mistreating of associates and the office is collegial. OP should look at local boutiques. Almost all of our hires are from BigLaw because they have the academic credentials we want and most have learned to write decently. They consider themselves escapees.
Throwing up everyday is terrible for your health. Stop it now. Take disability leave immediately.
Jeez. I’m sorry to hear this. There are ups and downs but it shouldn’t be consistently terrible. Hope you get some help and hope you find a better work environment. Throwing up from anxiety and crying every day is rough are not normal.
You go Glenn coco