A Little Bit of Paranoia is Good

My biggest complaint about my summer experience at my current law firm was that my fellow summers were, to put it bluntly, boring and paranoid. They were not fun. They were very conservative. Well, almost all of them.

And while I was very sad to have no one to party with that summer but my beautiful but very busy defending her thesis roommate, their strategy paid off. We all got offers (all the conservative ones; I was conservative by default because I wasn't about to use my final option on those boring Saturday nights and go out with my boyfriend!). Businesses/law firms like their employees boring and the same. After working in the business world in general, and law firm work in specific, this is my final answer.

I think that at least initially, I didn't understand the market. I work in the midwest; people actually get married here (rather than obsess over it, but never do anything because in reality they like their single lives). People have children here, and I do mean more than one. People stay married too, even though they are unhappy. And it is the norm. And married people, they don't go out and party till 3 or 4 in the morning, sleep for three hours, and roll into work wearing the same eye shadow they were wearing last night. I do know that now. I haven't partied on a week night in so long, I don't remember what it feels like. Except I do remember that it ended tragically (ie was an adventure with the boyfriend).

There are a few perks to this new lifestyle though. I don't know how I would afford all the going out clothes and the work clothes. Banana Republic is kind of expensive regular priced and I don't think that Gap cuts it all that well anymore. Furthermore, I have experienced enough department store suits to know that they literally fall apart (the Macy's ones). I can't go to court with one hem longer than the other (I tried; not pretty).

I see the summer associates doing the same thing this summer. They are very boring. But maybe that is a good thing for their careers. And I wonder, maybe this is all part of growing up and why you shouldn't be at the same parties that college students are at when you have a job. Maybe it is a good thing that I left my college and law school town to be employed. But what, oh what, does a post-graduate school but still young a hip girl do to have fun around this place? Acceptably, I mean.