Be Katie Zacharia: > Graduate from Pepperdine Law in 2011. > Reportedly fail the California bar and never retake it. > Move to China. Work at a law firm. > Build a career in conservative media. > Describe yourself as a lawyer. > Hold the title of “general counsel.” > At 41, get named White House press secretary. > Pretty significant promotion. > Unfortunately, it includes a background check conducted by the entire internet. > Tuesday: First White House briefing. > Questions arise about your legal credentials. > Where are you admitted? > Normally a pretty short conversation. > Texas. Florida. California. > Yours requires an explanation involving China. > By Thursday, explain that you were told you could call yourself a “lawyer,” but not an “attorney” or “esquire.” > Your career is now depending on a distinction most people use a thesaurus to avoid. > Appear on Hannity. > You were hired to explain the president’s positions. > You are explaining your résumé. > Friday: Reports say you’re fired. > Five days in the job. > First briefing Tuesday. Out Friday. > I’ve had longer email chains about whether to use “reasonable” or “commercially reasonable.” > Everyone sees a career catastrophe. > Fair. > But look at what survives the termination. > National name recognition. > Footage behind the White House podium. > A story every political podcast can ask you about. > And a new line on your résumé: Former White House press secretary. > No semantic debate required for that one. > Actually held the job. > The conference introduction probably won’t mention that it was shorter than the hotel’s cancellation policy. > A book? A podcast? Paid speeches? > Nothing guaranteed. > But “former White House press secretary tells her side” is a much easier pitch than “political commentator available for bookings.” > At 41, lose a job in five days. > Potentially spend the next 20 years being introduced by it. The job didn’t work out. But I suspect things will for her!