When Bridget Sheehan graduated from law school in 2012, she entered a saturated legal market in the midst of a recession. But she didn’t let the economy or the job market hold her back.

“You graduate thinking ‘This is what I’m going to do. This is what I want to do,’ and sometimes you take a roundabout approach to get there,” she said. “I think, for me, every position that I had really taught me something and so I don’t think I’d be where I’m at now if I hadn’t taken that path and learned all those little things along the way.”

With the market in a downturn when she entered the field, Sheehan took positions in areas outside of the realm of work that she thought she would do as a new attorney. In her first post law school years, she worked for a few law firms before transitioning to a position with a privately-held telecommunications company.

Sheehan’s ultimate goal was to work for the government, and it was through a previous position, which required her to work closely with a variety of local and state policymakers, that she discovered where she needed to be – the public sector.

“When I saw the position open up at the Illinois Commerce Commission, I jumped at the chance to apply,” she said. “I was able to bring that unique perspective from working for a regulated entity to the state regulator. It’s been an interesting dynamic switching from private to public, but it has been a really good experience for me.”

Today, she is a special assistant attorney general and staff attorney within the Office of General Counsel for the Illinois Commerce Commission. Her day-to-day involves more traditional legal work than in the past, including attending hearings, giving oral arguments, and cross-examining witnesses. She explained that it can be challenging at times, but that “it’s a lot of work that makes you feel good about what you’re doing.”