As you undoubtedly know by now, you are learning to think like a lawyer. You are also gaining some practical, technical lawyering skills, in addition to learning about and understanding various subject areas, all of which are invaluable in your career.

In addition to learning your craft, some of what you truly need to focus on, both now and throughout your career, are the so-called “soft skills.” These important skills will help you discover what you want in a career, enable you to learn about unique opportunities that may not be posted anywhere, help you land jobs and clients and, ultimately, become a successful professional in the career path of your choosing.

Before we get to these soft skills though, be sure to take some time to engage in introspection — reflect on your goals, values, skills and interests. Many law students have spent their lives up to this point trying to do well in order to get into the best colleges and best law schools they could attend. If this is you, guess what? Now that you have gotten to law school, you need to find the best career path for you. Finding what is best for you may take you on a very different path than finding the most prestigious job you can get or the job that your classmates want or that others in your life think is best for you.