I don't feel like I had any trouble due to my age, but I wonder if it could have to do with markets. Like, I was looking at more lifestyle-friendly cities, so... I don't know... I felt like I had a lot in common with my interviewers.
Quote from: flyaway on October 06, 2008, 12:04:33 PMI don't feel like I had any trouble due to my age, but I wonder if it could have to do with markets. Like, I was looking at more lifestyle-friendly cities, so... I don't know... I felt like I had a lot in common with my interviewers.I don't think you really count as non-traditional, though, especially now that the majority of students take at least a year or two to work before law school. I think of non-traditional as more mid-30s and up.
Quote from: vercingetorix on October 04, 2008, 01:08:54 PMYou are often dealing with similar things (spouse, young kids, purchasing a home, etc.) and you have more experience to draw from than "once in my frat..." or "in class one time...". This is not to say that there aren't insanely bright and talented younger people who do well in these situations, I just found that even the best of them came off as immature. For the record, I'm under 30, married, own my own home, was never in a sorority, and never once talked about class in interviews unless I was asked what class was my favorite or something along those lines.I'm not disagreeing that age can be a benefit OR a hurdle, depending on where you're at and what else you have going on for you, but to make a relatively broad statement that all young people talk about is frats and class is pretty insulting to someone under 30. And even where you acknowledged that there are bright and talented younger people, you immediately asserted that they're all still immature. These types of judgments and assumptions hurt everyone, because they go both ways. (and I do see that you tried to "soften" your stance later on, but I don't think you were quite successful enough to undo the insulting nature of what's quoted above).Bottom line, a person's age can be a benefit or a burden. Younger people may face the immature stigma in some places and jobs, and older can be assumed to not want to start at the bottom of the associate pack. But it's all about how you spin it. Several people I summered with and will be 1st year associates with me at a BigLaw firm were older and came from another career or with several degrees under their belt. They spun their experience and their age as positives on their resume and their interview, and it obviously worked for them. Also, several older students at my school got great jobs in both big firms and government.
You are often dealing with similar things (spouse, young kids, purchasing a home, etc.) and you have more experience to draw from than "once in my frat..." or "in class one time...". This is not to say that there aren't insanely bright and talented younger people who do well in these situations, I just found that even the best of them came off as immature.
I do not like hats.I do not like them on bats.I would not like them near cats.I would not like them made out of mats.
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