Top Law Schools

Graduated with a humanities degree. I could go to my state school which is a southern/midwest T2 but dominates its market for 60k, 60% employment score on LST. Or go back to undergrad and get an accounting/engineering degree for 20k. Just looking for a 50k+ job.

Let's see, oh, its either 20K for a much better than 60% of a job which pays 50k + a year, vs. 60k for a 60% of getting a job, forget about how many pull in 50k + a year. Gee, I need to think about this......

Go back to undergrad, and DO NOT LOOK BACK.

dissonance1848 wrote:Let's see, oh, its either 20K for a much better than 60% of a job which pays 50k + a year

Accounting/Engineering does not have a market that is stable enough to guarantee even a 60% of being employed after graduation. OP, if you aren't dead set on law school than don't attend--simple as that.

Why are people recommending returning to undergrad instead of shooting for a masters?

Shmoopy wrote:Why are people recommending returning to undergrad instead of shooting for a masters?

That wasn't one of the options that OP proposed. As to why not - it sounds like he's concerned about job prospects and marketability. Perhaps he feels that his humanities undergrad hasn't prepared him for any master's program that's going to give him what he wants.

ScottRiqui wrote:

Shmoopy wrote:Why are people recommending returning to undergrad instead of shooting for a masters?

That wasn't one of the options that OP proposed. As to why not - it sounds like he's concerned about job prospects and marketability. Perhaps he feels that his humanities undergrad hasn't prepared him for any master's program that's going to give him what he wants.

I must be mixed up with another drop out thread. In any case, I often see going to undergrad for a second time mentioned as an option for people who are giving up on law. Getting two bachelor's degrees just seems odd to me.

I think the real question to ask yourself in this legal market is "Do I really, absolutely, before anything else, want to be a lawyer?"

If the answer is no, do not go to law school. Notwithstanding stupid crap boomers say, it's not "useful for all kinds of things," and the odds of getting a good job from anywhere is relatively low. You say you "just want a $50k plus job?" That would, to me, categorically rule out law school.

Yeah I really could care less about being an attorney. I figured it would give me a decent job but that's obviously not the case anymore. I don't want a master b/c a masters in political science is pretty useless unless I went on to get a PhD. People have told me its better to have a JD then two bachelors but if the second bachelors can get me a decent job, I think its the better job. I might be wrong but don't accounting major's find jobs pretty easily.

FWIW, I majored in the social sciences in undergrad. Two years ago I found a well known school that would accept me as a candidate for a masters degree in computer science so long as I passed their prerequisites. I am almost done with my degree. If I wanted to, I could find a job with solid pay. I'm an idiot and want to be a patent attorney, so I'm choosing that instead. My point is, you aren't limited to going back to undergrad.

Do a 1 yr MAcc

< accounting major, accounting masters, licensed cpa.

The accounting market was booming for people who graduated around 2005-2008 and I think a lot of stories from those boom times still linger. I can direct you to forums where there is tons of people complaining they can't find work. I can also give stories of my peers who had terrible times finding work / still haven't found accounting-related work. I think the market is improving slightly but there are still many tears being shed. I currently work as an auditor. A lot of people suffered through auditing as a way to land a nice corporate job, but I don't see as much transition as I used to hear about.

If you do go the accounting route, you can increase your chances of finding a job massively by doing:
1)Get good grades, they don't have to be great.. but good.. like a 3.5
2) intern while in school / or work. Doing anything really. firms love to see you "multitasked"
3) This is the most important: join Beta Alpha Psi (I think you need like a 3.5 to join, thus the 3.5)
4)Create a hobby, actual or imaginary. Interviewers at firms love to ask about your hobbies
5)Consider joining a fraternity. Firms love a "bro", it makes the person seem outgoing and cool. Many firm partners are mid 50s and in a mid life crisis and want to hang out with the young cool kids.
6) Like law firms, accounting firms like to hire people who have ties to the area. Have ties.

I can barely think of any UG degree that has a good chance at a 50k+ job, let alone accounting/engineering. With that said I can think of little reason to attend any TT school without basically a verbally agreement from a local firm that they will hire you afterwards.
What's the third option?

