Episode 20: Building More Than a Career

Transcript

Tara Edwards 0:00

Hello, my name is Tara, and welcome to Sister-in-Law: The Paralegal Journey, a podcast about the careers behind the case files. Whether you work in law, work alongside the legal profession, are thinking about a career in this space, or simply want an honest look at the paralegal journey, you're in the right place. Because every experienced paralegal was once the person asking their first question. Here, we're all about learning, growing, and supporting one another along the way. So welcome to the conversation. Welcome back to Sister-in-Law: The Paralegal Journey. In last week's episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Vanessa Wilson, the vice president of the Alberta Association of Professional Paralegals, mentor and advocate. We talked about mentorship, leadership, professional involvement, regulation, and what the future of the paralegal profession could look like here in Alberta. If you haven't had a chance to listen to that conversation yet, I would highly encourage you to go back and check it out Around the same time, I had the opportunity to write an article for the Paralegal in Business Journal published by Jacqueline Foster, and my article was titled The Paralegal Journey: Reflections on the Life Cycle of a Paralegal. If you'd like to read it, just please send me a fan mail message with your email address, and I would be happy to send you a copy. Or even better, consider subscribing to the Paralegal in Business Journal. It's completely free and is another fantastic resource filled with practical insights and tools for legal professionals. And if you haven't had a chance to read, Jacqueline Foster's, book Paralegals Should Be Millionaires, I highly recommend that you give that a listen. As I reflected on both Vanessa's interview and the article I had written, something really stood out to me. Although they approach our profession from two very different perspectives, they both arrive at the same conclusion, great careers and great professions are built intentionally. My article explored how a paralegal career evolves over time through experience, curiosity, and lifelong learning, and Vanessa's interview reminded us that our careers become even more meaningful when we use them to mentor others, strengthen our profession, and help shape its future. One reminded me on how a career grows, and the other reminded me why that growth matters. As you listen to today's episode, ask yourself, what are you intentionally doing today that your future self will thank you for five years from now? This is a question that I've actually been reflecting on myself for the past few weeks as well, so I would just challenge you to really think about that question as you listen to this episode. One of the biggest misconceptions I think we have early in our careers is that growth happens when someone notices us. We believe promotions come after enough years, leadership comes once we feel ready, recognition comes after we've proven ourselves. But after spending 20 years in this profession, I don't think that's how careers are actually built. In my article, I compared the paralegal career to a legal file, and that every file begins with purpose, it develops through preparation, it benefits from collaboration, and it evolves as new information comes to light. I think our careers follow that same path. Every file we prepare, every client we help, every deadline we meet, every mistake we learn from, every difficult conversation we navigate, those moments don't seem extraordinary while they're happening, but together they're quietly building our judgment, our confidence, and our professional reputation long before people recognize our expertise, they begin to recognize our character. One of my favorite moments from the conversation with Vanessa was that we started talking about career growth. She shared something that sounds incredibly simple. If those opportunities are there, you need to ask for them. Don't be afraid to ask because you're the only one that's going to advance your career". I know that sometimes we get so caught up with thinking, Oh, someone's gonna notice this work that I do," but what happens if nobody notices the work that you do? You have to take your career into your own hands. You have to be willing to continue to learn. You have to be willing to grow beyond the role that you're in and you have to realize that, as you're growing, you're growing beyond that role that you're in from today. Vanessa also talked about continuing her education and stepping into leadership and that really resonated with me. Because when I look back at my own career, the opportunities that shaped me most didn't happen because I had everything figured out. They happened because I stayed curious and I always said yes. If someone wanted to teach me something, I was like, "Yep, I will learn it." And none of those decisions felt life-changing to me at the time, but together, and now that I think about it, they've changed the direction of my career. Something else struck with me as I reflected on both my article and Vanessa's interview. Neither, one is really about careers. They're about contribution. In my article, I wrote about how every experienced paralegal eventually reaches a point where someone else begins to ask them for advice. That moment is more significant than I think we realize. It means we're now becoming a part of someone else's journey. Vanessa shared similar thoughts when she described how experienced paralegals strengthen the profession by sharing knowledge, supporting colleagues, and becoming involved beyond their own workplaces, and I honestly don't think we talk enough about that. When I worked as a manager at McDonald's, one of the things that the senior manager said to me was, If you wanna move up, who are you bringing with you?" And that always stuck with me. I interviewed someone yesterday for the podcast and one of the things she said was, "Even if that person surpasses you, that just goes to show on what your mentorship was like, and should we be upset about that?" A profession doesn't become stronger because of one person. It becomes stronger because thousands of professionals make small decisions every day. They make a decision to mentor, to volunteer, to teach, to share what they know, to advocate for higher standards, to welcome someone who's just beginning. Someone once answered our questions, and someone encouraged us when we weren't sure that we belonged, and now we have the opportunity to do the same. I've talked to my mentor and explained to her some of the opportunities I'm doing, and she was just so proud of, the things that I was doing. And it helped me, figure out how to be a mentor to somebody else, and she was... I call it firm but fair. She was honest about, the profession, and she was honest about when I was wrong and she was tough about learning, but you know what? I can say because of her, I learned a lot. So I will always be thankful to her for that. When Vanessa and I talked about regulation and access to justice and the future of Alberta's paralegal profession, I realized those conversations aren't really about legislation. They're about legacy. What kind of profession are we leaving for the next generation? Whether regulation comes next year or 10 years from now, the future of this profession is being shaped today. It's being shaped by professionals who continue learning, who pursue excellence, who build relationships, who share knowledge generously, and who invest in others. Our careers are what we build, but they are never just about us. They are about every person whose path we influence along the way, and for every person who influenced us along the way. So let's reframe the question. Instead of asking yourself, "What's my next career move?" Ask yourself, What am I doing today that will help someone else five years from now?" Maybe it's mentoring a new legal assistant. Maybe it's sharing your knowledge with someone who's opening their very first file. Maybe it's simply just saying yes to an opportunity that feels so outside your comfort zone. Sometimes the greatest investment we make in our own careers is investing in someone else's. When I had my skincare business, I listened to a podcast that completely changed the way I thought about business. The speaker said that instead of asking, How do I make more money?" We should ask, "How can I help more people?" Ironically, when you focus on creating value for others, success often follows. I think the same principle applies to our careers. When we focus on helping others learn, grow, and succeed, we often end up building a stronger career ourselves. Early in this episode, I asked you, what are you intentionally doing today that your future self will thank you for five years from now? This week, I wanna leave you with a simple challenge. Do one intentional thing that both your future self and someone else's future self will thank you for. Reach out to a colleague you've been meaning to connect with, sign up for a course that you've been putting off, offer encouragement to a student, a new assistant or a paralegal who's just beginning their journey, or thank the mentor who believed in you before you believed in yourself. The careers we build are often shaped by small, consistent actions rather than one defining moment. Five years from now, you may not remember exactly which step changed your career, but you'll be grateful that you chose to take it. If this episode resonated with you, I invite you to follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you enjoy listening. Following the show helps more people discover these conversations and ensures that you never miss an episode. I'd love to continue today's conversation with you on LinkedIn. Tell me how you answer today's reflection question or share your biggest takeaway from the episode. Whether you're a student, a legal assistant, or paralegal, I would love to hear your perspective. And if you know someone who'd benefit from today's conversation, please consider sharing this episode with them. Remember, every paralegal was once the person asking their first question, so keep learning, keep growing, and keep supporting one another. This is Sister-in-Law: The Paralegal Journey. Welcome to the conversation