Once upon a time, there was a young man with the dream of becoming a great lawyer. He asked some successful lawyers, and they suggested he attend a well known and very demanding university. The young man applied, was accepted and showed up eager learn. His advisors discussed his Freshman year, and settled on the following courses:
English 101
Basic Economics
Latin I
Constitutional Law
The young man impressed others with his commitment and aptitude, excelling in all his studies. His classmates stood in awe of his work and dedication.
At the end of his first year, his advisors heaped praise upon the young scholar. The advisors said "Rarely have we seen such potential. Your work does credit to yourself and our chosen profession." The young scholar beamed with pride, thanked them for their words and commented on what an honor is to have "joined the ranks of such great legal minds...truly a dream come true!" With awkward glances and nervous chuckles, the advisors said "uhhhh...yea...your future is certainly bright...."
With that, the advisors opened the university's vast catalog of courses and ask the lad to pick his next course of study. The young man chose the following:
English 101
Basic Economics
Latin I
Constitutional Law
His sophomore year went even better than the first. The young man felt he was truly called to his chosen subjects. It was as if he were a natural, so easily did the A's come his way. Occasionally, one of his classmates would ask for help, and he took great pride in guiding a new student. Although he set a new record for GPA, his advisors still refused to accept him as one of their own. The advisors begged him to think about his curriculum choices, but the young man wouldn't change his path. He chose for the next year these classes:
English 101
Basic Economics
Latin I
Constitutional Law
And that year, the scholar set a new standard...never before had a student shown mastery of each class like he had. He received A's for the sole reason that there were no higher marks to be given. Other students noticed the ease in which he navigated the material and ask for help not only with specific topics, but with study techniques in general. Still, his advisors refused to grant him the title "esquire" until he had done more. Getting frustrated, the scholar decided to study one more year. He signed up for the following courses:
English 101
Basic Economics
Latin I
Constitutional Law
The scholar threw himself into the work, excelling well beyond anyone that had previously taken the classes. He wrote essays that went on to become the nation's leading online blog. The Fed Chairman referenced one of his term papers. He became a multimillionaire by translating Penthouse Forum into Latin for certain "niche" consumers. He could summarize every 20th century Supreme court decision. Exhausted but proud, the student was sure that the advisors would acknowledge all that he had done. To his amazement, they again told him he had not done enough....that he had basically wasted his time. The advisors told him they doubted the young man would ever become a lawyer. The more the advisors spoke about what must be done, the madder the scholar became. And then the final insult: the advisors held up this young man as an example to new students of how NOT to become a lawyer.
Outraged, the young scholar came to two conclusions: 1) advisors are assholes. 2) simply calling himself a lawyer is easier than actually becoming a lawyer.
The End.
