Hello and welcome to week three of our book club discussion of “Becoming.”
In part two, “Becoming Us,” Michelle Obama discusses her feelings of dissatisfaction with her legal career, writing about how she didn’t feel fulfilled despite the success she had attained: "...I hated being a lawyer. I wasn't suited to the work. I felt empty doing it, even if I was plenty good at it. This was a distressing thing to admit, given how hard I'd worked and how in debt I was. In my blinding drive to excel, in my need to do things perfectly, I'd missed the signs and taken the wrong road." Years later, when exploring one of her journals from that time in her life, she suggests that a female mentor might have been able to give her some direction. As she moves forward with her plans to shift her career to public service she encounters women, such as Susan Sher and Valerie Jarrett, who mentor her as she pursues her new career path. How do you think these mentors helped Michelle Obama? Have you ever questioned your career path or made a career change? If so, were there people in your life who supported you during the process?
In part two, “Becoming Us,” Michelle Obama discusses her feelings of dissatisfaction with her legal career, writing about how she didn’t feel fulfilled despite the success she had attained: "...I hated being a lawyer. I wasn't suited to the work. I felt empty doing it, even if I was plenty good at it. This was a distressing thing to admit, given how hard I'd worked and how in debt I was. In my blinding drive to excel, in my need to do things perfectly, I'd missed the signs and taken the wrong road." Years later, when exploring one of her journals from that time in her life, she suggests that a female mentor might have been able to give her some direction. As she moves forward with her plans to shift her career to public service she encounters women, such as Susan Sher and Valerie Jarrett, who mentor her as she pursues her new career path. How do you think these mentors helped Michelle Obama? Have you ever questioned your career path or made a career change? If so, were there people in your life who supported you during the process?
Keely