Tag: job

I have a friend who had understood the importance of a fit even when I didn't.  He had a specific field of law that he focused on not only in law school but also in college, so he applied exclusively to law firms that specialized in that field.  Not surprisingly, he successfully landed

My every resumé, from the first one I prepared in college to the one I maintain today, ends with the same words: "Fan of James Bond."

It is those four words that got my career started.

This past year, I thought about “time” quite a bit.

In June and September, two of my college roommates got married, and their wedding ceremonies became an occasion for the four roommates to get together for the first time in years. As we bantered much in the same way as we had in college, I

If I were to pick one phrase to describe the past year, it would be “The Year of Changes.”

On the professional front, I left Shearman & Sterling in May after seven and a half years at the firm in order to join Amazon in Japan. The jump from being an experienced lawyer at a

Below is a reproduction of my departure memo.

After seven and a half years at the firm, this is my last week at Shearman & Sterling.  It’s been an amazing run.

When I look back on my time at the firm, I realize how tremendously blessed I’ve been.

This Friday will be my last day at Shearman & Sterling.  After seven and a half years, the time is right for me to move on.

When I reflect on my time at Shearman & Sterling, I realize how tremendously fortunate I have been.

I once heard that the average length of a career at a major

As I look back on the past year, which flew by even faster than usual, the biggest news for me was the retirement of The Honorable Peter E. Doyne, the Assignment Judge of the Bergen Vicinage of the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Judge Doyne was my first boss and mentor.  I became his law clerk

Dear Entitled Eagles,

Despite attending a prestigious university called Boston College, there are certain things that you are not entitled to.

First, you’re not entitled to any particular grade.  Certainly not an A or a B, or even a C+.

Grades measure your knowledge and abilities, however imperfectly.  If you exhibit superior capabilities, you get high marks.  If you exhibit deficiencies,

I recently had a revelation.  The day of the week that I hate the most is not the widely-detested Monday, but rather is, far and away, Wednesday.

The best day of the week is, of course, Saturdays because they're right in middle of the weekend, as defined the American way as lasting from Friday through Sunday.  On Saturdays, I get to sleep

Among the many hobbies of mine, doing jigsaw puzzles is one of my most irrelevant.

My colleagues have developed an odd misconception about me and puzzles. It all began several years ago when I announced, as I was leaving on the last day of work before my winter vacation began, that I was going home

I hope this letter finds you well.

It is hard to believe, but this past September marked three years since I transferred to Tokyo.  I am entering my seventh year with my current employer, meaning that I have now worked in the Tokyo office longer than I did in New York.

How time flies.

Life is interesting in that

Have you ever Googled yourself?

I have, but that probably doesn’t come as a surprise to many of you who know how much of a narcissistic egomaniac I am.

Even if it’s in your nature to be more humble and reserved than I, I still recommend that you occasionally run a search of yourself at www.google.com, if only

For the longest time, I had no interest in reading.  

I swear it started in high school, when novels like "The Grapes of Wrath," "Walden Pond" and "The Old Man and the Sea" sent me into temporary comas.  I think my experience proves that just because a book is a "classic" doesn't mean kids in

René Descartes once said, "I think, therefore I am," apparently to make the point that someone wondering whether or not he or she exists is, in and of itself, proof that something, an "I", exists to do the thinking.

I suppose my equivalent would be "I opine, therefore I am," to make the point that having

There's Linsanity sweeping across Limerica.  Even Forbes magazine has gotten into the Linsanity by posting 10 lessons we can all learn from Jeremy's Linspiration.  I read the list and realized why, although also tall and Asia, I'm no Jeremy Lin:

1. Believe in yourself when no one else does.  

Because words like "vanity" and "narcissism" have been used

One of my first job interviews in high school was also one of the most memorable.  For some reason, I was being interviewed by three people who looked like they were all in college.  One guy in particular looked like a punk and he acted like it during the interview.

He, of twenty-odd years old, gave

I am starting my new life in Tokyo, where new challenges await.  I'm really excited, but the move still feels quite surreal.  I don't think reality has quite sunk in.

Twenty-one years, 3 months and 10 days passed between my residency in Japan.  That's a long time.  I haven't felt nostalgic yet, but I've started to

A friend of mine works at a small satellite office of a major law firm.  He had only been there a couple months but had been been miserable because one of the partners was an intolerable ass.

Recently, his work life suddenly improved even though his hours got dramatically worse:  the partner in question left the

I've been hearing the phrase "The Entitlement Generation" a lot lately. It's a phrase I first heard from a boss when I started working and I'm starting to understand what he meant.

I don't know what's causing the sense of entitlement among far too many in the society.  The boss thought it was because our generation grew up

All friends are different.

Some friends you grew up with.  These friends know the you before you matured, became educated and got a job.  They are the people you may not become friends with if you met them now because you have grown to have different interests and walk in different circles, but the childhood innocence

At the end of August, I will be transferring to my firm's Tokyo office.

The change is dramatic and spontaneous.

I'm really psyched.

Dear Current Eagles,

It may come as a shock to you (and your parents who are footing the enormous tuition), but the purpose of your Boston College education is not to ensure that you have a job after you graduate.