Maybe you should drop out of law school.
- thesealocust
- Posts: 8522
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:50 pm
Maybe you should drop out of law school.
7/12/2015 Edit:
I still endorse this product and/or service.
OP (from late 2011):
It's that wonderful time of year, and I thought I'd make a friendly PSA that the best thing a 1L could do right now may well be to drop out of law school.
First, there aren't jobs for any of you. Sad times. Every year about 50,000 begin law school and the BLS estimates there might be 30,000 entry level legal jobs. In the entire country. And I hope you aren't in debt, because estimates suggest there are only on the order of 5,000 biglaw openings every year.
Second, it doesn't get any better. Your classmates are still going to be law students when you wake up tomorrow. Lawyer is still going to be the most hated profession. We're still going to be #1 in the U.S. News & World Report substance abuse, alcoholism, and depression rankings. Professors are still going to be asshats. Class will still be insufferable. The only thing that wears off after the first year is the naive hope that there might be a brighter future.
Third, sunk cost fallacy economics bla bla bla. The only thing worse than voluntarily giving up money in exchange for a semester of law school is doing so 6 times in a row and then becoming a lawyer. Remember kids: If at first you don't succeed, quit and don't admit to trying.
But thesealocust - aren't you still in law school? - I'm sure you are asking. The answer is yes, but I'm still in law school* for the same reason I went to law school. Because I hate myself. Not for love of the law, career prospects, ambition, or because I want to be a lawyer. No no no, thesealocust went to law school because of thesealocust's off-the-charts self-loathing. It brought me to law school and it keeps me here.
But for the rest of you, there may yet be hope.
It's not too late.
- - - - - -
* November '12 update: thesealocust has graduated law school but still strongly endorses this product and/or service.
* December '13 update: thesealocust is a lawyer and still strongly endorses this product and/or service.
* July '15 update: Yep, still true.
I still endorse this product and/or service.
OP (from late 2011):
It's that wonderful time of year, and I thought I'd make a friendly PSA that the best thing a 1L could do right now may well be to drop out of law school.
First, there aren't jobs for any of you. Sad times. Every year about 50,000 begin law school and the BLS estimates there might be 30,000 entry level legal jobs. In the entire country. And I hope you aren't in debt, because estimates suggest there are only on the order of 5,000 biglaw openings every year.
Second, it doesn't get any better. Your classmates are still going to be law students when you wake up tomorrow. Lawyer is still going to be the most hated profession. We're still going to be #1 in the U.S. News & World Report substance abuse, alcoholism, and depression rankings. Professors are still going to be asshats. Class will still be insufferable. The only thing that wears off after the first year is the naive hope that there might be a brighter future.
Third, sunk cost fallacy economics bla bla bla. The only thing worse than voluntarily giving up money in exchange for a semester of law school is doing so 6 times in a row and then becoming a lawyer. Remember kids: If at first you don't succeed, quit and don't admit to trying.
But thesealocust - aren't you still in law school? - I'm sure you are asking. The answer is yes, but I'm still in law school* for the same reason I went to law school. Because I hate myself. Not for love of the law, career prospects, ambition, or because I want to be a lawyer. No no no, thesealocust went to law school because of thesealocust's off-the-charts self-loathing. It brought me to law school and it keeps me here.
But for the rest of you, there may yet be hope.
It's not too late.
- - - - - -
* November '12 update: thesealocust has graduated law school but still strongly endorses this product and/or service.
* December '13 update: thesealocust is a lawyer and still strongly endorses this product and/or service.
* July '15 update: Yep, still true.
Last edited by thesealocust on Sun Jul 12, 2015 6:17 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
--ImageRemoved--
- Gettingstarted1928
- Posts: 407
- Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 11:45 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
Somebody ban this troll. Everyone knows that JD = 1%er. I guess OP doesn't watch movies.
- Naked Dude
- Posts: 746
- Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:09 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
thesealocust wrote:I'm still in law school for the same reason I went to law school. Because I hate myself. Not for love of the law, career prospects, ambition, or because I want to be a lawyer. [I] went to law school because of off-the-charts self-loathing. It brought me to law school and it keeps me here.
Stealing this
- thesealocust
- Posts: 8522
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:50 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
Naked Dude wrote:thesealocust wrote:I'm still in law school for the same reason I went to law school. Because I hate myself. Not for love of the law, career prospects, ambition, or because I want to be a lawyer. [I] went to law school because of off-the-charts self-loathing. It brought me to law school and it keeps me here.
Stealing this
The last winter break of my life has given me a lot of time to ponder things on the tree of woe.
- MrKappus
- Posts: 1685
- Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:46 am
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
Hmm. I kind of love this thread.
- JamMasterJ
- Posts: 6657
- Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 7:17 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
I freaking love you!!!
- Cavalier
- Posts: 1993
- Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:13 pm
- D'Angelo
- Posts: 165
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 10:29 am
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
some of us are idealists!! we don't become self aware for another 5 or 6 years...
