Page 6 - CCCA 278683 Magazine_Spring 2018

{ LEgAL PERFORMANCE }

the mAkings oF A CAreer plAn

By Karlee Blatz

i often read career planning articles (such as this one) and think
to myself, “These people have it together!” Full transparency:
i am not one of those people. One day, i’d like to have it together
but that day is not today.

t frst blush, career planning should be A couple of years ago, she was ap-
easy because I am naturally a planner, pointed to the bench. Before she left, she
Ain every aspect of my life. For instance, told everyone on our team that we did not
I plan dinner parties and everything must want her job. Respecting her as a mentor, I
ft with my vision for the party or it isn’t did what came naturally to me—I ignored
allowed. (That special dessert passed down her advice and applied for the job. It is the
from your great-grandmother—if it isn’t most challenging job I have ever had but
in line with my vision, no thank you!) I it is also the most rewarding.
plan my personal life, like cabin weekends So my advice? Ignore the people you
and outings with friends, with varied suc- trust the most if it goes against your gut
cess. I plan adventures for my husband, me feeling. Or perhaps this advice has broad-
and our dog—which invariably involve er applicability: really know yourself. If
sending out a meeting invite because how you know yourself well enough, you will
else do you guarantee you will both be on know when you are ready to stretch your-
the same page? self and take the next big risk.
So I should be able to write easily about And don’t worry about timing—it is
planning my career. Except my career is never perfect. In my career so far, oppor-
the one thing I have not sat down and tunities have never come at the most ideal
planned. Not even a little. But in the spirit time. At the time of my promotion, our
of improvement and doing this together, department was very busy, all my hearings
I have taken stock of my own experiences were inexplicably not settling and I was
and from that, fashioned my top three tips getting married in under a month. With
for success as in-house counsel. all that, it would have been easy and excus-
able to keep my head down and continue
1. don’t (always) listen to your mentors to do the work I was comfortable with. But
Now this is specifc advice and will not I knew myself and felt ready for the chal-
work for everyone. I have a very close lenge, so I took the leap anyway.
friend who has been my mentor since I
was a second-year lawyer. She eventu- 2. learn from all professionals (not just
ally hired me to work in-house in a po- lawyers)
sition reporting to her, where I worked As lawyers, we are generally adept at the legal
for nearly fve years and learned so much aspects of our jobs. However, I, like many of
during that time. you, fnd I am doing less and less legal work

6 CCCA MAGAzine | SPRinG 2018 PRinTeMPS