Student Contribution: Madeleine French
Harrison entered his university wide-eyed, hopeful and excited to commence his law degree – a rewarding and fulfilling pathway that is destined to lead him to success in every part of his life (at least that was the rhetoric he repeated to every person in his life).
He victoriously finished the race that is high school, labelled by all as a diligent and productive student, who is naturally smart, hard working and organised. He exuded passion for the law and ambition to bring his dream to fruition.
However, as he delved deeper into his studies, he began to feel this nagging sense of unease. After being drilled with ongoing assessments that demanded the cutting of his carefully crafted analysis just to meet a ridiculous word count, 90-page readings that kept piling up week after week and the continuous judgment from seminar leaders and lecturers who seemingly set him up for failure knowing that he had not done the work. Years into his degree he finds himself questioning whether a career in law is really worth it.
The inner turmoil has sparked a series of reflections for Harrison. With each passing trimester, he has found himself exploring alternative paths with increasing frequency – he has even contemplated a commerce degree. Finally, he has conceded to a truth a lot of us do not dare to admit.
“I have finally found my true calling, my one purpose in life – to not study law.”
