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By taking a more deliberate approach to her law degree, Charlotte Carles believes she has developed a stronger sense of professional and personal readiness for the legal industry.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, Charlotte Carles, a young ambassador for UNICEF Australia and the founder of Gen Z Abroad, reflected on the unexpected but valuable benefits she has gained by taking a more intentional, paced approach to her law studies.
In the same episode, she shared her story on what inspired her to slow down her law degree and what fantastic opportunities she has been able to be involved in as a result.
Carles shared that her decision to slow the pace of her studies allowed her to pursue international work experience opportunities – experiences she said have played a key role in fast-tracking her “professional development”.
These opportunities allowed her to “work full-time in an office” for the first time and gain a firsthand understanding of the demands and realities of the legal profession, an experience that university alone can’t provide.
She explained how these workplace experiences have significantly enhanced her “confidence” in transitioning from university to the legal profession.
“If I had rushed through my degree to graduate really fast, I probably would have felt more lost by the time I did graduate, or maybe more anxious or unsure about how to step into a grad role.
“But I now feel really ready and excited for when I do graduate, that I can step into a grad role with confidence in my ability to do it,” she said.
Another invaluable skill she gained by taking a more measured approach to her degree was the ability to understand intercultural dynamics and navigate cultural nuances, which is particularly advantageous given the multicultural nature of the legal profession.
“At UNESCO, being the only Australian in a huge office was a really unique experience and obviously something that I wouldn’t have gotten from being in Australia.
“Working closely with colleagues from different religious, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds was really amazing because it taught me a lot about communication and nuance in working with other people,” she said.
Beyond the technical and professional advantages gained from taking a slower approach to her degree, Carles noted that the experience has also been profoundly beneficial on a personal level.
She explained that taking extra time with her studies has allowed her to spend more quality time with her family, something she advocates for other law students to prioritise now, as “life really only gets busier”.
“While it’s so important to work hard and get experience while you’re young, it’s also so important to slow down and cherish what really matters.
“There are lots of famous quotes from billionaires who have said that despite all of the wealth that they’ve made, at the end of the day, family and relationships are what truly matters. I think that says a lot,” she said.
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