Are you an Employer?    Attract the Best Candidates with Smart Job Postings! Search Legal Resumes
Legal Jobs Board for Attorneys, Law Students & Legal Staff | Serving USA & Other Countries | LawCrossing

 
Job Seekers?   

Need Help? Call (800) 973-1177 
ATTORNEY JOBS
LAW STUDENT JOBS
LEGAL STAFF JOBS
Download LawCrossing Online Apps: Apple iOS
 
See Law Jobs We Have Recently Researched and Located for You
What Where
Show Recruiter Jobs  

Show Refreshed Jobs  



Search in Job Title Only
Location 
Job Type:
Employer Type:

+ Browse Legal Jobs     + Advanced Search     + Search Tips     + Upload Legal Resume
Legal Jobs >> Legal Articles >> Feature >> Are You Mistaking A Comfort Zone For Job-satisfaction?
  • Feature

Are You Mistaking a Comfort Zone for Job-satisfaction?



Attorneys, like others in institutionalized professions, become accustomed to surroundings, develop patterns and habits of work, and create comfort zones that they subconsciously refuse to leave. Some are truly satisfied, and seem to have found their place in life, while others are just kidding themselves and killing their careers, just because they are afraid to leave comfort zones.

The same desk, the same window scene, the same courtrooms, the same security personnel, the same court staff, and the same pattern of work every day can work into the minds of even superheroes. Even the thought of separating one's self from such constants can cause pain, and our ever-present psychological defenses lull us into thinking everything is well as long as our relationships with those constants remain unchanged. It is illogical, but true nevertheless.

Surprisingly, how one is brought up, and the social context of a person, regardless of his or her individual mettle, plays a big role in shaping comfort zones. A study into the matter five years back shows “the more general measures of career satisfaction and mobility intentions are clearly related to patterns of social stratification. The analyses revealed that lawyers most satisfied with their career choice graduated from less selective law schools and work in less prestigious settings …lawyers least committed to staying with their employer are those who have the most options: graduates of top-tier law schools, working in larger private firms and in the federal government. In short, these patterns reinforce a structure of the profession whereby lawyers from the less selective school remain in the positions that are relatively less prestigious and remunerative, with expressions of satisfaction playing a key role in this process.” (Dinovitzer, and Garth)

In fact, as research shows, people in intellectual professions like attorneys, often convince their own selves into believing they are happy with particular surroundings and job prospects, though, in fact, they could have moved to better circumstances and career prospects if they were able to overcome inertia. A lawyer in particular has a greater chance of falling prey to this syndrome because almost all challenges faced by a lawyer in terms of work and achievement are intellectual. Change keeps happening every day on the intellectual horizon for a lawyer, and constants on the physical horizon, from table lamps to favorite corners of the lounge are subconsciously sought to bring that ever-present stress of intellectual changes and challenges into finite perspectives. These, in turn become attached to the subconscious in a manner that the mere thought of leaving familiar surroundings causes mental pain.

To remain true to one's career objectives, and be true to one's own self, a lawyer needs to find critically whether the surroundings he/she finds so satisfying, also sufficiently fulfill his/her job and career objectives expected at that point of life. One also has to be sure that the present circumstances hold enough prospects to continue pursuing career objectives in the foreseeable future, before declaring the attainment of job-satisfaction.
Related Article
Are You Kidding? A Personal Submarine!

For the first time ever, you can own your very own luxury submarine. The Phoenix 1000 makes underwater travel for adventure-seeking billionaires a reality. ....

Are Smart Phones A Smart Move For Your Firm

In my scanning of the internet waves, I recently read that over 22 percent of law firms have plans to invest in new technologies, including handing out more smart phones. The survey was conducted by CompTIA. ....

Law Schools and Employment Rates

U.S. News surveyed 184 accredited programs to get the information used in the ranking of top law schools. ....

Ronit Dinovitzer, and Bryant G. Garth, "Lawyer Satisfaction in the Process of Structuring Legal Careers," Law & Society Review 41.1 (2007)
Share      
     
Rate This Article
   View top rated articles

Printable Version    Printable Version PDF Version    PDF Version Email to a Friend    Email to a Friend
Comment    Post A Comment View Comment    View Comment Discuss    Discuss

Featured Testimonials

LawCrossing has a variety of job listings for every legal position. It helps you a lot to decide on your career.
Stephanie

Facts

LawCrossing Fact #191: LawCrossing adds hundreds of additional domains every week, allowing us to provide you with access to more job listings every time you conduct a search.

"We want to hear your thoughts. Please comment on this article (below)!"

Comments


Article ID: 7671    

Article Title: Are You Mistaking a Comfort Zone for Job-satisfaction?

Comment not found for this article.

Comment Comment

Facebook comments:


total jobs
94,106
Upload Your Resume
New Legal Jobs in Last 7 Days
10,208
Facebook Twitter
job search tip
There's no stigma associated with losing your job. It's happening to a lot more people now than ever before. So never, never be ashamed of it.
LawCrossing



The Job Search Program that Guarantees Success.
Our career counselor creates a tailor-made job search strategy for you and walks you through every step of the process.
Create your unique brand for just $2,495!
2013 Most Influential Legal Recruiter Rankings
Get the ranking

Your privacy is guaranteed. We will never give out, lease, or sell your personal information.




Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars.