By now the dust has settled on the 2L Toronto recruitment process. Many students ended the first week of November with a summer job in place. They should be congratulated, but we also must speak to the large group of students who did not secure employment. It’s not just about saying, “all will work out and you will land your dream summer (and articling) gig.” Likely you have heard enough of these kind words of encouragement. They really don’t go very far right now.
It remains absolutely true that any 2L who went through the fall recruitment process should not feel bad if they did not get a job from it. The recruitment process is a weird creature with such prominence in this school that most students enter it with an underlying expectation that they actually will be one of the people to secure a job at the end. It’s an expectation fed on a mix of hope for job security and, frankly, a level of entitlement that comes from studying at a top ranking law school. It can be easy to indulge a belief that we deserve to have our summer, and in many cases articling, sorted by the time we reach the middle of November in 2L.
At the end of the day only about half the class actually lands a gig through this process. As clever and excellent as students here can be, sometimes it’s just random who ends up where, if anywhere at all. We need to acknowledge this route is just one of many to pursue in the quest for employment, and success in the process is not as far reaching as we often think.
Still, it is difficult if it did not pan out for you. Of course there is disappointment for the time and energy invested in a process that did not result in tangible success. You should not feel bad, but you have a right to feel however you do. It likely includes a lot of said disappointment, at least some anger and frustration, and perhaps a smidgen of relief too. Some days it will feel perfectly fine and on other days it will feel worse. It’s important to keep perspective on those bad days and to not feed the self-destructive fears that may be lingering in your psyche. You are not a failure. You are not less smart or talented or awesome than your classmates. You are not destined for a sub-par legal career. All of it is complete crap that we may tell ourselves in moments of disappointment. Don’t feed those beasts. They do not lead to moving forward positively in life.
Moving forward is really what it’s all about. The frustrating part of not securing a job now is that you still have to keep applying. Unfortunately there is no way around this. However, not having a summer job yet actually has a lot of benefits. It truly makes you consider what you may want in your legal career—at least for the first few years. Seriously think about what types of law you are interested in, what kinds of environments you actually want to work in, or where you even want to be. While these are questions students should be asking themselves along the way, often getting a job in November pauses these contemplations for quite some time.
Also realize that the only law you have studied so far is the general 1L curriculum and half a term of four to five courses. These courses likely include classes you thought would help you in the hiring process rather than being anything you actually enjoy. There are so many more classes to take. It’s quite possible that you have yet to take the ones you’re truly interested in and want to pursue in the legal profession. There was this giant door open during the recruitment process and now you will start noticing the countless smaller doors leading down new paths waiting to be explored. These routes may actually be a way better fit than anything available before. Even if they’re not, they may lead you to the next place you want to go.
And what happens now? Students get other non-OCI summer jobs, both in law or in other fields. Most secure articling positions between now and the end of their 3L year. Life in law school continues on its way with assignments, Pub Nights, exams, and extracurriculars. Those days of frustration and disappointment continue to pop up at times. However, with a healthier perspective those disappointments fade as new opportunities are pursued, and there will be new opportunities. There always are.
