Hmm. I think i need to start finding out what kind of jobs i can do with a law degree. I find it hard to be motivated when i'm in a field where i'm not at the front of the pack, or even worse, somewhere in the middle of the rear half of the rat-race.
Which seems to be the case at the moment. I like to think that i'm very good at philosophy, creative thinking, and abstract thinking. But law does not really require much of that. Or at least law school does not. I consistently do well at "bullshitting subjects" like SLS and Legal Theory, but not at the rest.
I used to think i could do much better in law. But it's only after my first year that i realised what a small fish i am. Because the traits that i have don't help much when i'm someone who takes 5 minutes to read a page of my CLT readings, who cannot study for more than 10 minutes at a time before losing focus, and who cannot listen to the lecturer talk and take notes at the same time because, while i'm typing, i can't focus on what he's saying. Maybe i needs to attend workshops to help me acquire these skills.
When i went to law school, i realised that there are a lot of people there with special talents that you don't notice at first. There are people who can speed read pages of complex articles and digest everything. There are people who seem really quiet and shy, only for you to discover that they are experienced school debaters with great skill at impromptu speaking under pressure. There are people who can listen to the lecturer and type down notes at 100+ words per minute at the same time. There are people who can look at the confusing mess of a syllabus and organise a great study plan. There are disciplined people who can play hard for one hour and immediately get into study mode for the next hour. There are people who are so thick-skinned that they can get ready-made essays from their seniors to copy wholesale during open-book exams. There are people who can quickly make friends with professors and who are masters at making conversation. There are people who seem simple or who talk in all sorts of Singlish accents but still write so beautifully.
For those who intend to go law school, or who are interested in taking law, let me tell you this: hard work triumphs over intelligence. You're going to have to read TONS when you enter law school, so people with a lot of physical and mental tolerance tend to do better. It helps if you have a habit of reading as well. If you're still in the habit of reading one novel a day, then good for you (beware of losing the reading habit, soldiers!). And among the hard workers, if you want a rough gauge of how well you're going to do in law school, look no further than at your English scores; in particular, your summary and comprehension sections. Being good at narratives might not be a good thing. Failing at Math all the time does not preclude you from the Dean's List. Literature students do better than most.
Maybe i'm giving up early when i say that i'm probably going to get a 2nd lower honours degree when i graduate. I could practise law in a normal firm, but i'm unsure if i could go far in that field. I'm confident of having a good working relationship in my colleagues, but i can picture myself getting tongue-tied every time i have to say something impromptu to a judge or even to a client.
So, well, i think it's time i started looking into alternative job opportunities. It doesn't have to be something that is not law-related; it could still be related to a particular law topic that i'm interested in. I dunno.
Or i could just keep mugging.
