Extravagant? I Say It’s an Investment
This week, we noted a New York Times story that spotted an ” ‘it’ shoe right now for women in politics” on Reshma Saujani, the lawyer / congressional hopeful featured in the article.
While the Times reporter noted that Saujani had no trouble walking all day in the stylish patent leather shoes despite their 3-inch wedge heel, said “it” shoes retail at $300, a lot of money for someone like Saujani, who is a Yale Law School grad and has $80,000 in student debt. “Perhaps she sees the shoes as an investment, surely less expensive than podiatry down the road,” the Times reporter suggested.
This week, we want to ask you: What purchase have you made for your professional life—be it cutting-edge technology, wardrobe, office furniture or accoutrements, or season tickets shared with clients—that, while it could be classified as a luxury item, has ended up paying for itself over time? (Or what such purchase are you convinced will pay for itself over time, even if it hasn’t yet?)
Answer in the comments.
Read the answers to last week’s question: What Are the ‘Unbillable Hours’ That Make Your Work Life Worth the Effort Each Day?
Featured answer:
Posted by Danny Dickerson: “For me, it’s working with the last of the World War II generation as they get ready to transition to the next world, and to transition their worldly possessions to those who remain. For an unsympathetic partner who claims that work isn’t different than anyone else’s, my response: What do you do when your client starts crying and asks you ‘why am I still here?’ Probably the most rewarding was showing up for the funeral of a World War II bomber pilot, knowing the family would ask me to do something, but not sure what. They said: ‘Can you talk? We can’t.’ Fortunately, it was a military funeral, so I was only allotted a couple minutes. Afterward, they said: ‘Wow. You really got my Dad.’ This work is not always unbillable, sometimes even profitable, but there are many who are unable to pay, and this work grants them some dignity in spite of that. FYI, this work is with a CPA practice and I’m now in my final year of law school with the bar exam looming. But as a ‘seasoned and mature’ law school grad, hopefully this somewhat unusual niche will find its place in the legal community of Nashville (assuming I pass the bar …) as it has found its place in the business community up until now.”
