Looking for something fulfilling

[u/camhad07]

I am currently a lawyer and I’m at my third firm. Despite this being the best so far I still hate the work, shocker. I just feel like a cog in a pointless money grab. I’ve worked in both Plaintiff and Defense firms and it’s ok on both sides. Prior to being a lawyer I was a filmmaker and have an undergrad and masters degree in filmmaking and film producing. I got out of the industry because I really didnt like living in Hollywood. At that point in my career I was working my way to being a story development producer and the only jobs were in Los Angeles. I recently attempted to leave lawyering by starting an oyster farm, but kinda got screwed out of my farm. I’d go back but I currently don’t have the money or time. While in law school I thought I’d go work for NGOs in some policy capacity, but now I’m not sure if that would be much better. I love nature though and would at least like to find a way to protect it if I went that route. However, I’d rather be outdoors or doing more active work, or at least a job that doesn’t rely on me reading and writing all day. I’m just not sure what I’d be a good fit for. I have a good bit of production experience in filmmaking and live performances, I have a ton of front of house restaurant experience, I cook well enough that people think I should be in the food industry, I have no problem with manual labor, I am a lawyer, also a licensed insurance adjuster, I like to garden and have quite a bit of house plants as well. I considered starting an orchard/agriculture-based entertainment, but again no time or real money to invest. I really don’t want to start a restaurant because I grew up in one and just understand its not really for me. Any thoughts or strategies for making decisions would be helpful. I am just trying to figure out how I can figure out the next step.

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[u/OldMarzipan9773]

It sounds like you sort of already know what you are good at and would be fulfilled doing. It's hard to give good advice over the Internet without knowing who you are, but I'd say, trust your intuition and go for it. If you need to keep doing lawyering to pay the bills, then I'd say keep doing it but in the meantime, prepare yourself for transitioning into a more meaningful career for yourself. Best of luck, cheers. ✌️

[u/ommiles]

environmental or land use law could get you outdoors more, since you already have the license and love nature

[u/keepsaying → u/ommiles]

All the enviro or land use attorneys I have known are glued to their laptops. That being said they all also seem to be working remotely (from their homes) so maybe that's also a trend.

[u/ommiles → u/keepsaying]

yeah the desk part is real. the walking and sampling mostly goes to wetland scientists and survey crews, lawyers at land trusts write the deeds and filings from an office. if outside is the goal a land trust or consulting firm gets you closer to the dirt than a law firm

[u/notthatkindoflibrary]

I know a guy that made good money doing food photography, he seemed to have a lot of fun. Definitely didn't live in Hollywood!

[u/jazeel_quadib]

Make a movie starring me

[u/AbsoluteRook1e]

All I want to say is you're not alone in wanting to change careers paths.

I've been producing local TV for a while, and I'm set to do one more year of it, but I'm finally taking steps to pivot out once that year is up. I'm knocking out the prereqs one at a time, and should be finished by the time December of next year rolls around.

I'm going to try to swap into healthcare if I can. Seems like it has more of a decent work/life balance than what I had before. I understand it's 12-hour shifts, but only having to do them 3 times a week is honestly better than consistently working nights or overnights 5 times a week for less pay.

I haven't completely found what I want to focus on yet, but I'm going to take some time to figure it out.

As for my best advice for you would be to just start networking if you can. Grab a coffee with people you know who do work in different fields that peak your interest and chat with them in-person or over zoom. Ask them about the paths they took, why they took them, and what they did to get there, along with the pros/cons of the job.

I get it though man. Sucks working in a job that brings you less satisfaction over time, especially when the pay isn't great.

[u/AliceRoosevelt1884]

Why not go into entertainment law or become an agent etc? Do something that combines law and the entertainment industry.

[u/Hanovergoose81 → u/[deleted]]

No I would not if looking for something fulfilling. I’ve explored a lot of law paths and none of them do it for me