Micdiddy wrote:I can barely think of any UG degree that has a good chance at a 50k+ job, let alone accounting/engineering. With that said I can think of little reason to attend any TT school without basically a verbally agreement from a local firm that they will hire you afterwards.
What's the third option?

UG degree in anything computer-related (CIS/CS) all but guarantees you a 50k+ 40hr/week job. Source: I graduated with a CIS degree a year ago and these jobs exist in abundance.

buddytyler wrote:

Micdiddy wrote:I can barely think of any UG degree that has a good chance at a 50k+ job, let alone accounting/engineering. With that said I can think of little reason to attend any TT school without basically a verbally agreement from a local firm that they will hire you afterwards.
What's the third option?

UG degree in anything computer-related (CIS/CS) all but guarantees you a 50k+ 40hr/week job. Source: I graduated with a CIS degree a year ago and these jobs exist in abundance.

Yeah I was going to mention computers, but I graduated with History/English degree so I don't have any firsthand knowledge of it. Wish I did computer engineering.

buddytyler wrote:

Micdiddy wrote:I can barely think of any UG degree that has a good chance at a 50k+ job, let alone accounting/engineering. With that said I can think of little reason to attend any TT school without basically a verbally agreement from a local firm that they will hire you afterwards.
What's the third option?

UG degree in anything computer-related (CIS/CS) all but guarantees you a 50k+ 40hr/week job. Source: I graduated with a CIS degree a year ago and these jobs exist in abundance.

Even if the degree is from a liberal arts college (decent non-technical programs, but CS program is not well-known)? I've been debating changing my major from philosophy to computer science; only problem is that it would require at least an extra semester.

Is the job market really that good for people with CS undergrad degrees?

(Sorry for hijacking, but somewhat relevant.)

Suralin wrote:

buddytyler wrote:

Micdiddy wrote:I can barely think of any UG degree that has a good chance at a 50k+ job, let alone accounting/engineering. With that said I can think of little reason to attend any TT school without basically a verbally agreement from a local firm that they will hire you afterwards.
What's the third option?

UG degree in anything computer-related (CIS/CS) all but guarantees you a 50k+ 40hr/week job. Source: I graduated with a CIS degree a year ago and these jobs exist in abundance.

Even if the degree is from a liberal arts college (decent non-technical programs, but CS program is not well-known)? I've been debating changing my major from philosophy to computer science; only problem is that it would require at least an extra semester.

Is the job market really that good for people with CS undergrad degrees?

(Sorry for hijacking, but somewhat relevant.)

I make about 30K working part time at an IT Department as I matriculate for my CS degree. My experiences are based on job ads, and I have not personally experienced the market THAT much. With that said, there does seem to be a LOT of 50-60K jobs out there for people with basic programming skills. Keep in mind these jobs are not high-ceiling jobs, but there are a LOT of low level software engineering/web design jobs out there. My friend took two or three programming classes during undergrad (he majored in electrical engineering) and got a job as a java programmer at MLB making 60k. The jobs are out there for this stuff. The question is whether you see yourself being a software engineer for the rest of your life.

skri65 wrote:I make about 30K working part time at an IT Department as I matriculate for my CS degree. My experiences are based on job ads, and I have not personally experienced the market THAT much. With that said, there does seem to be a LOT of 50-60K jobs out there for people with basic programming skills. Keep in mind these jobs are not high-ceiling jobs, but there are a LOT of low level software engineering/web design jobs out there. My friend took two or three programming classes during undergrad (he majored in electrical engineering) and got a job as a java programmer at MLB making 60k. The jobs are out there for this stuff. The question is whether you see yourself being a software engineer for the rest of your life.

Even systems analyst jobs which aren't super technical pay roughly the same, maybe a little lower. I think at this moment in this economy, if anybody just wants a basic 50k 40- or 50-hour job, IT is the way to go. At my IT consulting firm (probably considered "midlaw" of the IT world, over 100 consultants in my office, over a dozen offices nationally), all entry-level hires in my group (around 20) had salaries in the low-to-mid-50's, with a few in the 60's. Most of the time you'll be working 40 or 50 hours a week, but any overtime gets rolled over into your bonus points, and bonuses range from $2500-$20,000. The ceiling is relatively low--around 80k-90k unless you try to go the management route--but it ain't a bad gig at all.

