Kaisa's story
I didn't think I could become a lawyer until 2019. When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to be a journalist because I had seen the word somewhere, and it seemed exciting. Although I didn't know exactly what a journalist does or what writing for the media should look like, I was fascinated by the idea.As I got a little older, I wanted to become a veterinarian who treats only panda bears. Later, I learned that there are people who dress up as panda bears and live with them in protected areas. For a while, I wanted to be one of those people. In fact, I still do—it seems like the most stress-free and enjoyable job in the world.
When I was about to graduate from high school, I suddenly had no idea what I wanted to become. While researching university curricula, genetic engineering seemed quite interesting because I had read that, in theory, I could become a famous character from the CSI series and solve crimes.
When I started studying, I was surprised to find that genetic engineering actually involved a lot of chemistry-related subjects. It was fun to go to the lab, and eventually, I could even name chemical compounds like 2-(2-but-2(E)-enyl)cyclohexylcyclopentanecarbonitrile from a diagram. However, it soon became clear that I didn't want to spend my days in a white lab coat, and doing experiments wasn’t something that came naturally to me.
So, after some thought, I decided to study law—completely without any childhood dream of becoming a judge, lawyer, or notary. However, even while studying, I managed to rethink my career choices at least five times. For example, I wanted to become a police investigator because I had a very solid understanding of the job, mainly thanks to various British crime series.
Of course, when I did my internship at the Police and Border Guard Board, it quickly became clear that they didn’t need a real Poirot there, so I had to keep searching for my dream job.
I didn’t even think about becoming a lawyer until I got an internship at a law firm—and I was hooked! It turned out that lawyers have to write a lot, and I’ve loved writing since I was a child. Additionally, coming up with the best solutions for a client requires a bit of detective work—following clues and engaging in a huge amount of brain gymnastics.
In the end, I’m incredibly happy when the client achieves the desired result. Maybe it's as rewarding as saving pandas... The only skill I’ve learned that I haven’t needed is chemical nomenclature, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I ever need to use it again—because law work is so diverse and always varied, except for when it comes to the work of a lawyer!
But who knows, maybe in my old age, I’ll go to China to save pandas and put my gray brain cells to work catching serial killers..