Career Choice

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With few exceptions those of you viewing this website wish to become lawyers.  Going to law school is a worthy goal. At the present time it is difficult to be accepted.  It seems fitting to offer some general advice pertaining to how to think about career choices.  I propose to offer this advice in the form of general principles.  Many of you will find that a career in law is consistent with many of the decision making principles that I am suggesting. Advice can be given only in the context of the world that we are moving into. Hence, I begin with some basic assumptions.

The Future - "It Ain't What It Used To Be!"
- a famous baseball manager

In "The Graduate", (a movie from the 60s) Benjamin Braddock returned home with his B.A. and was expected to start a career. A family friend said: "I just want to say one word to you." "What's that?" asked Benjamin. "Plastics" answered the friend. If a modern day Benjamin returned home today the friend would probably say: "telecommunications!"  Telecommunications and the internet are fueling a revolution in every aspect of the way that we live. It is now easy to communicate at low cost to every corner of the globe. In fact, it now can cost more to make a local call from a pay phone than it does to make a long distance call to the U.K. The world is getting smaller and smaller. Businesses in North America now face competition from every corner of the world. Computers have made it possible for people to live almost anywhere and participate in many kinds of global activities. Your careers will not look anything like the careers your parents may have had. The realities of the more global and competitive world include:

-global competition will ensure that capital will gravitate to the country that offers the best return and the lowest costs and impediments to doing business. Certain products will no longer be able to be produced competitively in North America - resulting in the loss of jobs and industries. On the other hand, North America may attract new industries where it has a competitive advantage;

-in an era of personal mobility people will gravitate toward the countries with the lowest tax rates. Have you heard of the brain drain?

-countries with high levels of debt (of which Canada is one) will find it hard to lower taxes. Nevertheless, it will be politically difficult for governments to increase taxes;

-governments that have difficulty increasing taxes will have difficulty providing a high level of government services. Therefore, people must learn to take more responsibility for their physical, emotional and financial health;

-taking care of oneself may require having more than one job or business at the same time;

-long run success requires the ability to learn new skills, change careers and otherwise adapt overnight. Your most important asset is your brain;

-the concept of a job is likely to become obsolete. Therefore, when you think about careers, don't think in terms of getting a job. Think in terms of creating opportunities;

-although English is rapidly becoming the international language of the world, the days of North American economic and cultural dominance may be coming to an end. The most successful North Americans will be those who are fluent with the cultures and languages of other countries.

Emotional and mental flexibility and the ability to be self-sufficient will be the most important attributes for success in the new millennium.

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