Time spent on education is never wasted Blog #6
Mar 20, 2023 by Amy Elizabeth Matuza
"Time spent on education is never wasted." - Ray Matuza
“Time spent on education is never wasted.” I have lived my life by these words. It was during my studies at the Ohio State College of Law that I first grasped their importance.
Twenty-eight years after graduating with my Juris Doctor and passing the Ohio Bar Exam, my law degree continues to open doors for me despite having never formally practiced law a day in my life.
You read that correctly. Not a single day.
The skills that I acquired from my OSU legal education – the ability to think critically, negotiate, understand an issue from multiple sides, fully research an argument, and to write - among others, have paid many dividends throughout my professional career.
My boyfriend, Dmitry, (now husband of almost 27 years) and I arrived at OSU in the fall of 1992 after both graduating from Miami University. A Ukrainian immigrant, Dmitry began OSU medical school hoping to become the first doctor in his family. I attended Miami on a full piano scholarship, added a double major in English Literature, and dreamed of becoming an entertainment attorney in the music industry.
Things were going along swimmingly that fall. I loved the Socratic teaching method; the case law; my incredibly smart and diverse classmates; and, of course, game day Saturdays! I even put my music degree to use as the musical director and accompanist for the law school’s musical theater production of “Trial by Jury”.
And then, first semester grades came out. I was barely passing and devastated.
What was happening? I always prepared for class. I participated in discussions and debates. I read all the material and religiously attended my study groups. I put in hundreds of hours reading thousands of pages of case law. But, somehow, I was struggling to fully “get it”.
I did the only thing I could think of and called my dad in hysterics. I lamented about being a law school failure. I was in the bottom of my class and all of my dreams of a fabulous legal job were crashing down around me. I should just quit now because I was obviously not cut out for this type of work.
As only my dad can do, he boiled my situation down to the core. “Amy, you have two choices. You can quit with a semester of law school under your belt and try to get a job with your two undergraduate degrees. Or, you can figure out what you need to do to “get it” and finish your degree, whether you practice law or not, because time spent on education is never wasted.”
After lots of soul searching, I chose the latter. This decision has positively impacted my life in ways I never could have imagined.
The next two and a half years were some of the most challenging and humbling of my life. I hounded my professors after class with questions. I spent hours with my legal writing teacher editing drafts of memorandums. My Constitutional law professor, who happened to be one of my favorite mentors at OSU, David Goldberger, let me do some pro bono work for him to gain practical experience. I solicited my friends to quiz me about cases over coffee. My second home became the law library.
Slowly, I “got it” and not only finished law school, but graduated with over a 3.0 GPA. I had attained my Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University, and no one could ever take that away from me. I passed the Ohio Bar exam that fall and was ready to start my first real job.
After unsuccessfully applying for over a hundred legal positions, I decided to interview for a non-legal business role at a large international consulting company. I was hired in early January of 1996. My law degree not only earned me a starting salary bump, but also an invitation to join the Process Consulting group where I would design and write computer code for large banks.
Had I ever written a single line of code in my life, let alone studied business? No. But, I was assured that because of my legal education and the analytical problem solving skills that it took to be successful in that field, I would be a great fit for coding.
I spent the next three and a half years building computer systems for several banks. Based on my performance which was partially attributed to my legal training, I was credited six months of work experience and promoted early. When I subsequently moved into sales, I was often asked to work closely with the lawyers on our deals as a business liaison. My familiarity with contracts and business law allowed me to quickly decipher legal jargon into business “English” for my teammates.
For the last ten years of my almost fifteen year career in consulting, I ran strategic projects within the Finance organization. I worked for various global leaders including Directors, the head of Investor Relations, and finally, our Chief Financial Officer. In this last role, I was specifically hired for my legal skills, my ability to efficiently parse through complex information, and my capacity to communicate it effectively.
One of my craziest memories working for our CFO was when she asked me to attend a large conference in NYC on her behalf regarding the FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act). I am almost positive that I was the only non-C level Finance executive or in-house counsel at the conference. To say that I was slightly intimidated would be an understatement. But, my law degree got me in the door and gave my company’s leadership the confidence in me to attend.
When I finally left consulting to pursue a music career as an accompanist, I was able to negotiate my own contracts. When I published my first book last year, I independently finalized my deal with my publisher. When I sit on a board of directors, or my church council, or a committee at my children’s schools, my law skills accompany me. The list of the ways my degree from Ohio State has enriched my life both professionally and personally is extensive.
This spring, our eldest daughter graduates from college and we could not be prouder. For her, and for graduates everywhere, I would offer the same advice that my dad gave me all those years ago. “Time spent on education is never wasted.” These words are relevant whether you are a new or seasoned alum.
None of us can predict the future or know exactly where life will take us. But, one thing is for sure. No one can ever take your degree away. You earned it. You are a Buckeye. And you are on your way.
