Quote:
Originally Posted by saphojunkie
Go to law school.
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Good luck.
I've told anyone that's asked me - go into law school with both eyes open and realize that it's not the field for everyone and that some days will
really suck. In that regard, it's like most jobs really.
I know you're probably being mostly facetious, But here's a nasty little secret - lawyerin' ain't exactly the most lucrative gig these days. Oh don't get me wrong, it pays alright, but if you're looking at going to law school and stepping into a six figure job, you're going to have to be in the top 10 of your class. And I don't mean top 10%, I mean top 10 period. You'll probably also have to be a stellar writer because most of the firms that are going to pay that much that soon are the silk stocking firms that will be using you to pen briefs and write research memos for them. You'll probably hate your job because you'll be working 80+ hours/week, but you'll make good money. Then after 5 years, if you aren't on partner track, you'll be stuck writing briefs for your whole life and you'll probably end up hanging a shingle of your own (because nobody wants to be the 40 yr old in a room full of 20 somethings banging out memos for 80 hrs/wk).
I think of myself as a pretty articulate, sharp guy. I'm a good, not great writer. I didn't come anywhere
near the top 10 of my class and didn't make law review. I got butt-lucky to end up in the job that I have and ascend as quickly as I have. I look at some of my junior associates and realize they're probably better than me (but **** 'em, my timing was better...) and I know they're fighting uphill.
I got lucky. Positions opened above me right as I was ready for them and I slid seamlessly into them. In my firm, those positions are filled now.
Law school isn't the ticket to easy riches it's often viewed as. For most, you're likely looking at a decade or more at the 50-70K/yr range. Well shit, you can get that being a claim rep at State Farm and with a lot less stress. And being an average law student makes still makes you a very smart person...that's trying to wedge into a saturated market. You'd be among the most qualified applicants in many fields, but if you're in that 50th percentile or so from most law schools, you're likely looking at a pretty mediocre job market. And that's assuming you can even get a job that requires the degree.
My recommendation is the masters - learn to communicate. It's quickly becoming a lost art. The tech degree makes you valuable until the next wave of guys with tech degrees come in with advanced training on the new tech and lower price-tags. The comp-sci majors of 15 years ago are all jammed into cubicles, working for Cerner right now and desperately wishing they'd have taken some basic management courses that might have them able to lead a department.
If I were 18 right now, I'd major in English and use it to get a masters in something like business finance. Know how to shuffle money and communicate well and you're ahead of most of the work force right now.