- MrPapagiorgio
- Posts: 1743
- Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:36 am
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
thesealocust wrote:We're still going to be #1 in the U.S. News & World Report substance abuse, alcoholism, and depression rankings.
You promise?
-
- Posts: 1236
- Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 10:58 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
I am half tempted to quit just because you told me to...
But I also want to follow your other advice and rock OCI...
So conflicted...
But I also want to follow your other advice and rock OCI...
So conflicted...
- Hjones33
- Posts: 135
- Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:07 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
thesealocust wrote:We're still going to be #1 in the U.S. News & World Report substance abuse, alcoholism, and depression rankings.
I am not saying you are wrong, but could you link me that exact thing? I find that interesting and did a search for something of that sort and couldn't find anything. Thanks!
- Errzii
- Posts: 158
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:09 am
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
How about putting up a similar PSA at the other forums for aspiring law students to not attend at all? Those are the ones that can really still be saved.
- NYC Law
- Posts: 1563
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2011 3:33 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
Hjones33 wrote:thesealocust wrote:We're still going to be #1 in the U.S. News & World Report substance abuse, alcoholism, and depression rankings.
I am not saying you are wrong, but could you link me that exact thing? I find that interesting and did a search for something of that sort and couldn't find anything. Thanks!
notsureifsrs
- thesealocust
- Posts: 8522
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:50 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
Errzii wrote:How about putting up a similar PSA at the other forums for aspiring law students to not attend at all? Those are the ones that can really still be saved.
The mods tend to take a dim view towards telling prospective law students not to attend law school, and I'm usually on a fairly short leash as it is. Pick your battles, etc.
- NYC Law
- Posts: 1563
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2011 3:33 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
Errzii wrote:How about putting up a similar PSA at the other forums for aspiring law students to not attend at all? Those are the ones that can really still be saved.
That job is already spoke for
-
- Posts: 1033
- Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:09 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
Thanks for the encouragement. I really was going to drop out until I saw this!
- JamMasterJ
- Posts: 6657
- Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 7:17 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
NYC Law wrote:Errzii wrote:How about putting up a similar PSA at the other forums for aspiring law students to not attend at all? Those are the ones that can really still be saved.
That job is already spoke for
facepalm.
Though I would actually take a law school apocalypse thread seriously if it was thesealocust posting it
- Naked Dude
- Posts: 746
- Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:09 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
adonai wrote:Thanks for the encouragement. I really was going to drop out until I saw this!
I might get into street magic
- Bildungsroman
- Posts: 5529
- Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2010 2:42 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
I already hate myself, so law school is redundant.
-
- Posts: 1500
- Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:39 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
I am very optimistic, so I look at it as a recoverable mistake, vice an unrecoverable one.
Very sad that that's the most optimistic view I can muster without going into flights of fantasy.
Very sad that that's the most optimistic view I can muster without going into flights of fantasy.
- thesealocust
- Posts: 8522
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:50 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
'tis the season - bump.
-
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:15 am
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
thesealocust wrote:It's that wonderful time of year, and I thought I'd make a friendly PSA that the best thing a 1L could do right now may well be to drop out of law school.
First, there aren't jobs for any of you. Sad times. Every year about 50,000 begin law school and the BLS estimates there might be 30,000 entry level legal jobs. In the entire country. And I hope you aren't in debt, because estimates suggest there are only on the order of 5,000 biglaw openings every year.
Second, it doesn't get any better. Your classmates are still going to be law students when you wake up tomorrow. Lawyer is still going to be the most hated profession. We're still going to be #1 in the U.S. News & World Report substance abuse, alcoholism, and depression rankings. Professors are still going to be asshats. Class will still be insufferable. The only thing that wears off after the first year is the naive hope that there might be a brighter future.
Third, sunk cost fallacy economics bla bla bla. The only thing worse than voluntarily giving up money in exchange for a semester of law school is doing so 6 times in a row and then becoming a lawyer. Remember kids: If at first you don't succeed, quit and don't admit to trying.
But thesealocust - aren't you still in law school? - I'm sure you are asking. The answer is yes, but I'm still in law school for the same reason I went to law school. Because I hate myself. Not for love of the law, career prospects, ambition, or because I want to be a lawyer. No no no, thesealocust went to law school because of thesealocust's off-the-charts self-loathing. It brought me to law school and it keeps me here.
But for the rest of you, there may yet be hope.
It's not too late.
You are just a big bundle of positivity aren't you.

Last edited by nStiver on Fri Jan 20, 2012 5:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Posts: 383
- Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:15 am
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
And for the love of God, law school is not that bad. If it makes people that miserable then maybe they should drop out and go into something completely different....Like accountant or physical trainer or high school teacher or firefighter or whatever else it is that people do.
edit because I am lazy and don't proof read
edit because I am lazy and don't proof read
- romothesavior
- Posts: 14703
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:29 pm
Re: Maybe you should drop out of law school.
This thread rules.
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