Work

My father has been an insurance litigation and trial attorney in the state of NJ for over twenty-five years. Although he does not regret achieving his law degree, being a lawyer is definitely not a career choice he would choose again. Looking back on the time in which he was deciding his career path, he realizes that he probably chose his career for the wrong reasons. It has become apparent to him that he was trying to impress his father as well as outshine his brothers who are not college graduates. He was trying to prove to himself and others that he could be better than those before him, his parents, and his brothers. Instead of following in the footsteps of his father and taking over the family business, he wanted to blaze his own trail and become what he hoped would be a "hot-shot", a rich attorney. However, after twenty-five years of attempting to make this vision a reality, my dad has finally realized his idea is unrealistic and that law is not his calling. Instead, his many miserable years as a lawyer have amounted to nothing but problems and stress. He now works at a guitar center after realizing that people should do what they love, and he loves music. My dad finally loves his job after realizing that it is more important to love what you do than for others to love what you do.
After watching my dad's misery as a lawyer I know that one's career does not define them, neither does it become their identity. Your career does become a part of you but it definitely does not affect the person you are inside. If your job hides the person you are or stifles your happiness, you will one day realize it and your true calling will eventually become apparent.