678 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 5 SEPTEMBER 2021
not worth it for me. My commute downtown is 45 minutes and I pay $15 for
parking and another $15 for lunch. Therefore, each day I need an hour and
a half of time and $30 worth of benefit to justify working in the office. This
is a difficult bar to meet when very few people are in the office. I can sit by
myself and work just the same from home.
In the spirit of full and frank disclosure, I admit that I’ve slightly misled
you. I don’t actually work from my bedroom. My “office” is a bedroom; it’s
just not mine. My sister moved out, so I expropriated her room as my office.
I’ve never liked working in my actual bedroom. I’m a strong believer in the
separation of timesheet and bedsheet. I realize I’m dangerously close to fulfilling
the stereotype of the late-20s child living in his parents’ basement. To
be fair, this is my choice. What’s the point of living by myself downtown
when I go into the office once a week? If I’m going to work from home, I
might as well work from my parents’ house where I don’t pay rent and have
a dad that cooks dinner every night. Life is great out here!
I realize that my situation is different from those of many students. Many
students had an especially challenging year, and I don’t intend to trivialize
their experiences. I only mean to document my thoughts and experiences
before we all return to the office in the fall. For me, while this past year had
its challenges, it also presented many beneficial opportunities.
I conclude with a final thought. As of now, my commute to work is at an
all-time minimum. I work from a great house in the suburbs with my own
“office”, a comfy chair and a pool. Above all, I have a beautiful view overlooking
a corn field! Not many articling students have the luxury of a view.
A few days ago, we were encouraged to begin working from the office on a
consistent basis. The e-mail was bittersweet. It was then that I realized how
good I have it. I’m living like a partner and working like a student. I am the
articling student with the corner office!