You haven’t wasted all these years…

Hi,

I talk to a lot of lawyers who dream of a different career.

And a lot of them express a common frustration — they feel that they’ve “wasted” so many years in school and developing very specific skills, that they don’t have the skills for their desirable career.

First of all, I want to say that those years were not a waste of time.

In fact, all of those years in law school and developing a practice in divorce law (or whatever your specific practice may be) is what will get you that dream job.

The key is to do a little translation work.

You may have specific experience, like mediating divorces, or drafting non-disclosure agreements, but that doesn’t mean the skills you use to do your work can’t be applied elsewhere.

To uncover your transferable skills, you need to break down your work into its components. What general skills does mediation involve? What about drafting agreements?

When it comes to attorneys, some common transferable skills are writing, editing, training, presenting, public speaking, research, analytics, business strategy, management, project management, and leadership development. By highlighting subskills like these on your resume, a patent attorney can become a marketer, and you can shift into any industry you desire.

If you’re not sure where you want to head next with your career, taking a look at your transferable skills is a great first step. Look for careers that utilize your transferable skills, especially the ones you most enjoy using.

Was this helpful, ?

I know that it can be daunting to figure out what’s next in your career.

Just a reminder that if you want to get serious about moving your career to the next stage, coaching is a great way to steer you in the right direction, and help you avoid costly mistakes.

I’m always here for you if you need me. You can schedule a free introductory coaching session with me, and we can talk it through together.

Stay bold,

Toya