To not derail any longer, if OP is looking for a basic 50k job, law school is seriously one of the worst choices out of all possible choices. Apart from IT, it seems like accounting programs have absolutely silly legitimate employment rates (>95%, some schools claim 100%, all making $50k). In fact, being a lifetime bartender probably makes more sense than law school as far as being able to put food on the table. Only go to law school if you want to be a lawyer, and then only go if it's to a T14 (for biglaw) or to the best school in your area on a full-ride.

Suralin wrote:

buddytyler wrote:

Micdiddy wrote:I can barely think of any UG degree that has a good chance at a 50k+ job, let alone accounting/engineering. With that said I can think of little reason to attend any TT school without basically a verbally agreement from a local firm that they will hire you afterwards.
What's the third option?

UG degree in anything computer-related (CIS/CS) all but guarantees you a 50k+ 40hr/week job. Source: I graduated with a CIS degree a year ago and these jobs exist in abundance.

Even if the degree is from a liberal arts college (decent non-technical programs, but CS program is not well-known)? I've been debating changing my major from philosophy to computer science; only problem is that it would require at least an extra semester.

Is the job market really that good for people with CS undergrad degrees?

(Sorry for hijacking, but somewhat relevant.)

DO IT! Take it from a History/English major with TWO, count 'em, TWO worthless degrees.
I like History, I like English, I would have learned about History and read awesome books no matter what, and I am sure you will continue to think and read about philosophy throughout your life. GET THE DEGREE THAT PAYS.

Sigh, it's so sad growing up and realizing all that advice people gave me when I was 18 turned out to be true.

skri65 wrote:The question is whether you see yourself being a software engineer for the rest of your life.

You can always go to law school later.

just get a masters in accounting. i have 2 friends who got their masters in accounting from a no name state school who now have great, top firm jobs. both of these friends went to another shitty no name state school for undergrad.

fallingup wrote:just get a masters in accounting. i have 2 friends who got their masters in accounting from a no name state school who now have great, top firm jobs. both of these friends went to another shitty no name state school for undergrad.

So why aren't you doing it?

Micdiddy wrote:

fallingup wrote:just get a masters in accounting. i have 2 friends who got their masters in accounting from a no name state school who now have great, top firm jobs. both of these friends went to another shitty no name state school for undergrad.

So why aren't you doing it?

If I don't get into a T14, I probably will go for an accounting degree, actually.

I currently work at a big consulting firm and don't feel like I make enough to warrant the work. I've always wanted to be a lawyer, and I figure if I'm going to work ridiculous hours on tedious bullshit at a firm full of passive-aggressive jerks then I might as well make some more money doing it. Also, on a personal level - I do a lot of volunteer work on the side with victims of sex trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault and having a law degree would help me do a lot more.

fallingup wrote:

Micdiddy wrote:

fallingup wrote:just get a masters in accounting. i have 2 friends who got their masters in accounting from a no name state school who now have great, top firm jobs. both of these friends went to another shitty no name state school for undergrad.

So why aren't you doing it?

If I don't get into a T14, I probably will go for an accounting degree, actually.

I currently work at a big consulting firm and don't feel like I make enough to warrant the work. I've always wanted to be a lawyer, and I figure if I'm going to work ridiculous hours on tedious bullshit at a firm full of passive-aggressive jerks then I might as well make some more money doing it. Also, on a personal level - I do a lot of volunteer work on the side with victims of sex trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault and having a law degree would help me do a lot more.

Sounds like you need to get off your lazy ass and start doing some real work. I, for one, tutor kids. Sometimes up to 8 hours a week! I also feed 3 hungry mouths (well, when they remind me to by meowing or barking at me).

Haha stop messing with me.

fallingup wrote:Haha stop messing with me.