A friend of mine has been encouraging me to get online writing jobs.  But I have been busy with my job as a trial lawyer.  Last weekend, I finally logged in oand checked out the oDesk website and I checked it out. The more I read about getting part-time work, the more interesting the arrangement seemed to me.  I only needed to apply for jobs that I am qualified for and jobs that will not take up too much of my time since I have other employment.

It was tricky getting my profile ready since I was required to “sell” my skills on line with the same profile that I uploaded.  I needed to verify my identity and I needed to take free tests that will convince prospective employers that I really know how to speak, read and write English.

Taking the oDesk tests was exciting.  I am proficient in English but I still had to convince a computer somewhere that I really knew English: I had to get a specified number of correct answers on each area of English grammar.  The more tests I took, the more confident I became.  The more confident I became, the more I wanted to take tests.

After taking the oDesk certification tests, another friend saw my oDesk certifications on Facebook.  She sent me an email welcoming me to the world of on-line employment.  She teaches English to Koreans and Japanese on-line.

Why did I finally try on-line employment?  Well, curiosity drove me to try it.  The promise of a ‘change of scenery’ was also inviting: writing legal documents can be tedious. Writing to argue, to convince and persuade all the time has become repetitious. The most compelling reason, though, was the desire to prove that I had the confidence needed to present my language proficiency as a marketable skill, assertively market my talent as a commodity, and earn from it.

This kind of self-promotion is prohibited by the professional code of conduct for lawyers: a lawyer cannot directly solicit business by announcing her expertise or extent of experience in a field.  Lawyers can only build a clientele by word-of-mouth and referrals from other satisfied clients. My clients now are friends and relatives of other friends and relatives for whom I have done some legal work in the past.

oDesk is a different ball game altogether for me:  I do not know the prospective employer, the prospective employer does not know me either. The anonymity is both intriguing and novel.  He relies on  oDesk’s certification that I really am proficient in English.  I have already taken and successfully passed seven English proficiency tests on oDesk.  I am raring to take more tests.  But I feel the need to brush up on the rules of grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and style.

A lawyer cannot refuse a case for money or malice: but, I can always choose to apply or not to apply for a job on oDesk based on the amount the employer is willing to pay, the verification of the mode of payment, and the difficulty of the writing task.  My legal fees are subject to scrutiny by the court; but on oDesk, I can always negotiate with a prospective employer as to the number of hours and the hourly rate.

On oDesk, a job well done and a job done on time are all that is necessary for me to get possible feedback.  Hopefully, with good feedback from employers,  more writing assignments will come my way as my reputation for reliability and my employment history grow. This is not so with legal work.  A lawyer is not just a lawyer:  she cannot just be keen in the courtroom, and astute in drafting documents.  A lawyer is often required to be a shoulder to cry on, a life coach and a confidant.  That can be too heavy an emotional baggage to carry, and I don’t get paid a bonus for being friendly or compassionate.

Working as a lawyer is often draining because it requires an emotional investment in another person that will hopefully spur me on to seek the greatest legal advantage I can procure for my client. Often, even when I strive to get the greatest legal advantage for my client, there is no guarantee that the quality of the client’s life is improved.  Winning a case in court does not always bring happiness or satisfaction. For the lawyer, trying a case and winning it is similar to walking on a moral tight-rope all the time:  a lawyer needs to balance the ideals of justice, the rigors of her professional responsibility as an officer of the court, the interests of the client and the need of her pocketbook.

oDesk work is over once the contract is ended.  I can move on to other jobs and other mental challenges without needing to emotionally invest in my co-workers or even my employer:  I just need to do a good job.  It is less taxing on my emotional and thought life.

I’m not quitting my day job, though. I love being a lawyer, it is who I am:  I think like a lawyer, I express myself as a lawyer,and  I look at life as a lawyer.  Only this time, I don’t always have to earn my living as a lawyer.  I can be a writer as well.  That’s the thrill of oDesk for me. So wish me luck….and Godspeed.