Eight years ago, I left the legal field behind. I worked with a fantastic little firm in Nashville, TN. But, I left anyway.
After my first year of law school, I knew that law just wasn’t for me. I clerked with the Tennessee Supreme Court and the U.S. Attorney’s Office after that first summer. While these were good clerkships, it was at this 
point that I realized that the law just wasn’t fulfilling to me.
Being an attorney is about “maintaining”. Your days are full of billing in increments of hours – if you work at a firm. It’s not about building something. I never found satisfaction in billing my day in increments of an hour. At the end of the day, you just billed a bunch of hours and you built nothing.
Years ago, I decided that I was a builder. I like to take things that don’t exist or are okay and make them fantastic. I love the satisfaction of numbers: revenue, EBITDA, orders, visitors, etc.. Law does not offer that. And, I like to be creative.
When I got into digital marketing, I found a career path that was full of creativity. It’s truly a wild west. New channels are constantly evolving or being opened. I love the fact that the guy who just got into the game can bring in a perspective that can teach a thing or 2 to the old guard.
I love the fact that numbers govern everything we do in digital marketing. It’s all about visitors, conversions, orders, revenue. You can truly see your impact on a daily basis for the business and the industry. And, it’s a true outlet for creative people who want to re-invent an industry and help it evolve.
I still have many friends in the practice of law. Some enjoy it. But, many still tell me, “I wish I had done what you did.” It was a scary path to choose a career like this 8 years ago – when there really was no career path. But, I felt that the chance at job satisfaction and enjoying your life everyday was worth the risk. And, truthfully, it has been worth it. I have loved every day I have ever spent in digital.
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