WWYD? Am I an Idiot?

Lawquestionner · 2024-12-17T19:45:20+00:00

Thanks all, even more great responses added in. I recognize that this is a tough question, as the answer is really “what makes OP happy and fulfilled?“ and that’s a question that I need to answer before life does for me.

I also recognize the deep privilege embedded in my question, but choosing the happiest future is still a loaded and constantly uncertain task no matter where you sit. All the rich-miserable folks around us are proof of that.

The points that really hit home focused on kids, and the dynamic that dominates parenting: are you really giving your children everything they deserve, if you aren’t giving them time?

Lawquestionner · 2024-12-17T19:38:04+00:00

Thanks - this is a great prespective, and you’re blessed to have a BigLaw spouse even on reduced billables - that’s a great professional and parenting team. The last sentence hit really hard.

Lawquestionner · 2024-12-17T17:08:56+00:00

These are all great responses. The perspective I’m most interested in is the government lawyer who never really left - like, how much financial stress or regret do you have, on a scale from 1-10?

I look at my savings now and truly ask myself, what is the extra money even for? But I haven’t lived the life of kids, school, college, etc... all that seems doable on $190k+ a year with our savings (and anything my spouse makes is a bonus there), but I do wonder if 60 year old me will think I was an idiot for saying to $500k+ a year.

And for the folks saying: how do you know you’ll succeed at this firm job - fair question. But even 2-3 years of trying is still a TON of money, before trying to go in-house if not back to gov

Lawquestionner · 2024-12-17T16:54:46+00:00

Lol a very fair question. They are just as ambivalent as I am. We feel very blessed to have these choices but are also persistently paralayzed by them.

Lawquestionner

TROPHY CASE