INTRODUCTION
Most people have a wish to make themselves known to the world, myself included. However, it never struck me that I would eventualy seek to do so via the Internet. Obviously the workplace is not a large enough place to make known your thoughts and aspirations, nor is it appropriate. This statement holds especially true when you work for what is arguably the most controversial public service agency in Australia, if not the entire southern hemisphere.
On the subject of work, it bothers me immensely that with each passing year I become increasingly adept at spending copious amounts of time doing absolutely nothing. During several years of law school, I met numerous students with drive and ambition. Most appeared to have their lives mapped out:- paralegal work followed by a graduate solicitor position, followed by positions of associate, senior associate, then partner. It all sounded so simple at the time, a workable plan if you will. However, most changed their minds when introduced to the concept of 12-14 hour days involving (6) minute billing periods - thirty (30) seconds if you were on the phone. Often the supposedly simple task of filling out your timesheet could carry itself well into the late evening.
Ah well, the mid-tier and top-tier firms all rejected me following my graduation from an Arts/Law (Hons) double degree from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Although a blessing in disguise, I initially believed myself cursed and frantically enrolled myself in a postgraduate law course seeking mental stimulation. A Master of Laws (Corporate and Commercial) was swiftly followed by an SJD (Doctorate in Juridical Science). However, this latter degree has been put on hold as my mind comes to grasp the importance of the concept of 'career'. During my time in postgraduate study, some two (2) years went by quite amicably without my already taxed brain having to strain under 7:30am-9:00pm hours. Do lawyers really work more than those in alternative professions? Do we equate long hours to competence and dedication ? Or is it simply that we're grossly inefficient ? Who knows .... perhaps only those individuals slaving away in top-tier law firms past 7pm, working on their time sheets and ensuring that the 7.5 billable hours requirement has been satisfied.
BACKGROUND
Dad has a Pakistani background, despite having spent most of his life travelling around the Middle East and South East Asia. Mom's from Syria. Both are highly-educated and motivated people. Perhaps a little too much so since I was close to disowned upon having undertaken an Arts/Law degree at the undergraduate level. Dad never tired of telling me that BA stood for Bachelor of Bugger All, and that upon graduating from an Arts degree the graduands would all be presented with a taxi driver's license and a beaded seat cover. You have to admit that was a great call though. Man should've done stand up comedy at university bars.
Lived in some 22 different countries before finally settling down in Sydney, Australia. Went to a public school, commenced an undergraduate course in Arts (Communications and Cultural Industries) / Law (Hons). One year later completed a Masters of Law in Corporate and Commercial Law. Rivetting stuff. I was so excited during those classes that most evenings I could scarcely stand up from behind my desk for fear of embarassment. Those seeking to understand the nature of sarcasm, please pay note to the preceding sentence.
PRESENT POSITION
Most people have a wish to make themselves known to the world, myself included. However, it never struck me that I would eventualy seek to do so via the Internet. Obviously the workplace is not a large enough place to make known your thoughts and aspirations, nor is it appropriate. This statement holds especially true when you work for what is arguably the most controversial public service agency in Australia, if not the entire southern hemisphere.
On the subject of work, it bothers me immensely that with each passing year I become increasingly adept at spending copious amounts of time doing absolutely nothing. During several years of law school, I met numerous students with drive and ambition. Most appeared to have their lives mapped out:- paralegal work followed by a graduate solicitor position, followed by positions of associate, senior associate, then partner. It all sounded so simple at the time, a workable plan if you will. However, most changed their minds when introduced to the concept of 12-14 hour days involving (6) minute billing periods - thirty (30) seconds if you were on the phone. Often the supposedly simple task of filling out your timesheet could carry itself well into the late evening.
Ah well, the mid-tier and top-tier firms all rejected me following my graduation from an Arts/Law (Hons) double degree from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Although a blessing in disguise, I initially believed myself cursed and frantically enrolled myself in a postgraduate law course seeking mental stimulation. A Master of Laws (Corporate and Commercial) was swiftly followed by an SJD (Doctorate in Juridical Science). However, this latter degree has been put on hold as my mind comes to grasp the importance of the concept of 'career'. During my time in postgraduate study, some two (2) years went by quite amicably without my already taxed brain having to strain under 7:30am-9:00pm hours. Do lawyers really work more than those in alternative professions? Do we equate long hours to competence and dedication ? Or is it simply that we're grossly inefficient ? Who knows .... perhaps only those individuals slaving away in top-tier law firms past 7pm, working on their time sheets and ensuring that the 7.5 billable hours requirement has been satisfied.
BACKGROUND
Dad has a Pakistani background, despite having spent most of his life travelling around the Middle East and South East Asia. Mom's from Syria. Both are highly-educated and motivated people. Perhaps a little too much so since I was close to disowned upon having undertaken an Arts/Law degree at the undergraduate level. Dad never tired of telling me that BA stood for Bachelor of Bugger All, and that upon graduating from an Arts degree the graduands would all be presented with a taxi driver's license and a beaded seat cover. You have to admit that was a great call though. Man should've done stand up comedy at university bars.
Lived in some 22 different countries before finally settling down in Sydney, Australia. Went to a public school, commenced an undergraduate course in Arts (Communications and Cultural Industries) / Law (Hons). One year later completed a Masters of Law in Corporate and Commercial Law. Rivetting stuff. I was so excited during those classes that most evenings I could scarcely stand up from behind my desk for fear of embarassment. Those seeking to understand the nature of sarcasm, please pay note to the preceding sentence.
PRESENT POSITION
Working as a Project Officer in a federal department dealing with humanitarian law and policy. Most interesting position I have held in years, despite being involved in several different legal fields.
