Hillbilly Elegy

it but that it was a prerequisite for
certain types of jobs. This was
undoubtedly true: For many career paths
and interests, Journal membership was
merely wasted time. But I didn’t know
which career paths that applied to. And I
was unsure how to find out.
It was around this time that Amy
Chua, one of my professors, stepped in
and told me exactly how things worked:
“Journal membership is useful if you
want to work for a judge or if you want
to be an academic. Otherwise, it’s a
waste. But if you’re unsure what you
want to do, go ahead and try out.” It was
million-dollar advice. Because I was
unsure what I wanted, I followed it.