Now (and unfortunately in my opinion), like most big law offices, my employer views grades as the primary cutting point. If we get 40 resumes, and 20 of those kids have 89 or higher averages, those 20 kids are far more likely to get an interview than their colleagues. It's a flawed determinant, in my opinion, because grades don't always give you a full picture of the candidate. I know a lot of "Order of the Coif" type people who are absolutely whack jobs. Since the selected applicants grades usually fall within the same range, we do find ourselves turning to other factors as a means of arriving at that one applicant that demonstrates the right mix of intellect and personality to make them a good fit in the office. Among the factors considered are school activities, personal interests, and previous jobs. (Incidentally, no activity ranks higher than being a member of the Law Journal. I've been hired in the past solely on the basis of my acceptance, at the time, to the Howard Law Journal. But here's the interesting part - to get on the journal at most schools, including Howard, means that you did very well in school, or at least in your first year. Which means that the journal work now becomes a way of distinguishing between the folks with high grades to begin with. All comes back to grades in law school folks!)
Past employment isn't a cut-and-dry deal. Putting down your 4 years experience working the grill at Burger King, or your 5 years working at Walmart, pales in comparison to the guy that has worked 2 or even 3 years at a more white-collar job. So at least in the post high school world, parents have to start thinking about where there kids will work (assuming the parents even want their kids to work) in order to set them on a path for financial success. That's a lot to weigh as your kids approaches his 8th week outside the womb, but it highlights the level of planning that parents will likely find themselves doing.
Now Amiri will work - no question about that. Napi and I could lock down the $100+ million from MegaMillions and the boy will still work. I also believe that at some point in high school, he will be manning a grill at Burger King or some similar establishment. I had to do it, and let me tell you, nothing makes you appreciate hard work and the values that come with it, than having to bend over a hot grill, in cramped spaces, scraping residue from the grill, or cleaning the vents, or washing 100 dishes. It builds character, and makes you appreciate what the 30 or 40 year old co-worker who perhaps wasn't born with the same opportunities has to deal with. When you've got responsibilities, work is work. I also know that he'll have several summers off during high school. I have travelled quite a bit in my life, but Napi hasn't and she regrets not having done that. We'd like to expose him, and our other kids if we have any, to the rest of the world. There's nothing quite like leaving the familiar confines of your own country and charting your way through a foreign land just as ripe, if not riper, in history. Once he hits college, though, I'm curious to see what his decisions will be regarding jobs, and what our role will be in guiding him through those decisions. Decisions, Decisions...
