Charting a course in unfamiliar waters – Liberal Arts of Humanities as my second chance at life

To this date, I’m still a dual-qualified solicitor in Hong Kong (non-practising) and England & Wales. However, after my training contract and working as a corporate lawyer for a few years, I did not want to accept this as my only identity for the rest of my life. Not without trying.

There is nothing wrong with being a lawyer. It is an immense privilege to acquire specialised knowledge about the rules governing many aspects of society. The profession used to be restricted to the nobility, and now it offers social mobility to those who are fortunate to have what it takes, and work really hard to enter the profession and move up the ranks. 

When I was matriculated as a law student, I was told that because of what we are given (sometimes disproportionately), lawyers owe it to the society to give back. To act with integrity. To apply the law and advocate fearlessly. To protect the best interest of clients against opposing parties in disputes or transactions, sometimes against themselves, at all times to the exclusion of our selfish interest. Above all, to be a custodian of justice ‘though the heavens fall’. 

Almost a decade later, as I enter my late twenties, I couldn’t help but think about the roads not taken. I stopped being curious, perhaps a by-product of looking to statutes, case laws and precedents for answers. I caught myself feeling afraid of taking a step without knowing for sure where it leads. To truly ‘learn the trade’ and become one of the best in a practice area, the traditional legal career requires commitment, dedication and a lot of hard work in terms of years, if not decades. 

I found myself at a crossroads. Make a left turn, or double down.

As it happened, I strayed from the safer path that is the status quo, and applied to TLÜ seeing the flexibility offered by its Liberal Arts in Humanities programme. Then I boarded the flight to Tallinn, leaving behind a stable life, the lucrative pay, amazing bosses, and a close-knit tribe of colleagues across three time zones.

 

Over the past six months, I got exactly what I asked for. Let’s be real: liberal arts do not present a clear ‘career path’ with the red carpet rolled out for you. Instead, you have as much freedom as administratively practicable to find your own path. I planned to apply myself fully, try as many things as I can, and see what sticks.

And so, I find myself in a whirlwind of ‘firsts’ :

• Living abroad and living in a dormitory (I did neither in my first degree)
• Learning the basics of the Estonian language at A1 level
• Befriending local students taking the Estonian-taught programmes
• Being introduced to the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, pedagogy, linguistics, game design and interaction design
• Attending PÖFF (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival) as a volunteer
• Creating a mobile app prototype in Figma
• Creating proof of game concepts in Unreal Engine
• Participating in my first ‘game jam’ (hackathon, but for making games)
• Opening a company for the first time, figuring out accounting and creating a website to market myself as a freelance contract lawyer
• Finding the first paying client and drafting a contract for her company
• Spending New Year’s Eve in the countryside with a classmate’s family
• Spending three weeks in Tartu for a working holiday between semesters
• In the meantime, doing food delivery for a living (being outside for 3 hours in -10°C is no joke)

Of course, I would be lying to claim that it was all smooth sailing (you would not believe it anyway). Loneliness despite making new friends and catching up with old friends all the time. Anxiety about burning through my savings. Questioning my decision. You name it. Endless soul-searching. Did I go back to school trying to become more ‘cultured’? Was I drawn to the idea of being a Renaissance man? I suppose the answers would only be clearer many years later, in retrospect. 

And now, two weeks into the second semester, I find myself doing some more :

• Exploring Polish and Ukrainian cultures, medieval urban history, literature and security studies (a sub-field within international relations)
• Learning more Estonian (e.g., ‘-da’ and ‘-ma’ infinitives) in the A2 course
• Getting started in a LIFE Project to create an interactive novel
• Applying for Erasmus+ long-term exchange in the upcoming Autumn
• Co-founding Hongkongi Maja, an NGO promoting Hong Kong culture and connection between Hongkongers and Estonians, with an MA student and a PhD candidate at TLÜ
• Launching Hongkongi Maja’s social media and organizing its launch event
• Still doing food delivery, if just for a good workout and exploring Tallinn

This life is not for everyone, and I doubt if any of my classmates (or the previous students in the same programme) is this crazy. After all, only about 10% of what I do is in the curriculum. The rest is free electives or extra-curricular.

The point is if you want to do so, you can. Who wants to join me on a wild voyage in the treacherous seas of uncertainty (and opportunity)? 

Read more about Liberal Arts in Humanities programme

Learn more about the legal services offered by Tony’s company (Linnutee Konsult OÜ) here.