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How is the work life balance in cognizant ?
Additional Posts in Advertising Confessions
I am not ok.
Good lord this open space is insufferable
I’m white.. and a man. Shhh, don’t tell anyone.
Sometimes I don't uphold the company mission 😱
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As a copywriter married to a lawyer, absolutely not. Law is way more miserable.
You work way way way more. My husband isnt even at a NY firm and he worked Christmas Day.
You are always on call and there is zero project management. Inefficiency is incentivized bc it means you bill more hours.
Law school requires an LSAT and bar exam AND 3 years of grueling school that costs a fortune. My husband had free ride tuition but had to pay for room/board/books and we are 6 figs in debt.
And anywhere that’s not like this (public defender, NGO work, even boutique law) — you’ll make the same or less than advertising, especially if you account for the debt.
I dated a pediatrician for a while. She’s in $200k+ of debt and I think she only makes around $200k at 41. I make $135k and have zero debt.
So we’re not doing too bad for doing a pretty dumb job.
She gets yelled at by rude parents and cursed at and threatened by teenagers. She’s also been punched by a teenager.
The joys of working in the ER
Ok thanks for the reality check everyone 🙏 I’m just unhappy and sometimes it’s easier to sit in the world of “what ifs” and “coulda, shoulda, wouldas” than addressing my current situation head on.
But also keep sharing ur opinions and stories 👀
I’ve had that thought, especially after binging Suits.
My friend’s wife is a very successful business lawyer. While they both do incredibly well for themselves, I think she JUST finished paying off law school.
Same thing with doctors. Of course they make bank, but they spend the first decade of their career paying off student debt.
It’s also wayyy more stressful. For doctors - you mess up or miss a deadline? It’s literally life or death. We miss a deadline? The client may think it’s life or death, but it’s really not a big deal
My best friend went to law school around the same time I went to ad school. I’m debt free, she still has six figures of student loan debt. She worked in a family law office ie writing wills and stuff - it doesn’t pay that well and they constantly have to scrounge for new clients (it’s almost like being a real estate estate agent, where it’s all about who you know and getting referrals, showing up at community events and trading favors with other business owners so they’ll refer people to you. Her boss chewed her out because she didn’t use “his” people when she bought a house, like it was this big betrayal that was going to ruin his reputation.) Before that, she has a brief miserable stint in an ambulance chasing Big Law type place where it’s cutthroat and they work juniors to the bone, and that’s not even getting into how law school is a huge racket.
I don’t know about smaller markets, but I can tell you from direct experience that New York City lawyers have absolutely zero life. They work all weekend most weekends. The billable hour requirements are irrational.. and you have to meet them, regardless of if you took vacation, or needed a day off to go to the doctor, etc. Basically anytime you take off, you have to work those hours at some other point that month. Can’t imagine living that nightmare. It may be the only thing with less work life balance than Advertising.
Same!
This might make you feel better.
https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/greedy-associates/pretty-much-everyone-regrets-going-to-law-school
I always say if I went back and did it again I would go to law school instead
Well I went to school for art, would up in operations, then spent 12 years in account… so I’m all over the place anyway. But after all this time this job never changes, it’s the same recycled problems over and over and over again.
I’m still working 70+ hours a week like a lawyer, but not getting that lawyer billing OT. I sit and read and argue legal language constantly in my role, and I’m pretty good at it.
I’ve achieved professional “success” to a degree, but my lifestyle is still nickel and diming and paycheck to paycheck in my personal life. Also there’s a million VPs, it’s an appeasement title to be honest, and given so they can justify a raise in our industry, and been sitting with that title for 5 years.
It would have been a more interesting life with more money in my pocket to enjoy when I’m not working around the clock. Lawyer me up
Doubtful, AI is coming for that too. Places like Trust&Will and Legal Zoom have most retail level contracts templated out already. Chasing paychecks isn't the key to a meaningful career.
Legal zoom is an utter joke of a service. Saying this from experience, even with something as trivial as applying for a trademark. Point being, if AI is coming for that, let it.