Alumna describes 'in-and-out' law career

When College '86 alumna Julie Seaman was in school, her future plans seemed uncertain, and she certainly didn't expect to be speaking to a conference room of undergraduates at a Fox Leadership event Tuesday night.

During her talk, entitled "Can you have it all? Maybe not all at once: Getting in and out of the workforce," Seaman used personal examples to advise students on life after college.

"I took a long time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I'm not so sure I know even now," Seaman said.

Seaman said she admires people who have always known what they want to do but thinks it's a good idea to stay open to new opportunities.

She advised students to "become an expert in a tiny, tiny area."

Seaman also discussed the difficulties of balancing her work and family life. She said she tries to juggle three jobs simultaneously: her career, her marriage and motherhood.

Seaman went from being the editor of the Harvard Law Review and a clerk with federal district court Judge Robert J. Ward to being a full-time mom when she took 10 years off of work to have three kids.

She said that people who are very driven often end up being disappointed in either their family lives or their careers, and that "this juggling affect seems to disproportionately affect women."

Seaman is not a proponent of "sequencing," or having a family and a career sequentially rather than simultaneously.

Sequencing encourages employers to assume that workers can put "110 percent" of their energy toward their work, she added.

But "it's not as if your kids don't need you anymore once they're 10," she said.

"I think it's really important to keep your outside interests and to keep the rest of your life going," she added.

College sophomore Simone Tang thought Seaman's talk was "very informative," especially coming from a woman's perspective.

"I think the most important thing to take away from her is with regard to the balance between personal and business life," said Fox Leadership Student Steering Committee co-director and College senior David Helfenbein.

"She's sort-of indicating that you tend to succeed in what you like," added College sophomore Colby Farber.

Fox Leadership Associate Director Chuck Brutsche was impressed by Seaman's "ability to combine her many interests, particularly science and law," something that he said "reflects her passion for liberal arts."

Brutsche added that he thought Seaman was "incredibly smart," especially when it comes to balancing work and life.

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