This internship with Velasquez Immigration Law Group has benefited my future career by helping me understand how much work an attorney does and what law I hope to do once I am an attorney. I used to believe that immigration law was my passion, but now that I have experienced what immigration law is, I do not think this is the area of law I would like to dedicate my life to. It has been a truly eye-opening experience, a reality check.
My major is political science, which is why my internship at this firm has directly benefited my studies. When I chose to major in political science, I intended to continue in law school. This internship has only furthered my passion to help others and understand that I can choose to focus on other areas of law. What I learned in my international relations classes has helped me understand the politics and laws that affect immigrants when coming to the U.S. I am very fortunate that my classes focused on regimes and the types of leaders in other countries so that I am better able to understand why people flee their countries and seek asylum in ours. At this law firm, we are representing immigrants who seek asylum. My internship work was a direct tie to the knowledge I gained in many of my political science courses. There are a few educational requirements you need to succeed at this firm, and that is because of the excellent training and guidance that the attorney provided!
I am still interested in this particular career after completing my internship, but now I know I do not plan to pursue being an immigration attorney. The reason for changing my area of law is that I do not think I have the heart to endure such heartbreak of our government separating families, children growing up without their parents due to a border, and the trauma that the government causes to families who simply want a better life. Unfortunately, as the child of an immigrant, it is challenging to relive similar experiences, so I am choosing a different path as an attorney.
To secure a full-time position in this field, you must be devoted and emotionally prepared to endure hours of hard work in the office and court. Therefore, a bachelor's degree in political science is vital if you want to work with an attorney at any firm.
One piece of advice for incoming interns is that it is normal to feel overwhelmed in the first few weeks of being an intern, but eventually, you will feel confident in your work!
Hello!
I think that is great that you are very optimistic in light of realizing that this career was not for you. A lot of people may expect internships to go perfectly, so it can be a major bummer when you realize its not what you want, however that is a great process of learning that saves you many years. It sounds like you had a great internship experience though, I would love to learn more about immigration law!
Hey!
I am glad to hear you had a great experience interning at a Law Firm! I also did myself, and I agree with you wanting to work a legal job, but in a different type of field. I'm sorry that immigration law was challenging for you because you could relate. I am Hispanic as well, but my background is Puerto Rican so I do not know what that experience entails but I completely understand and sympathize. My site was at a bankruptcy firm, and I currently hold a job there but I know I do not want to work in that field either. A lot of the situations I see clients going through resonate with me because growing up I saw my family struggle to pay bills and deal with creditors. It is also quite sad seeing the different types of people struggling to make ends meet and seeing how deep in debt they are at various stages in their lives. So I get how you feel, I feel like my internship made me more cautious about how I handle my own personal finances. Down the line, I'd really like to get into entertainment law because I am very passionate about that kind of stuff. But I see how the internship was an eye-opener for you because it was for me too. In the beginning, seeing all of the responsibilities that working at a law firm entails made me question my career choice, but I stuck through it and got used to it. I'm glad to hear you were able to apply what you learned in your political science classes to that field of work though! I am a political science major too and I feel like none of my classes were related to bankruptcy law at all and I just went into learning something completely new. I definitely agree with your advice and I feel like you have a great head on your shoulders! I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors! (: