If one was to rank past jobs only on the degree of satisfaction obtained, I have to say that the years I spent teaching law school were the best of my career. When I began teaching in 2001, things were pretty good. Though cyclical, the market grew nicely every year and was elastic enough that just about everybody who wanted to work could eventually find a pretty good job.
About halfway through my teaching career, the housing market collapsed, the great recession (depression?) settled in, and legal hiring flat-lined. First, some firms deferred bringing in their entry-level candidates, instead having them do pro bono work while receiving half of their salaries. Then some classes were canceled, and a glut of unemployed grads began filling the market.
