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| Jim Janson looks over homework in the Weldon Law Building. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
It’s been a long journey for Jim Janson — from Bill Lynch carnival worker to 2010 Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law graduate.
Mr. Janson’s return to Dalhousie to pursue a long-standing passion for law came decades after his first Dal sojourn. During his first degree (BA Economics, ’83), he worked a number of jobs at the fairgrounds. He ended up spending 25 years in the carnival business before turning his attention back to school. “I have always been interested in words and language,” he says. “Law is a profession where words are the basic tools.”
It wasn’t easy. It took multiple tries to enter the program – and to make the case that the workload was manageable after 20 years out of the classroom. After shining in courses like intro to law, and criminology, he was accepted into the program and hasn’t looked back.
His life has been full to say the least. Mr. Janson, along with his wife Elaine, are busy raising six children, ages two to 16. The demands of family life along with work and school have meant little time for anything else.
“I treated school as a nine-to-five job with lots of overtime to prepare for exams and papers,” he says. “So, when I wasn’t working I was doing something family-oriented. For example, (on a recent) weekend I attended four midget girls basketball games, two playgrounds, Bayers Lake Chapters and Putting Edge; and then worked on a paper at the law library for most of Saturday.”
He notes that Elaine’s support has made this latest stage of his journey possible.
After graduation he will article with Evans, MacIsaac, MacMillan in Port Hawkesbury, and looks forward to a new challenging career.
His time at Dal wasn’t always easy but it was rewarding. He credits his professors with their accessibility and their clear desire to see him do well. Asked to sum up his time at Dalhousie he is succinct: “It was extremely positive. Challenging. Stimulating. It was exactly what I hoped it would be.”