Certification

Well, I did it!  I passed NALA's CP exam on the first try!  The new electronic testing options are great.  You do not have to sit for the entire exam in two days; you have an entire month to take each section of the exam.  You still have to wait to receive your results (it would be nice to receive them instantly), but going to the mailbox and opening that letter from NALA and seeing "Congratulations..." is the best feeling in the world!  Now it's on to the Advanced certification exam!

Pro Bono

I recently offered to do pro bono work on behalf of our local paralegal association.  What a great feeling to help out in this way!  Of course all work is reviewed by an attorney at the legal aid society, but it is nice knowing that I was able to work on something to help speed up the process for certain individuals who would have otherwise needed to wait a very long time before their case was worked on.  I would like to see all paralegals participate in pro bono at some point in their careers.  Utilizing their knowledge and expertise for the good of others is something to be proud of and to be respected. 

Annual Convention

I had a fantastic time at the NALA Convention in Dallas/Plano, Texas.  NALA consistently manages a well-organized convention.  I am very impressed by the staff and the volunteers who are dedicated to the success of their fellow paralegals. The educational institutes and the networking at this conference were great.  Imagine so many bright paralegals, authors and speakers together in the same room.  What an exciting time!


I made some new friends and we made sure we got out and had some fun.  We had dinner, drank some wine at the wine bar, and danced during our week in Plano.  Another paralegal and I stayed an extra night so we could see some real-live bull riding!  I really enjoyed the entire experience and I look forward to next year's convention!

Perception

Being a hard worker is not always the best thing for your career.  What I've found among office politics is the fact that you have to learn to play the political game, and play it well.  You also have to socialize well in order to be perceived as a team player.  Keeping your head buried in your work, effectively completing your job, can ruin your chances for advancement if others complain about it.  It shocks me that the business world prefers to award those who play the game well rather than award those productive workers who don't have time to socialize.  It is what it is.  You just have to know how to manage others' perception of you along with working hard.  Once that is done, the sky's the limit!

Upcoming Annual Convention

I'm very excited about attending the upcoming NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants) convention in Dallas/Plano in July.  There will be a Corporate Institute, an Essential Skills Institute, an Estate Planning/Estate and Trust Administration Institute, a Litigation Technology Institute, a Personal Injury Institute, a Real Estate Institute, and a Social Security Institute.  Wow!  So much to choose from!  It is going to be a great, educational week with lots of time for networking. 

The Fear of Change

Working for the same company for over ten years can become very comfortable.  So comfortable that you don't want to start over again.  However, what do you do when you become bored?  Is there an easy way to advance in your career within the same job?  My experience as a paralegal has made me realize the difficulty in growing within the same company that doesn't understand how to utilize the changing needs of ambitious paralegals.  There are paralegals who love what they do and don't want to change a thing.  That is wonderful!  But for those paralegals who want to continue to learn and grow, a decision may need to be made as to whether to "rock the boat" and make changes to their career, or to retain their loyalty to their company/firm and stay put.

Any type of change is stressful.  Searching for a job is extremely stressful.  You have to determine if you are ready to go through these changes and face the uncertainties of the future.  Only you can make that decision.  But when is a good time to make a change?  You are the only person who can answer that.  You have to feel it in your heart, that it's the right time to do it.  Don't make the change for money alone.  Make the change only if you have lost your passion in your current job and don't enjoy going to work any more.  You don't want to live with that feeling day in and day out.  Change is scary, but sometimes it's the best thing you can do to boost your passion and your career.

Good luck!

Information Overload?

As I spend more time online researching blogs and businesses, I am overwhelmed by the information that is available.  It is easy to get swept up in the articles and blogs and in clicking on links within links... you could spend an entire afternoon surfing the web.  But be careful of what you read.  Not everything is accurate nor is it reliable.  Anyone can set up a website.  Anyone can set up a blog.  You must be sure you check your resources when researching for your business.

Wikipedia is an excellent source of information but educational institutions do not always allow citations to come from this site because it is updated by users like you and me.  Entries are monitored, blatantly incorrect information is removed, but there are still some incorrect entries that may be overseen and not removed.

Remember to narrow down your research by using good search terms.  Be diligent in your research and remember to check out the source to confirm that the information you are reading is reliable.