I will always remember my unemployed summer before law school

By Nareen, 1L

“I am sorry to inform you that my last day will be on June 29th.” I never knew that vocalizing such a simple statement would be so liberating and frightening at the same time. I had been working in retail for over four years, and I had been employed for over eight. Was I really giving up my financial freedom that easily? I was definitely ready for a month of pure summer break before three years of mental drainage, a.k.a. law school. But financial aid wouldn’t kick in until August! How would I survive!


Soundtrack of my summer?
Lifestyles of the Rich &
Famous by Good Charlotte.

Well, before you go ahead and start feeling sorry for me, I will confess…I lived at home with my parents, as I still do. But I supported myself. I paid my car bills and cell-phone bills and medical bills; and I supported my obsession with fashion and managed to have a decent social life. So maybe you can feel a little sorry. I mean, allowance at 23? No way. The small amount of savings I had would have to get me through the next fifty days.



For the first time in my adult life, I was unemployed. Unemployed, unemployed, UNEMPLOYED! I fell in love with the word very quickly. Breakfast at noon, heels on a Tuesday, hookah for lunch, and midnight showings of brand new films. Life was beautiful. My self-made calendar had never looked so white. July was all mine, and I wasn’t going to let money get in the way of my once-in-a-life-time, carefree break from responsibility.

I saturated myself in books and watched every cheesy Lifetime movie I could. I babysat my nieces and nephew out of fun, not necessity. I learned how to make dolma, a cultural Armenian dish, from scratch. I went to the beach at sunrise and stayed until sunset. I drank the extra bottle of beer I could have done without, and danced the extra thirty minutes that took my feet from sore to covered-in-blisters. And with every picture I posted on Instagram or Facebook, I hash-tagged “unemployment.” One by one, I checked off items from my bucket list, and ironically, became more and more anxious for school to start.

This summer I revamped my soul and passion for life. What I learned, however, is not that unemployment is the way to live life, but that employment is not the pinnacle of life. So as I employ myself in this all-consuming study of law and work towards my dream career, I will always remember my unemployed summer before law school, and how it reminded me to LIVE.