Candace is a 22 year old part-time law student who also works two part-time jobs. What are your two part time jobs?
I am a student representative for a company that prepares law students for the bar exam and I work at a contempo spa/tanning salon.
What do you like to do for fun?
My favorite thing to do is read. I especially like science fiction books. I also enjoy watching movies and having game nights with friends.
Wow, law school. Did you always know that you wanted to attend law school?
Before I decided to attend law school, I was an aspiring elementary school teacher. After one year in an education program, I knew teaching was not for me. There were a couple of things that deterred me from going into this field. It seemed that this pink collared job left me with few oppor tunities to advance, little opportunities for my views on education to be heard, and not enough respect for the amount of work done. I reflected on what I wanted from my job and decided that the teaching field would not fulfill me. After a month of deliberation, I decided that becoming part of the legal system is what I wanted to do.
What are your career goals?
Once I finish school I hope to become an attorney in the corporate sector. I hope to stay in this field as long as I can handle 70 hour work weeks. I love to work hard, and I enjoy working; however, I know that I can only sustain that path for so long. Eventually, I would like to work in civil rights or some type of advocacy field. I want to be a voice for those who do not have a voice of their own.
How are you working to achieve your goals?
My life right now is very busy, but I love every minute of it. Three days of the week typically begin at 4:30 a.m. One of my part-time jobs starts at 5:50 a.m. in the morning. After working an eight hour shift, I typically go straight to school an hour away from my work. Once there, I study for two to three hours, then I go to class. Class ends around 9:30 p.m.
After class I stay at school and try to be productive, but if I have nothing that needs immediate attention I go home and catch up on my sleep. The other four days of the week are also devoted to working and school work. Every week I give myself one night off to relax and spend time with those who mean the most to me. However tiring it can be, I love this time in my life, I know that the work I put in now will help me succeed later in life.
Do you have any advice to offer others? What would it be?
Yes. My best piece of advice to anyone is to discover what your true passions and aspirations are in life. You have to identify what you truly want before you can start any journey.
How will you kick-start your career?
I want to find an internship position in corporate law. I am looking for contacts in a corporation in Dallas that will allow me to shadow them and work as an assistant to learn from them.
