Have JD, Will Travel: The key to professionalism? Give me attitude!
By Keita Rose-Atkinson • September 06, 2014
Alright everyone, confession time. How many of us have seen (some of us multiple times, don't judge) the video of the three dancers totally killing their Beyonce choreo in equally killer heels? In that 2 minutes and 18 seconds of awesome times amazing, two things are clear about those fabulous men: more skill in the snap of their heads than I have in my entirely un-snappable body and attitude for days! How does this relate to professional advancement, particularly for those pursuing a nontraditional or social justice career? Oh ye of little faith. The reason you went to law school is for…
Have JD, Will Travel: Channeling Dolly Parton aka Working 9 to 5
By Keita Rose-Atkinson • August 07, 2014
So this month's post is short and sweet. It's what I like to call a 'guess what happened to me list.' Anyway, here it is. List of things that you remember when you start a new job: - working is awesome! Nothing like coming home after a long productive day to make you feel accomplished. - working is tiring! Nothing like coming home after a loooong, productive day to make you feel... tired. How can sitting at a desk writing reports, troubleshooting with colleagues, and researching matters make you so worn out by the end of the day?! - Technology can…
Have JD, Will Travel: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back
By Keita Rose-Atkinson • July 06, 2014 •Writers in Residence
Setbacks. Roadblocks. Hiccups. Bumps in the road. Whatever name you have for them, everyone experiences a time in her life when the smoothly paved route to her dreams becomes a rocky, hard to travel pathway. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that you can’t always plan out everything in life, and sometimes you have to make due with moving forward into the unknown. Living abroad has helped me to be okay with uncertainty and to take each day as they come. Even as I’ve gotten my desire to map out every possible move before I take a step under control,…
Have JD, Will Travel: Phenomenal Women
By Keita Rose-Atkinson • June 15, 2014 •Writers in Residence
I am passionate about the empowerment of women. The desire to impact the lives of women and girls around the world is one of the reasons I moved abroad. I was inspired by the words and actions of a multitude of strong female figures, such as my mother (my first hero) and Maya Angelou (one of the strongest black female voices of the 20th century). In fact, my travels abroad are similar to both of these women, as they also spent part of their lives travelling and living in different countries seeking to alleviate the injustices of the world. The…
Have JD, Will Travel: For the Love of Money
By Keita Rose-Atkinson • May 05, 2014 •Writers in Residence
Hey folks, so even though one of my favorite old school groups says my topic for the month is ‘the root of all evil,’ I’m going to ignore the O’Jay’s advice and talk to you about money. More than just about money, this month’s post is a bit of advice on how to remain encouraged and focused when searching for a position in international social justice –I’m using this term to include development, human rights, education, health, and a range of other public sector jobs that can be found on an international scale. It will also help you avoid going…
Owning Your Awesome
By Keita Rose-Atkinson • April 05, 2014 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues
This month, my message is not the one I originally intended to share with you. But this idea just fell plop into my lap, and it was as if the universe said, “you have to share this in April.” And you know, when the universe speaks, it behooves you to listen. So this month, I’d like to share a few ways for you to ‘own your awesome.’ And not just in that happy, feel good pop psychology way. Own your achievements and abilities so that you can accurately assess and share what you have to offer the professional world. While…
Have JD, Will Travel: Adjusting, Embracing Passion and Taking the Less Traveled Road
By Keita Rose-Atkinson • March 05, 2014 •Writers in Residence
Welcome back folks! If you’re still with me so far, by now you know the wheres, whys and hows of my decision to build a life as a global citizen using my JD and all its fancy trappings to hammer out a space in the international social justice sphere. January and February’s posts focused mostly on the professional side of things. This month, I may be a bit all over the place because this month is a bit more personal, and we know how the personal can be all over the place. The truth is, when people ask me about…
Have JD, Will Travel: The Hustler’s Life
By Keita Rose-Atkinson • February 05, 2014 •Writers in Residence
Happy February everybody! Welcome to this month’s installment of ‘Have JD, Will Travel,’ the blog that explores what happens when a law school graduate tries to use her passport to make her dreams of a nontraditional legal career a reality. January’s blog was an introduction to my approach to the blog in the coming year: honesty, bravery and all that jazz. This month, I’ll take a tiny step back and give you the back-story of how I got to where I am, where I am now, and my thought process along the way. Before I begin, like any good legalista,…