I Spent the Past Ten Months Working at REI | Part III: Five Things Most People Don’t Know About Me

A year ago, I was studying for a Bar exam, cooking up a business plan most people didn’t seem to understand, and applying for some of the most random jobs you could imagine. Today, that business plan is finally coming to fruition.  

I graduated from law school in January of 2022 and immediately sat for the Washington State Bar Exam. No sooner did I receive my passing score than I found out I wouldn’t be living in Washington. My brilliant then-fiancé/now-wife was accepting a job at an engineering consulting firm in Menlo Park, California. I informed the law office I’d worked at for the past year that I wouldn’t be staying on as an associate. I packed my things, my lady, our dog, and our two cats into my pickup and drove 13 hours down to the San Francisco Bay Area, without a job or a place to rent.   

What I did have was a plan – I was going to start my own virtual law practice. In my short time in the legal industry, I realized two important things: (1) the kind of legal work I like to do can be completed without meeting face-to-face, and (2) there are underserved groups of people who can benefit from having a real attorney work remotely for them. I knew I was capable. I knew it would work.  

I also knew I couldn’t do it right away. I needed to take the California Bar Exam (or at least wanted to – the ethical implications of not having a separate license could make up a 20-page essay only a law professor would read). That meant taking an exam in late July and waiting until November for results. Assuming I passed, the earliest I’d receive my license to practice in California would be in December. Basically, I couldn’t launch my business until at least the Spring of 2023. 

In other words, I needed a job. It didn’t feel reasonable or ethical to work for another law firm while I was setting up my practice in the background, so I decided I’d work outside the legal industry. My main criteria was that the job needed to be something I would enjoy. I applied for bartender positions, restaurant positions, and government positions. I even interviewed for an administrative job with Tesla. Ultimately, I went a route many people didn’t expect or understand. I took a job at the REI in San Carlos, California.  

I loved it. I worked with wonderful people and spent all day talking about some of my favorite hobbies – backpacking, running, climbing, and cycling. I started off as a sales associate. After a couple of weeks, I was promoted to Sales Lead of the camp department. I had the time of my life stocking camp goods, merchandising products, and talking to customers about everything from tent pole repair to freeze-dried lasagna.  

After six months of helping lead a team of part-time employees ranging in age from 18 to 95 (yes, I’m dead serious), I felt I could do more in a different area of the store. So, I took over the store’s online order fulfillment process. I became a jack of all trades. I could sell and I could ship. I could work the counters and deal with angry customers (though there weren’t many). I could make ancient software systems tell me why your kayak didn’t ship on time or how much your dad paid for the ski rack he bought in 2001. Did I mention I loved the job? 

As business ramps up with The Longhair Lawyer, I’ve hit the point where it no longer makes sense for me to continue working at REI. While I’m proud that my business is now a full-time endeavor, I’m sad to say that the next time I pass through the ice-axe adorned doors of an REI, I’ll be doing it as a customer.