Samorn Selim had a difficult childhood. Her family fled Laos when she was young, and settled in a rough section of Stockton, California. There was violence in her neighborhood, and sometimes the family did not have enough food. So after graduating from Berkeley Law and getting a job at a big law firm in San Francisco, she thought she should be happy, she tells the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward. But she wasn’t. Despite the large salary, private office and trial assignments, she hated her job. Finally she left the practice to do career services work at Berkeley Law. The change took $100,000 from her annual salary, and added 30 minutes to her work commute. But it taught her that getting the jobs we think we want may not actually be what’s best for us, and being honest about what sort of work fulfills you can help in choosing the right spot. In this episode of Asked and Answered, Selim shares what she learned about finding the right career fit.

Special thanks to our sponsor, LawPay.