WORKFORCE
One of the more pronounced themes of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the change in the workforce , with more than 47 million people quitting their jobs as part of the Great Resignation in 2021 , according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics . For more than two decades before this , however , a subtler shift in the labor force has been brewing : Workers are getting older .
BLS stats show that since 2000 , the percentage of the civilian workforce aged 16-24 has fallen by about 10 percent . Meanwhile , the percentage aged 55 or older has risen by 87 percent . Where there were around 18.6 million workers 55 and up in 2000 , there were a startling 42.5 million as of 2020 .
Younger workers can bring much to the table . While there can be a range of challenges with managing younger professionals , who sometimes have greater expectations for what a position can entail , a job often isn ’ t just a job for someone early in their career , but rather a chance to make a difference in the world — to be beacons and forces for good , even change within their companies .
Law firms : Making good as a young attorney
Aysha Majeed recently finished up at UC Davis School of Law and was working on a fellowship when she saw a job listing on the California Society for HealthCare Attorneys website . “ I thought , ‘ Oh man , that ’ s a perfect match for my interests ,’” Majeed says .
The 32-year-old grew up outside of Oslo , Norway , came to the U . S . in 2011 to study genetics and microbiology at Iowa State University , and worked in medical documentation for a large hospital system prior to law school . But she was eager to go deeper into the health care field .
“ It ’ s an area of law that has all its own rules ,” Majeed says .
In a sense , she ’ s lucky . Majeed knew people in law school who applied to more than 100 firms . She estimates she applied to fewer than 20 before landing her dream job . “ Nobody prepares you for just how brutal it is ,” Majeed says of the application
“ Having leadership that sees your value and sees and believes in what you believe in , even just believes in you enough to give you a chance and take a bet on you , I think is really important to me as a young professional .”
BRIT KELLEHER 28 , community impact specialist , SAFE Credit Union
mill for aspiring attorneys . Majeed ’ s job , which started in April at Sacramento law firm Weintraub Tobin , is to assist two senior health care attorneys , one who handles transactions and another who focuses on administrative and compliance-related work .
“ She came in with a lot of intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm , which that by itself will take you pretty far ,” says Jeanne Vance , one of Majeed ’ s supervising attorneys . The senior attorneys are also mentors Majeed can turn to as she navigates what can be a very tough job .
Vance , who passed her first bar exam in Hawaii in 1994 and received her license in California two years later , says challenges for young attorneys include not just learning the nuances of law , but how to work with clients . Young attorneys tend to do the latter less , though Vance says they can bring other assets to the table : research , and drafting and writing up contracts once firms have hashed out parameters .
“ The first couple years of practicing law , no matter where you are , are pretty demoralizing because you ’ re just learning so many things ,” Vance says .
Josiah Prendergast , a 37-year-old Weintraub Tobin associate who says he primarily handles business litigation , partnership disputes and breach of contract cases , definitely knows the legal profession ’ s monster days . They ’ re the ones where a judge might ask at 4:55 p . m . for an evidentiary brief to be submitted the following morning .
“ The longest months are very , very long ,” says Prendergast , who ’ s been at Weintraub Tobin five and a half years and is hoping to become a shareholder , the firm ’ s version of partner , within two years . Majeed admits she works substantially more than 40 hours a week , though for her the sacrifices are worth it . “ I do have some late nights and early mornings here and that ’ s working out fine for this time of my life ,” says Majeed , whose husband , 31-year-old Alexander Jurenka , is also an attorney . “ But we ’ ll see if I have to be a bit more organized in the future .”
There ’ s one element of her job she particularly loves . “ Really big deals are sexy ,” Majeed says . “ They ’ re fun , they ’ re high energy , the client ’ s energy is contagious . You want to get the deal done so that your client will get the deal done .”
76 comstocksmag . com | July 2022