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How My Life Turned Out to Be Much Better Than a TV Show

Don’t let the expectations of others decide your path.

4 min readMay 9, 2025
Photo courtesy of author

Ten years ago, I stood in front of a room full of eager students. They were bright, they were excited, and they had a dream. They wanted to become corporate lawyers. They wanted to negotiate the biggest deals. They wanted to live the thrilling life they saw on the legal drama TV show Suits.

I had watched Suits. I had seen the sharply dressed men and women, the tough negotiations, the glamorous offices.

The cast always appeared powerful, skillfully finding clever angles to win their cases. My students loved it. It was everything they wanted.

And so I tried something. I included a photo of the Suits cast on the first slide of my first lecture. I watched the students’ faces light up. They saw their heroes. They felt the thrill of the drama. I was showing them their dream.

But there was something missing.

Because being a lawyer is not just drama. It is not just sharp suits and clever remarks. It is details. It is documents (lots of them). It is a constant process of learning, every single day. I wanted them to see that part too.

So, I made sure to show them.

The Big Surprise

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Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Written by Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Where Gen X memories meet today’s struggles.

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