Thanksgiving Break is finally here! Here are five things to do over the break, in addition to eating unseemly amounts of turkey.
1. Take care of yourself. Take a little time to get rest and, just as important, a little exercise. Go for a walk or a run (but don’t slip on any ice). For one day, clear your head of all legal concepts (unless you do slip on the ice, which someone had recklessly and/or negligently allowed to form). Plan now to stay on a sleep schedule between now and winter break—you will do better on your tests and will be less likely to get ill (like I was for my first Civ Pro exam).
2. Get caught up on (or start) your outlines.
3. Play around on the internet. As you sit around and digest your turkey, consider checking out some of the more useful job search websites (in addition to PDO’s Symplicity job board), if only to understand what they have to offer. Usernames and passwords for the password-protected ones can be found in the Document Library on Symplicity, in the document entitled Passwords. Some to check out:
- State of Utah Jobs. https://statejobs.utah.gov/jobs – This is a clearinghouse for State of Utah jobs. Sometimes has good law-related jobs for after graduation, such as trial level state law clerk jobs, securities examiner, and benefits specialists among others.
- University of Utah Jobs. http://www.hr.utah.edu/careers/ – This is where you can search for jobs where the University of Utah is the employer. There are sometimes attorney or JD-preferred jobs, or law-related positions, or jobs at the law school itself posted here.
- Intercollegiate Job Bulletin Bank. https://www.law2.byu.edu/career_services/jobbank This site has jobs from many law schools across the nation. Some of the job boards have post-graduate jobs, some have summer internships. This is a great resource for job-seeking out of state.
- Government Honors & Internship Handbook. http://www.law.arizona.edu/career/honorshandbook.cfm
- Public Policy Handbook. http://www.law.arizona.edu/career/PublicPolicy10-11/LoginForm.cfm
4. Give thanks. A few weeks ago, I was having a pretty rough week. At the end of the week, I got an email from a student with the subject line “I thought you might want to know.” Given how things had been going, I thought the body of the email might say “That you are an idiot.” Instead, the student offered some very kind, brief words. That student could not know it, but that simple act completely righted my ship. This Thanksgiving, I will be taking a few minutes to send a note or email to some of the people who have helped me do what I do. You should also take a moment to send a note to 3 people who helped you get where you are. A past teacher or professor, employer, or even a family member you see every day. It’s good karma and it’s a great time of year to do it. And it may mean a lot more to that person than you can imagine.