Well today I started my seventh semester of law school.  I am, of course, counting those summer terms I’ve attended over the past three summers – this one being the third and final, thankfully.  This term I have two 2-hour classes, one a skills class and one about legal ethics.  Yes, they really do teach a course in legal ethics.  Unlike some professions (medicine, perhaps?) we have a class on how to treat our clients and other attorneys.  I pointed out medical school because, although there are some really nice and kind physicians, there are some real jerks out there, too.  And those jerks usually think that because THEY went to medical school THEY are smarter than everyone else on the planet.  Well, they aren’t.  Heck, a lot of them can’t even remember or choose not to wash their hands.  Anyway, enough about them.

Today’s class was good.  It’s about real estate transactions.  The professor, an adjunct, is very engaging, energetic, and totally loves his field.  It’s nice to have professors who truly enjoy what they do.  It makes the learning experience more fun, and it also makes the time pass more quickly.  It’s very difficult to sit inside a classroom while the sun is going down, wishing you were outside.  So, anytime that you have a professor teaching a subject of which you have genuine interest, it always makes the time pass more quickly.  Such as tonight.  What is usually the longest 110 minutes of my day was gone in a flash.  I think I’m really going to enjoy that class.

The other class I’m taking – the ethics class – should be interesting, or at least I hope it is.  I once had a boss who told me that my ethics would be my downfall one day – my GOOD ethics, mind you.  I had chosen not to lie about something for him.  I told him that if my good ethics were to be my downfall, then so be it.  I certainly wouldn’t give up my ethics for someone else!  I bought last year’s book for the class because it was $10 versus $178 for the new version, so I hope that I can make it through without too much harm.  I’ve only done that one other time, and it worked out okay, but it wasn’t the main book for the course and was a supplement.  Oh well; we shall see.

Today was also my 12th year anniversary of working at my place of employment.  I didn’t get a party or balloons or anything, and I’m sure I’m the only one who even knew it was happening.  I like what I do, but there are parts of it that I honestly don’t like at all.  I suppose it’s like that with any job.  I just think that there are so many competing interests sometimes, and although I think we work toward a common goal, some people are treated as second-class citizens, and that’s not fair.  It’s like saying that only the guys on the front lines in the firefight matter, and that the guys folding the parachutes don’t.  Any fool knows that you don’t want to make your parachute folder mad!

I have struggled for a while with what I will do when I graduate.  I would really like to work in the law – being a real lawyer, and not just using law in my daily job.  The part of my job that I believe I like the most is when I get to work with architects, engineers, and consultants on building designs.  Tonight, a glimmer of hope transpired in class.  Our professor said that, in his real estate practice, one of his favorite things to do is to work with just those sorts of people.  I may be able to do what I want to do without giving up what I like most.  That felt really good.  The entire class cost, the time and effort I’ll put forth, and the late nights at school were all worth just that one statement alone.

I feel better about my future because of one small statement.

Think of what you can say to someone tomorrow that may have the same effect this did on me.  And…he didn’t even say it to me.  He just said it to the class.  So, whatever you say doesn’t have to be pointed at one person – just make what you say count for the good for someone.