The End Of The Entitled Generation?

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By Ron Walters

The economy is affecting all of us. And if, like me, you just spent a $100,000 for a law school education that has yet to provide any real job opportunities outside food service, you’re keenly aware of just how bleak it is right now. We came to school with the expectation that we were sacrificing three years of time and lost earnings in return for a salary that would, with any luck, be equal to or greater than what most of our peers made. Yes, we had some altruistic motives too, but in the back of our minds, we saw ourselves feeling a touch self-satisfied at our next high school reunion, not waiting around for someone to buy us a drink.

In a recent piece in the New York Times, Benedict Cary said “some have sketched a portrait of the current crop of twenty- and thirty-somethings that is low on greatness and high on traits like entitlement and narcissism.” I can’t help but wonder if some of the outrage and disappointment directed at law schools and the ABA these days isn’t arising from a collective hunch that somehow we deserve better.

The decision to purchase a law school education — like all investments — assumes risk. There is no guarantee that six-figure salaries will be handed out at graduation. Hell, there is no guarantee of graduation period. The Twin Cities’ own University of St. Thomas already had to close its doors once due to a difficult economic climate and there’s no saying it won’t happen again.

This economy should remind us recent grads that nothing is certain in life. It should humble us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that my middle-class parents taught me to question the status quo and how to advocate effectively for my own advantage.  But they never encouraged whining. I was taught to be thankful for what I had and to realize that I had opportunities most of the world could only dream of.

There is no question that we have been subjected to what may be fairly titled, a Great Disappointment. But there is also no question that changing economic conditions create new opportunities. Rather than read another blog entry about how law school is a scam, I’d much rather pay attention to people like Blake Iverson, who’s latest post on this blog evidences the kind of ingenuity that will certainly be rewarded as our post-Disappointment economy gains ground. Kudos to Blake and to everyone else that’s staying positive and thinking boldly.