They are moving me to a new section and I'm SCARED TO DEATH!!!

[LawlessGabby]

I am a junior lawyer in a large firm. We spend the first 2 years of our career here being placed in 4 different sections of the firm, so 6 months in each section, to get a broad experience. We get to list our preferences as to where we would like to be placed, and HR tries to accomodate this. I have an english/politics major background so of course all of the sections I listed somehow compliment my strenghts and experiences.

 

Anyway, I was informed today that I will be spending the next 6 months in ecommerce and retail banking - an area of law which I know NOTHING about!! It is also the toughest and busiest section in the firm and the hours are horrendous. The people are serious and demanding too. I am the opposite of this - I have just come from a very friendly, laid-back section in a totally different area. I know my new bosses will be expecting things of me that I just can't deliver, and I am absolutely terrified. I even cried in front of the HR manager, I was so shocked and scared when she told me where I'd be going. But she wouldn't compromise.

 

I know you all think 'it's only 6 months', but I don't think I can work 90 hour weeks for that long, in an area of law which I am not suited to, and not have some kind of breakdown. I am a very nervy person, a perfectionist. I am getting panic attacks just thinking about what this will do to me. I also know it will not bode well for my future at this firm if I do not excel in this new section.

 

Can anyone help calm me down? How will I do this?? I would rather die than fail. And I fear I am being set up for failure right now.

[Tony]

STOP awfullizing. This gig may be your best. Your anticipatory anxiety is understandable but most likely unwarranted. Any excellent organization wants its members to be cross trained and to have a rudimentary knowledge of all aspects of the business. In your case, you're getting a FREE education in an area you may just end up liking a great deal.

 

Yes, you see it as a sacrifice. Given the sacrifices others make for a fraction of your paycheck, it is very difficult for me to muster up any sympathy for you. If I had the brains, I would have gone to law school myself and gladyly worked my way up from the mailroom.

 

So you'll get no sympathy here. Rise to the occasion and rejoice that you aren't confronted 24 hours a day by an unknown enemy that could blow your brains out at any second and do so for a paycheck that is practically poverty level...as some of our soldiers do now in Iraq. You got it easy, my friend. Wow, learning, getting good pay, having a great future, your life not in danger and only having to work a few extra hours before you go home to a nice, soft bed.

 

My bet is there are thousands of your attorneys who would take your place in a second. What would Donald Trump think of you?

[LawlessGabby]

Your using the logic of my mother - that I shouldn't complain about the food on my plate because there are people in India who have no food at all. If you used this reasoning, then no one on this board would have a right to complain because there will always be others out there so much worse off than them.

 

Don't demonise me just because you are bitter about your own failure to succeed. I worked bloody hard all through university to get where I am - I worked three jobs as a student and now, at 26, I finally have secure employment. I would also not be so quick as to assume that my salary is anything grand. Given the hours I put in, it works out to be about $16 an hour.

 

No, I am not putting my life on the line for a crappy wage like the soldiers in Iraq. But that is completely irrelavant - my problem is real to ME. I should also say that it would have been much easier for me to sign up for the military after high school instead of using my brain and going without for 8 years while I worked hard at university.

 

If anyone has constructive advice I would love to hear it.

[moimeme]

It's only six months. You can deal. There'll be worse situations in your business so you might as well find out if you're made of the right stuff now. If you can't hack it, maybe you need a different line of work. If you suffer from chronic anxiety, see a psychologist. The lawyer biz isn't exactly for the fainthearted. Instead of wasting your time freaking out, get informed. There's plenty of sources of information on ecommerce and that whole subject area.

[moimeme]

It's only six months. You can deal. There'll be worse situations in your business so you might as well find out if you're made of the right stuff now. If you can't hack it, maybe you need a different line of work. If you suffer from chronic anxiety, see a psychologist. The lawyer biz isn't exactly for the fainthearted.

[johan]

I say don't worry. See how it goes. Maybe you'll find you can deal with it quite well. 6 months is not a long time.

[Lil Honey]

LG:

 

I say, "Go for it!" You will be getting a taste of a division that you may find interests you. It may not interest you, but you will now know that. You will also learn how that division works and that could be an advantage later in your career or in a future case.

 

Don't let the fast pace scare you. I know from experience that being in a laid-back environment is nice, but keeping busy (for me) makes the time fly by.

 

With that, also keep in mind that someone who tells you how "awful" that division is could be the same person who whines about a hangnail. It's all relative. I think that if you do a little investigating into the subject and are prepared, you will do well.

 

As far as the long hours, be sure you get good sleep at night. Prepare for the next day, to avoid being late. Think of long hours at work, like the long hours at school.

 

Good luck.

[CurvyGurl]

I would think that being a lawyer would be synonymous with long hours and hard work. I can't squeeze any sympathy either. If this isnt what you signed up for, maybe another career is best.

 

I don't know what you want us to say.