50/50
Musings on the Credential
“Is it worth it? The terminal degree?” I get this a lot. My answer is informed by my lived experience. “Are you doing it for internal reasons or external ones? In a perfect world it should be 50% internal strength and 50% external encouragement.”
My Dad earned a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1967 from Boston University. It was around this time that the American bar Association was pushing law schools to move to the JD. When given the option to earn additional credentialing and a new diploma my father declined. He didn’t need the JD to keep practicing law. In his mind, he didn’t need a new credential or new diploma because current and potential clients knew he was a skilled attorney. Stubbornness is one of my father’s key traits.
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