Where is up to you.
“Time spent on education is never wasted.” I have lived my life by these words. It was during my studies at the Ohio State College of Law that I first grasped their importance.
Twenty-eight years after graduating with my Juris Doctor and passing the Ohio Bar Exam, my law degree continues to open doors for me despite having never formally practiced law a day in my life.
You read that correctly. Not a single day.
The skills that I acquired from my OSU legal education – the ability to think critically, negotiate, understand an issue from multiple sides, fully research an argument, and to write - among others, have paid many dividends throughout my professional career.
My boyfriend, Dmitry, (now husband of almost 27 years) and I arrived at OSU in the fall of 1992 after both graduating from Miami University. A Ukrainian immigrant, Dmitry began OSU medical school hoping to become the first doctor in his family. I attended Miami on a full piano scholarship, added a double major in English Literature, and dreamed of becoming an entertainment attorney in the music industry.
Things were going along swimmingly that fall. I loved the Socratic teaching method; the case law; my incredibly smart and diverse classmates; and, of course, game day Saturdays! I even put my music degree to use as the musical director and accompanist for the law school’s musical theater production of “Trial by Jury”.
And then, first semester grades came out. I was barely passing and devastated.
What was happening? I always prepared for class. I participated in discussions and debates. I read all the material and religiously attended my study groups. I put in hundreds of hours reading thousands of pages of case law. But, somehow, I was struggling to fully “get it”.
I did the only thing I could think of and called my dad in hysterics. I lamented about being a law school failure. I was in the bottom of my class and all of my dreams of a fabulous legal job were crashing down around me. I should just quit now because I was obviously not cut out for this type of work.
As only my dad can do, he boiled my situation down to the core. “Amy, you have two choices. You can quit with a semester of law school under your belt and try to get a job with your two undergraduate degrees. Or, you can figure out what you need to do to “get it” and finish your degree, whether you practice law or not, because time spent on education is never wasted.”
After lots of soul searching, I chose the latter. This decision has positively impacted my life in ways I never could have imagined.
The next two and a half years were some of the most challenging and humbling of my life. I hounded my professors after class with questions. I spent hours with my legal writing teacher editing drafts of memorandums. My Constitutional law professor, who happened to be one of my favorite mentors at OSU, David Goldberger, let me do some pro bono work for him to gain practical experience. I solicited my friends to quiz me about cases over coffee. My second home became the law library.
Slowly, I “got it” and not only finished law school, but graduated with over a 3.0 GPA. I had attained my Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University, and no one could ever take that away from me. I passed the Ohio Bar exam that fall and was ready to start my first real job.
After unsuccessfully applying for over a hundred legal positions, I decided to interview for a non-legal business role at a large international consulting company. I was hired in early January of 1996. My law degree not only earned me a starting salary bump, but also an invitation to join the Process Consulting group where I would design and write computer code for large banks.
Had I ever written a single line of code in my life, let alone studied business? No. But, I was assured that because of my legal education and the analytical problem solving skills that it took to be successful in that field, I would be a great fit for coding.
I spent the next three and a half years building computer systems for several banks. Based on my performance which was partially attributed to my legal training, I was credited six months of work experience and promoted early. When I subsequently moved into sales, I was often asked to work closely with the lawyers on our deals as a business liaison. My familiarity with contracts and business law allowed me to quickly decipher legal jargon into business “English” for my teammates.
For the last ten years of my almost fifteen year career in consulting, I ran strategic projects within the Finance organization. I worked for various global leaders including Directors, the head of Investor Relations, and finally, our Chief Financial Officer. In this last role, I was specifically hired for my legal skills, my ability to efficiently parse through complex information, and my capacity to communicate it effectively.
One of my craziest memories working for our CFO was when she asked me to attend a large conference in NYC on her behalf regarding the FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act). I am almost positive that I was the only non-C level Finance executive or in-house counsel at the conference. To say that I was slightly intimidated would be an understatement. But, my law degree got me in the door and gave my company’s leadership the confidence in me to attend.
When I finally left consulting to pursue a music career as an accompanist, I was able to negotiate my own contracts. When I published my first book last year, I independently finalized my deal with my publisher. When I sit on a board of directors, or my church council, or a committee at my children’s schools, my law skills accompany me. The list of the ways my degree from Ohio State has enriched my life both professionally and personally is extensive.
This spring, our eldest daughter graduates from college and we could not be prouder. For her, and for graduates everywhere, I would offer the same advice that my dad gave me all those years ago. “Time spent on education is never wasted.” These words are relevant whether you are a new or seasoned alum.
None of us can predict the future or know exactly where life will take us. But, one thing is for sure. No one can ever take your degree away. You earned it. You are a Buckeye. And you are on your way.
Where is up to you.
