T14 Law School vs. 70k a year job Forum

[jbagelboy]

Please dont base your decision on strangers bickering over the internet. Talk with friends, family, and alumns at the schools. Dont give up so easy

[Blessedassurance]

After glancing at the replies in this thread, I am now inclining towards staying on my job, at least for a couple more years and re-evaluate my situation.

I really hope that, as I get more experience in my job and do more networking aggressively, I could make a career change and get the job I would enjoy more without going to a grad school and incurring six figure debt.

law school will be around for a while. if you change your mind in the future, law school will still be around. there are a lot of barred lawyers who will kill for your current job. never mind the fact that you didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for the privilege.

[Master Tofu]

After glancing at the replies in this thread, I am now inclining towards staying on my job, at least for a couple more years and re-evaluate my situation.

I really hope that, as I get more experience in my job and do more networking aggressively, I could make a career change and get the job I would enjoy more without going to a grad school and incurring six figure debt.

This is a good decision.

[Lost_Dreams]

Thx to TLS veterans for insightful answers so far. When I got into t14 law schools I was preparing to go mentally despite the huge debt since I didn't like my job at all. I guess grass is greener the other side. I thought the work you would do at a high end law firm would be intellectually stimulating and analytical in nature. If it really is the case that the work at the law firm is as mind numbing and boring as my current job I see no reason to go to law school. I guess I will have to learn to deal with my job better.

[Master Tofu]

Thx to TLS veterans for insightful answers so far. When I got into t14 law schools I was preparing to go mentally despite the huge debt since I didn't like my job at all. I guess grass is greener the other side. I thought the work you would do at a high end law firm would be intellectually stimulating and analytical in nature. If it really is the case that the work at the law firm is as mind numbing and boring as my current job I see no reason to go to law school. I guess I will have to learn to deal with my job better.

You don't necessarily have to stay at your job just because the legal option doesn't pan out. Think about what other jobs you might be interested in and continue to have this kind of conversation. You won't find the best fit on the first shot, keep getting at it.

[buddyt]

This thread is relevant to my interests. I have been doing IT consulting for about 18 months (same type/size of firm as mentioned in the OP). The money is fine, the hours are great (less than 40), I don't have to travel, job security is excellent, etc. But my whole life I've wanted a career in anything but IT, so I will be attending a strong regional for nearly free in the fall. In addition to loathing IT work professionally, the high-floor/low-ceiling thing is also a big factor for me.

[sparty99]

I considered (and still considering, if I don't end up at law school) going for MBA. However, the main issues I have with MBA is that even if you go to a top-ranked program, the chances of landing an I-banking or a management consulting gig is pretty low. I talked to my friend at U Chicago MBA. He told me that like 30-40% of 2nd year MBA students don't even have a job lined up at this moment.

With law school, I'd think at least most people end up with decent, law-related jobs if you attend a top school. Getting a Biglaw job, I think, is relatively easy compared to getting I-banking or top consulting job. You go to a good law school, get good grades, and just do ok with 20-30 minute conversational interviews. WIth I-banking, you have to network like your life depends on it, even if you go to a top MBA, just to have a shot at a first-round interview. And, landing at management consulting is harder than landing I-banking, so go figure.

After this analysis, and after considering that I don't want to stay in IT consulting field for life, I've been seriously considering law school.[/quote]

LOL at you thinking getting big law is easy. Bitch, please.[/quote]

I didn't say easy. Easier than getting I-banking or Strategy Consulting. This is a fact.[/quote]


You have never attended law school and I am confident you haven't worked in either of the above industries, so I don't where you get the authority to say getting big law is easier than management consulting. Getting good grades ain't easy. Only 30 out of 100 students will be in the top 30. Thus, if that doesn't happen then you won't even be considered for big law. Please get a clue.

[sparty99]

Some background info: I currently work at a large consulting firm as an IT consultant. (think IBM, Capgemini, Deloitte, Accenture, PwC, Booze Allen Hamilton, etc) I graduated from college 2 years ago, and have been working at this job since then. I make decent salary (70k), but the four big problems I have with my job are: 1) the work I do is pretty boring, and I don't really enjoy IT-related work all that much (I originally wanted to go into finance/management consulting, but I failed), 2) constant, weekly required travel to bumb-fuck places is wearing me down, 3) I feel that staying in IT consulting pigeonholes me into a very specific line of career and I feel that there are no meaningful exit opportunities outside of IT related jobs, 4) most of stuff I do on daily basis doesn't really require much thinking/ analytical skills, and I sometimes feel brain-dead doing the job.

I've given serious consideration into law school since last year. I graduated from UPenn with degree in Econ. But, while in college, I really screwed up my GPA and got shot down from most of high finance/ management consulting jobs, which would have suit my career interests better than my current job. I'd like a line of work that is a bit more intellectually stimulating than my current job, doesn't require me to fly to random places all that often, and has a larger financial reward/upside.

I got a great LSAT score (172) but due to my horrible GPA (3.1), the highest ranked school I got into was UVA, with no scholarship money. I also got into Georgetown and Cornell, with no scholarship money. At this point, should I consider attending law school, given the enormous opportunity/financial costs that I am looking at and given the current job market for law grads (which I know isn't very good)? I am a pretty analytical person, enjoy reading/writing, and could see myself as a lawyer. However, what do I know, since I've never set foot inside a law school building nor have worked a day inside a law firm. I'd like to get some perspective, feedback, and advice. I would really like to know if attending law school, given my personal background, is a sound career move. If not law school, what else should I be thinking. I know that I don't want to stay in my line of work forever, although I could keep doing it if I really had no other meaningful option.

Thanks in advance.[/quote]

Can't you just apply to another consulting firm. Consulting is consulting. I didn't do IT, but I worked at a firm you quoted and landed interviews with McKinsey and Monitor after gaining two years experience. I would stay in Consulting. As long as you are good at excel/access, you should be able to get another gig. I'd recommend posting your resume on monster.com and see who contacts you. Law is not a good option.[/quote]

I could easily get interview opportunities from other consulting firms for IT consulting positions, doing crap like SAP, Oracle, etc. But, I've been finding it near impossible to land any interview for even a boutique, no-name consulting firm for strategy/ business management consulting analyst positions.

I'd be perfectly fine with operational consulting - such as supplied chain, analytics, risk, etc. IT consulting just doesn't appeal to my interest or career aspirations at all, and as a result, I feel like I am in a dead-end situation. If I can't get something I want within next 2-3 years, should I consider going for an MBA then, instead of law school?[/quote]

Maybe you should create your resume so it doesn't scream IT Consulting....[/quote]

If you craft your resume in such a way that it is highly misleading to potential employers, or that it hides big elements of what your skill sets are, while selling yourself with experience/ skills that you don't have, that is called outright lying. You will get screwed by background check process even if you are lucky to get an offer.[/quote]

Please get a clue with regards to how employers select people for interviews...You create a resume for the job you WANT, not the job that you have. You sell them on your consulting skills, not IT knowledge. You sell them on your ability to manage projects, meet deadlines. Your ability to use excel, visio, and powerpoint. If you can do excel/access, then you can do 80% of what an Analyst in operational consulting does on a day-to-day basis. The rest you can learn.