Can you be a recovering lawyer if you’ve never practiced law? These are the types of deep questions I wrestle with on a regular basis.

I attended law school. I even graduated, took (and passed) two Bar exams, and eventually went back for an LLM in Admiralty law.

But I’ve never practiced law.

And, for the record, I hate boats.

And yet, even as I make my large (and never ending) monthly student loan payment, I do not regret law school. Because law school is not about learning to be a lawyer – that happens once you start practicing. Law school is about learning to THINK. Yes, there’s an emphasis on thinking in such a way to construct legal arguments, or make policy and understand the ramifications, but logical thinking is important for many careers.

Even while I was earning my LLM, I knew my passion was for helping soldiers. My initial focus was on training: I wanted to enable soldiers to be better soldiers. And while my interests have broadened, I still know this much is true. For soldiers to succeed on the battlefield, they must know how to THINK LIKE, and not just BE, SOLDIERS.