This episode is, “How Did You Open Your Own Law Firm At Age 26?"
I opened my law firm when I was 26 years old. My office was in a lower income part of town next to railroad tracks. My office rent was less than $300 a month. I had no financial help from anyone. It was one of the best decisions of my life (economically, emotionally, professionally, etc.)! 1) Why? Why not? - I made a fantastic income and I was in control of my destiny! Solo Practitioners annual income in Texas $97,142 (2009 data) ( https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Archives&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11241) - I am not alone. “The number of recent law graduates going solo increased from 3.5 percent in 2008 to 5.5 percent in 2009, the biggest one year jump since 1982, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) reports. That percentage increased to 5.7 percent of all private practice jobs for the class of 2010, the highest it’s been since 1997.” (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43442917/ns/business-careers/t/law-grads-going-solo-loving-it/#.U_T1-bxdVmg) "As of 2005, some 62 percent of attorneys in private practice work as solo or small-firm practitioners, according to the most recent data available from the American Bar Association. " (http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/so_you_want_to_go_solo_you_sure/) "Solo practice: ~271,000, or 35% of US lawyers (this takes the ABF estimate of the share of lawyers in solo practice and multiplies it by the total number of lawyers in law offices reported by the BLS) (id.)"; (http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/plp/pages/statistics.php) 2) Was age an obstacle? No. We are what age we are. I was aware of it and we discuss in the show that younger people (or those who appear younger) do have to deal with stereotypes in the workplace. That is not a deterrent to opening a business. Yet, awareness of the very small percentage of business owners that are in their twenties is important. We discuss in this show that when you are "the boss" and 26, there are going to be some stereotypes and skepticism that you will encounter. “ONE-IN-THREE OF ALL OWNERS OF RESPONDENT FIRMS ARE OVER 55 YEARS OF AGE In 2002, 31 percent of the owners of respondent firms were over the age of 55, with 20 percent of these owners between the ages of 55 to 64, and 11 percent are 65 and over. Twenty-nine percent of all owners of respondent firms were between 45 and 54 years old; 24 percent were between 35 and 44 years old; 12 percent were between 25 and 34 years old; and only 2 percent were under 25 years old.” (https://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/02/cbosof.html) - Why So Few Young People Start Businesses? “The share of employed people ages 20 to 24 who run their own incorporated businesses is only 0.3 percent, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Because much business knowledge needs to be [...] This is our COURTNEY! I AM CURIOUS™ series wherein you ask and I answer! Specifically, this is a series for questions about my personal experiences, perspectives and life lessons.
Incredulous. Dubious. These are some of the reactions I have had over the years to my advice when it deviates from the expected norm. If I advise a person to consider something that is “outside the box” or without a box at all they may reject it simply on principle (too outrageous!). The challenge for me is that I often am simply sharing my own life experience and at times am hurt when it is scoffed at by skeptics. If I am discussing traveling around the world on your own, or starting a new business, or applying for a job that in a new industry; it is because I did so and found it to be a wonderful start of a new adventure in life. Yes, you can! I have received questions over the years that illustrate that there may be a benefit from me sharing my direct experiences that are different from the norm (in some aspect). Nothing I have done is unique. Going to school, working, buying a home, having fun, etc., are normal events in most of our lives. Going to school and graduating in three years, working for your own firm, buying a first home at age 27, working in live television, having fun in South Africa, Mexico City, Rome, Mumbai, Brisbane, Tokyo, Madrid, Hong Kong, Quebec, and many other places around the world are a bit of an unusual slant on life (apparently from the feedback I receive). So, this series is my attempt to address your curiosity! I hope that my journey through life helps you more fully explore what is probable in your life! This episode is, “How did you buy your first home at age 27 as a single woman?” I purchased my first home at age 27. I still own it today as an investment property (over 15 years later as of the time of this show). I bought it on my own. I used money [...] In the COURTNEY! I AM CURIOUS series you ask and I answer! I hope that my journey through life helps you more fully explore what is probable in your life! This episode is, “How Did You Graduate From College with your Bachelors degree at 20 Years Old?”
I graduated from high school when I was 17 years old. I graduated from college with my bachelor’s degree three years after I finished high school. I was 20 years old. 1) How did I do it (graduate from college with my bachelor’s degree in three years)? I completed all of the requirements for the degree by that time. I completed 124 credit hours and 120 were required for graduation. Thus, I graduated because I finished the degree program requirements. From RADIO SHOW/AUDIO PODCAST: Solutions…with Courtney Anderson! (SwCA) Episode 082 - Originally aired 4/16/2014 9:00 AM - HELP! SITUATION SPOTLIGHT series -“How do I pick 'the right' college for my first degree?", “in general (from a US perspective), degrees are awarded based on completed credit hours. One credit hour is based on one class hour per week throughout the duration of a semester. So, a class that meets for three hours per week for an entire term will be worth three credit hours upon successful completion. An associate degree is roughly 60 credit hours. A bachelors degree is 120 credit hours. Thus, to earn a bachelors degree would take 40 different three credit classes (which is why it takes several years to graduate).” 2) How did you complete all of the degree requirements in three years? By planning ahead and setting a goal to do so! The most candid response I can give is that from my earliest memory my goal was to move as quickly as possible through undergraduate school. I knew that I was going to be earning (most likely several) graduate degrees. So, the longest (in terms of credit hours) prerequisite degree was the undergraduate degree. In my mind, as a teenager, undergraduate school was simply a time-consuming requirement for me to enter my next graduate program (initially I was planning to go to medical school and then I switched to law school). My transcript shows: 55 credit hours [...] This is our COURTNEY! I AM CURIOUS™ series wherein you ask and I answer! Specifically, this is a series for questions about my personal experiences, perspectives and life lessons.
I coined the term the “Workplace Relationship Expert” by 1999 and have been using it in my professional materials since that time! The reason is that I research and write about workplace interpersonal relationships that impact organizational outcomes (between management and staff, between peers, etc.). Definition of Workplace: “a place (as a shop or factory) where work is done” Workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved August 6, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workplace Definition of Relationship: “: the way in which two or more people, groups, countries, etc., talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other : a romantic or sexual friendship between two people : the way in which two or more people or things are connected” Relationship. (n.d.). Retrieved August 6, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relationship What happens at work is not isolated to work process and goals. It is largely impacted by the internal relationship motives people have not addressed (which results in harassment, bullying abuse, illegal employment decisions, etc.). My job is to address that reality and provide consequence and clarity of the individual choices that team members decide to make. What led to my identification as 'The Workplace Relationship Expert'? 1) I started dealing with workplace legal issues (wrongful termination, etc.) as an attorney at my law firm (which I opened in 1998). 2) I had numerous clients that I helped with cases where their employer had allegedly not complied with the law (hiring, evaluations, discipline, termination, etc.). 3) I was shocked to observe well known and successful organizations that had individual staff members engage in inappropriate and potentially illegal behavior. 4) I therefore started my corporate education, training and consulting practice specifically to be part of a proactive solution for employers to prevent (or mitigate) potentially illegal employment action. I have had the pleasure of traveling |
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