Maintaining Perspective While Considering and Pursuing Alternative Work Arrangements

I was in my third year of practicing law when I sought out my first alternative work arrangement. After leaving a job at a large Chicago law firm, I was interviewing for a nonprofit legal services position in northern Wisconsin. The new job seemed a great fit for me: I would provide outreach and representation to Native American elders concerning retirement and public benefits. The job would call on my skills as a lawyer, a public speaker, and a one-on-one communicator to directly serve a population in need. Excited about the possibilities, I was tempted to accept the job offer on the spot, exactly as it had been presented. Instead, I hesitated.