fall 2004 vol. 10 no. 2                                                                                                                         Return to Contents
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In Search of the Rest of Your Career -
Strategies for Change

Chere B. Estrin, Ph.D.

We all start out headed in one direction, and dang, if we don’t end up in another. There are estimates that people have 3-5 careers just in one lifetime. That doesn’t include variations on the career you have now. That’s a lot of time invested, if you include the decision-making process, transition time, learning curve and years to gain a little expertise. For most paralegals I know, this is their second or third career. I mean, how many little kids do you know running around saying, “I want to be a paralegal when I grow up.” Hmmm…. Hardly. That’s like saying, “When I grow up, I’m going to be an actuary.” No, the paralegal career is definitely one you’ve heard about through a friend or read about in an article and most probably chose it through pretty extensive research and only after you’ve experienced another career entirely.

However, there comes a time in everyone’s career when it’s time for change. Change does not necessarily mean you quit the job you have or more drastically, leave the profession. It could mean you want to move up a ladder – whether vertical or horizontal; you may want to change specialties; incorporate travel in your job; learn a new skill; work fewer hours; earn more dollars; meet more people; do more pro bono work; or even transfer to another department. By definition, paralegals perform routine and repetitious tasks. Add that to the fact that you cannot be a paralegal without being above average in intelligence and what you end up with is a smart professional that somehow may have gotten stuck. Hence, it’s time for a change. What I’ve learned over the years is the trick to career changing is to tie-in your past adventures so that each new advance is not a tumultuous, traumatizing experience.
I like to emphasize career changing rather than changing careers. This means taking charge of your present career and changing it around to best suit your needs rather than switching careers all together. But change is hard. I should know. Starting out as a paralegal administrator some years ago and becoming an entrepreneur; switching to executive in a Fortune 500 corporation then to exec in an $80 million company then back again to entrepreneur all the while staying in the legal field, I seemed to have created a pattern of continually pushing change on myself rather than to opt for a more secure road.

However, I am pleased to have been able to leverage my paralegal background in every way possible. At this stage, I’m really relieved I didn’t take my mother’s advice to be a kindergarten teacher in order to have “something to fall back on just in case”. Heck, for additional insurance, she wanted me to marry a dentist – in the Valley – with a pool, and yeah, a little guesthouse out in back. Well, <sigh> things were very different back then.

Twenty years in the legal field has taught me to listen closely to legal professionals who want “something new, something different”. The desire for something different is an emotion people can get excited about. Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen a paralegal get energized about taking a job in order to put more profit in a partner’s pocket. When I suggest a change to an organization where a paralegal makes a difference, I see faces light up.

For many people, a career move may be complex. They may say they want a job where they make a difference but in truth, they want something beyond the tedium or the familiar. But as stops come up and fear of the unknown sets in, commitment to radical change becomes hampered. In reality, they are only trying on the idea for size. While it’s okay to engage in this kind of exploration, you need to come to an understanding as to whether you are committing to change or just fooling around with the idea. Knowing the strength of your commitment has a profound effect on the outcome.

As I review my own career, I realize that I have experienced substantial growth with ease and joy. Recently, I underwent a successful transition to expand upon my attorney and paralegal staffing experience by leveraging that ability into career coaching and educational seminars for the legal professional. Coaching is a new field and an extension of the one I’m leaving. It’s rather like a personal trainer, only for your career rather than your body. (I have absolutely nothing to say on the subject of body – that topic I gave up on years ago.) I empathize with my clients who would like to make a difference. It makes me wonder if the impact I’ve personally made prior to this has been enough. Is that question from age or wisdom? I’ll never really know.

I would like to share with you what I’ve learned on this stimulating career changing journey. If I’m fortunate, perhaps I can help even one person out there who is struggling. I sure hope so because creating career change does not have to be impossible. Remember: it is okay if you don’t know just yet in what direction you want to head. Use this as an opportunity to exercise your fact-finding skills to get enough information to make an intelligent decision about your next strategic career move.

Strategy #1: Leverage your background. One successful way to initiate change is to leverage prior work experience so that it is strategically aligned with anticipated changes. What you do now affects your future position. This may mean a move to a firm with a new practice specialty; a transfer from law firm to in-house legal department or government; an “up and out” leap to a related area such as litigation support, recruiting or marketing; a climb up the ladder to management or even to a vendor or teaching position.

Strategy #2: Take baby steps. Plans for big successes often result in big failures. Chop up the path to reaching your goal into small, palatable steps. Simplify your process and your self-esteem will zoom as you accomplish each step.

Strategy #3: Research your goals. Understand what you’re doing and where you’re headed along with the consequences and impact it will have on your career and personal life. Change can be frightening, so keep the road positive. Experiencing anxiety does not mean you made the wrong decision. Keep the transition simple and don’t compound any problems. For example, if you are considering switching jobs, don’t quit your current position until you’ve found another. Tough it out. With proper research and a flexible plan, bear in mind, you’re in the home stretch.

Strategy #4: Put structure into your plan. Identify what works. Practice, practice, practice; talk, talk, talk. Get a flexible plan on paper with a checklist. Find people you trust to talk to. They may have fresh input and certainly will have another point of view. Choose wisely, though. Those who are continually disapproving have their own agenda. Negative Nancys can kill even the best-formulated plans. Anticipate and prepare for problems and understand the possible outcome.

Strategy #5: Go slowly. Impulsivity lacks deliberateness and could cause setbacks. Create a bridge to your career change. What does that bridge look like? It could be holding on to your current situation: it could mean a hiatus, a back-to-school break or more. That’s not to say, however, if you are miserable now, you need to stay miserable. You may wish to consider a transition job while you are implementing your strategy.

Strategy #6: Create your new world. As you reach your goal, your new world is about to begin. But it can’t happen by itself. You have to work at it. In my situation, I have launched my coaching practice and paralegal seminar business that is thankfully, now up and running. I can tell you, it was a lot of work! While my legal staffing business continues, I now have a fresh career avenue that means creating a whole new atmosphere. Changes for me include: how I work (time is more structured), when I work (different hours), where I work (I need a different kind of space), and with whom I work (I get to choose).
Career changing, while risky, can be fun, exhilarating, stimulating and overwhelming all at the same, time. The legal world around us has changed significantly in just a few years. To keep up or even just to keep in it, we all need change. The most profound thing you can do for your career is to discover and lead a truly authentic life by bringing the best of who you are to whatever you choose to do.

Chere B. Estrin, Ph.D., is the CEO of Estrin Professional Careers,, a Los Angeles based legal professional training organization sponsoring The Dallas Paralegal SuperTechnology Conference™ and The Paralegal SuperConferences™. She is the author of 8 career books including The Paralegal Career Guide 3rd Ed. A lively national seminar speaker, Ms. Estrin is a former paralegal administrator, entrepreneur, executive in national legal staffing organizations, and co-founding member of The Legal Assistant Management Association. A Los Angeles “Woman of Achievement” recipient, she has been interviewed by Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Working Woman, BusinessWeekOnline and more.

Texas Paralegal Journal © Copyright 2004 by the Legal Assistants Division, State Bar of Texas.

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