Hi everyone! Very confused and tired (and potentially just hungry and grumpy) summer associate.
I came into the summer excited about big law. I thought I had a strong start, and I’ve been giving it my best. But now that we’re a chunk of the way in, the vibe feels off. The honeymoon phase might be wearing off (or again, maybe I’m just sleep deprived) but either way I’m feeling more and more confused.
All along, people have said this is the time to make mistakes and learn. But at the same time, there’s this underlying message that your reputation is everything and what people think of you this summer can stick. That contradiction is really throwing me off.
Like, one of the other summers was super stressed about being a few hours late on a deadline. Then literally the next day, he told me not to worry too much about being behind on something I had promised. I didn’t know how to respond. What’s the actual standard? Are we allowed to stumble a bit, or is everything being noted?
I want to succeed and last in this profession. I’m not trying to overthink things, but I really don’t know how seriously to take some of this and I feel like I am under thinking this. I’d really appreciate any outside perspective from folks who’ve been through the summer program, or just the early years in big law. Is this confusion normal?
Thanks in advance.