What to do
Hey all. I took and passed the February bar and have been working as an associate at a firm for the last three months. I’ve been struggling tremendously with the job. This is a second career for me and I had a nontraditional lifestyle in my first career, but had to switch to law due to some personal circumstances. I thought I landed my dream job, but I have come to find that I find the subject matter I’m working with (niche field in labor law) to be not only boring but I actively dislike it. Well, I found out yesterday that my best friend (like a sister) has been diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. She needs to move in with me to do treatments at a better hospital located near me. I feel like I’m at a breaking point. I am riddled with anxiety and stress. I loathe going into the office and my boss is less than empathetic about my situation. There is a village who can help me and my friend, but I just don’t know if I can carry on at work while managing this mental load. I’m awaiting my hearing date to be barred, and I’m thinking I may quit and just do freelance remote work during the six plus months she will have to do chemo. Anyone have any suggestions? I just don’t know what to do. I have enough money saved to get me through the year and have thankfully zero student loan debt. I’m at the point where I don’t even think being a lawyer is for me, but I spent so much time and energy it feels like a loss.