Unhappy lawyers

Lawyers are not happy people. According to a recent survey, lawyers are ranked 2nd in terms of being unhappy and dissatified with their occupation.

Why is that the case?

Although on average, we get paid more than some other occupations, alot of us do not see any satisfaction in our work. Especially being a commercial lawyer, you don't really seem to be contributing to the genuine needs of society. Looking at the partners at my law firm, they work so hard and they compete with each other so much, that most of them have family problems, with spouses and children complaining about the lack of time they are able to spend with their family. Is this where I want my life to be heading?

A recent email from an old friend in Hong Kong (also a lawyer) also shares the same concerns:

"I think about quitting my job every week but I just can't figure out what I want to do (because certain aspects of this job are still appealing to me)"

Later in the email, this friend puts things in perspective:

"But what about just focusing on what you enjoy doing at your current job? I mean these days I don't care whether I have done better than my colleague or I should do X because my colleague did X last time. I will just put in effort on things that I enjoy working on (although I have to deal with the other $hit that comes with it). You see what I mean!

Hey cheer up and you have done very well to get to where you are now."

I can try, but at the moment, my happiness at work is zero even after my promotion as I am still lost at where I want to go next.