Finding A Job

I have found that basic hard work goes a long way. Hard work is something I learned from my parents. They gave me chores, the most consistent ones being vacuuming the stairs, a weekly night of doing the dishes, taking out the trash, and during the summer, weeding the garden. I do not have particularly fond memories of any of those things; it was more fun to sit around with family. But I am grateful that I learned to work.

How can the principle of work that we learned as children help us to be successful in providing for and nourishing our families?

I know I am making a really big stretch to try to understand and incorporate and apply some scriptures from Isaiah, but Jesus said that "great are the words of Isaiah," so I figure it is worth the attempt. The verses, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, say  "a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep; and it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk they shall give he shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land."

The principle I take from this is that steady work, even with small means, can bring a lot of blessings. This goes along with the scripture that says that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." My experience in job-searching also supports this principle.

Looking for jobs was the hard part of law school. I found the classes, reading, and sometimes even writing, to be enjoyable. However, searching for my first summer, second summer, and post-graduation jobs was time consuming, monotonous and frustrating. But the simple work of sending out applications at any chance, and at least a few each week, I got a few interviews and then jobs. I consistently struggled to exude enough confidence in interviews, but with practice that improved.

I failed to get certain big firm or clerkship jobs that I applied to, and had to adjust my aim sometimes, but the new aim worked out to be better than what I thought I wanted. I know everybody has their own uniquely painful failures, and I hope for comfort for you in yours.

While working, my bosses sometimes seemed happy with my work, sometimes not. My most pleased boss expressed gratitude that I was reliable. I think she had a lot of experience with people just not showing up, or not working while at work. That did not come from a fancy law school principle, but just from the basics that my parents taught me, and believing that even when my boss is not looking, God is watching and expects my best effort.

Now I am going to work for a small salary for a year or two, but am living with family for a bit, and they have much more butter and honey than my wife and I buy, so I am confident that things will work out. I think it would be cool to someday have my own criminal and immigration practice, and hope that these principles will let me have flowing butter and honey! : ) I would love to hear your practical or spiritual thoughts on this.