Gina Akao: Locks of Love Haircut

Hi everyone! I'm donating my hair to Locks of Love! Many thanks to Emily Avila for giving me such a great haircut! For more information about donating your hair, please go to www.locksoflove.org. Don't forget to subscribe to my author blog, www.GinaAkao.com to receive your free gift!

Here is the before picture:

Here are the after pictures:

 

Have a great day!

Gina

Gina Akao: My Author Hub

Hi everyone,

Check out the link to my Toastmasters speech about My Author Hub!

Here are a few key points from my speech:

1. If you have a passion, talent, business, or book to promote, a blog is an affordable and easy way to get the word out to your audience.
2. You can create a blog in a few hours for free on Google Blogger or www.WordPress.com.
3. If you would like to create a personal brand, you can buy a domain name for your blog. Domains cost anywhere from about $10 on www.GoDaddy.com or you can buy one directly on WordPress.com for $18 per year. The domain is integrated with your WordPress site, and goes live within as little as a few hours.
4. Link your blog to social media. This connects you with friends who can help you share your ideas and connect you to future clients.
5. Encourage people to subscribe to your blog by offering a free gift.
6. If you're not tech savvy, you can enlist the help of a virtual assistant to set up your blog for you. If you would like me to help you, please contact me here.

If you liked this article, please go to www.GinaAkao.com and subscribe to receive your Top Ten Career Tips!

Have a great day,

Gina

Buy "Tales of the Law School Dropout" today!

Six years in the making, and the moment is finally here: my e-book, "Tales of a Law School Dropout" is available on Amazon.com! Get your copy today for $9.99!

You can find my book by going to Amazon.com and typing in "Gina Akao," or you can go directly to the link here:

You don't have to own a Kindle to read the e-book. Just download the Kindle for PC for free here:

If you have a smart phone, you can also download the free Kindle app and read the book that way.

If you have ever contemplated becoming a lawyer or have ever tried a career path that didn't quite fit, this is the book for you.

I would love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to message me on facebook, LinkedIn, or YouTube.

Happy reading!

Gina

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Tales of a Law School Dropout e-Book Launch Date

Early Book Review

Hi everyone,

I hope you are having a fabulous new year so far! My book, "Tales of a Law School Dropout," is in its final stages of editing and will be available on Amazon Kindle soon.

I have been sending my book out for some early book reviews/blurbs for the back of the book, etc. Here is a sneak preview below!

Like a lot of law students, Gina Akao didn’t do nearly enough research before deciding to go to law school. But unlike a lot of law students, Gina did make the honest and courageous decision to leave law school when she become convinced that becoming a lawyer wasn’t a path that would lead to career happiness. By chronicling in detail her journey into, and out of, law school, Gina’s story reinforces the critical career advice, first uttered by Socrates, that anyone in or considering law school should take to heart: “Know Thyself.”

– Deborah Schneider, Esq, co-author of Should You Really Be A Lawyer? The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During and After Law School.

Happy New Year!
Gina
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Light at the End of the Tunnel

My sister took the LSAT today, and endured 4.5 hours of cruel and unusual punishment that only pre-law students can appreciate. She told me her brain is tired, which is a feeling I am sure she will revisit once she goes to law school. Unlike me, I think my sister will be a good fit for law, considering she had the gumption to sue the IRS. Watch out, legal world, another Akao is on the way!

Is the pain worth it?

I recently interviewed a friend of mine, Doug MacLean. Like me, he was a fellow English major from UNR, but unlike me, he had a specific reason for attending law school. Four years ago, I had helped Doug with his personal statement to Georgetown. Not only did he get in, he excelled. Doug is now in Japan for a year on a Fulbright, studying exactly what he wanted to: international women's humans rights. Doug told me that many professors in the legal world agree OneL is "pedagogically bankrupt," but are unwilling to do anything about it. I translate this to mean that there is absolutely no reason why law schools across the country have to make learning law so hard for first year students. Will the system ever change? I hope so.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel? For advocates like Doug, absolutely. Is studying law uncomfortable? Most definitely, yes. Is it worth it for some? For sure, yes.

If you are thinking about law school or in the process of applying, my advice to you is this: write down your goals and be specific. Include those goals in your personal statement. Years later when you look back at that document, you will see why the pain was worth it! Or, if you're like me, you will find a passion that doesn't require so much suffering.

Cheers, Gina

Book Recommendation: Should You Really Be a Lawyer?

Are you planning to go to law school? You must read this book, Should You Really Be a Lawyer? The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During & After Law School. http://www.amazon.com/Should-You-Really-Be-Lawyer/dp/0940675579.

The author, Deborah Schneider, came to speak to my Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity club the summer before I attended law school, and out of all of the career decision books I have read, this is the only one that could stand the test of time. I wish I had a dollar for every time I said, "I wish I had listened to Deborah's advice," especially when, toward the end of my law school stint, I would rather have scratched my eyes out than read another legal case about murder and manslaughter (too gory for my classical pianist eyes!).

Deborah has a JD, and is the former Associate Director for Career Development at the University of California Hastings College of Law. Her book has three main audiences: prospective law students, current law students, and practicing lawyers. However, I think the career advice would apply to almost any career path.

My favorite part of the book: the assessments. Deborah and her co-author, Gary Belsky, have provided their readers with short, magazine-quiz-like assessments that challenge your assumptions about the legal world and the dazzling, high paying careers you think law will lead you to once you finish law school. For example, Decision Assessment 2 asks you to:

Check all the statements that apply to you:

I'm considering going to law school because...

A) I'm not sure what I want to do, and a law degree will keep my options open.
B) People whose opinions I trust are encouraging me to get a law degree.
C) I've thought about what I'd enjoy in a job, and the law would be a good fit for my skills, strengths, and interests.
D) The people whose jobs I'd like to have in a few years all have law degrees, even though they no longer practice.
E) I've already worked in legal and non-legal environments, and I would prefer a legal setting.
F) I was a liberal arts major, so a law degree seems like the next logical step.
G) Everyone says I would make a good lawyer.
H) I'm competitive by nature, so I think I'd enjoy law school and the legal profession.
I) My prior professional experience sparked my interest in law.

(Schneider & Belsky, 2005, p. 23-24).

At the time, I checked C and F, then eagerly proceeded to the paragraphs below my answers to read what my responses said about me and my assumptions. Once I had finished my entire assessment, I received a score of 71, which put me in the gray area. I laugh when I read the description of the gray area, because it was dead on: "You probably do have some valid reasons for going to law school and a sense of what you want from a JD, and you have done a little research. But you may be reading this book because you're still not sure that law is the right decision for you." (Schneider & Belsky, 2005, p. 44).

Was Deborah right? Absolutely! So if you are looking for a magic 8 ball to tell you if law school is the right fit, don't let the LSAT tell you that, read Should You Really Be a Lawyer? It is well worth the $21.86 bucks, which is nothing compared to the debt you will take on if you wait to address your uncertainties until after you are too invested to get out! Of course, you may read the book and decide law school is the right path for you. And if so, all the power to you.

Cheers,
Gina