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Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhD. I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However, I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health law. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services). Which is better: the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

jmk88 wrote:Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhDwant a job.I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However,I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health lawunemployment. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services)la-la-land. Which is better:I want the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

fixed to be as preposterous to read as it is to consider

In case guano's point didn't come across, don't do law school.

guano wrote:

jmk88 wrote:Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhDwant a job.I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However,I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health lawunemployment. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services)la-la-land. Which is better:I want the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

fixed to be as preposterous to read as it is to consider

Wow, guano, you're extremely rude. Actually, I AM ALREADY EMPLOYED. I have zero debt from undergraduate (University of Florida) and graduate (University of Miami). I asked which doctorate was better due to the fiscal implications tied to each degree.

P.S.
"La-la-land" shows your gross ignorance on the field of mental healthcare.

jmk88 wrote:Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhD. I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However, I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health law. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services). Which is better: the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

If you're real, don't go to law school. If you want to work in healthcare reform and you can get into a funded PhD program, you could do that. What do you do for a living now? A Tier III law degree isn't a safe path to any form "reform" work or in many cases any form of legal employment.

You should retake man. Going to a better school would mean a better chance of practicing the kind of law you want to practice. Why are you choosing this tier 3? Is it because it's close?

If you are still intent, it's not the worst scenario I've heard since you can keep your job if the JD doesn't work out.

hibiki wrote:

jmk88 wrote:Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhD. I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However, I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health law. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services). Which is better: the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

If you're real, don't go to law school. If you want to work in healthcare reform and you can get into a funded PhD program, you could do that. What do you do for a living now? A Tier III law degree isn't a safe path to any form "reform" work or in many cases any form of legal employment.

I'm a teacher. I had scholarships pay for both my tuition/living expenses at UF. And, as a state employee for the past two years, UM was fully paid for. I was going to use the JD to work in healthcare administration then break out on my own. To change a system, don't you have to understand it??

bchirco wrote:You should retake man. Going to a better school would mean a better chance of practicing the kind of law you want to practice. Why are you choosing this tier 3? Is it because it's close?

If you are still intent, it's not the worst scenario I've heard since you can keep your job if the JD doesn't work out.

Main reason is to avoid debt. (It's also public and close.) I do not want to leave my job to live off loans.

jmk88 wrote:I'm a teacher. I had scholarships pay for both my tuition/living expenses at UF. And, as a state employee for the past two years, UM was fully paid for. I was going to use the JD to work in healthcare administration then break out on my own. To change a system, don't you have to understand it??

Yeah, no. To change a system you need the kind of legitimacy that a Tier III grad lacks. (and you can't be real, right?)

Get an MHA. It will be much more useful than a law degree. Also, it is much easier to get into a very good MHA program as opposed to a very good law school.

jmk88 wrote:

guano wrote:

jmk88 wrote:Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhDwant a job.I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However,I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health lawunemployment. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services)la-la-land. Which is better:I want the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

fixed to be as preposterous to read as it is to consider

Wow, guano, you're extremely rude. Actually, I AM ALREADY EMPLOYED. I have zero debt from undergraduate (University of Florida) and graduate (University of Miami). I asked which doctorate was better due to the fiscal implications tied to each degree.

P.S.
"La-la-land" shows your gross ignorance on the field of mental healthcare.

Actually, I was only commenting on the law school aspect. Going to a tier 3 and expecting any real employment options coming out of it is, well, not smart

I really should have read your original post more thoroughly. I want to make sure I understand your goals...do you want to go into healthcare administration? If so, I really think the a JD will do little to nothing to further that goal. I work in healthcare after having graduated from law school, and it is my experience that the MHA and even MPH are far more sought after degrees in the field. Do you have a reason to believe otherwise?

guano wrote:

jmk88 wrote:

guano wrote:

jmk88 wrote:Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhDwant a job.I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However,I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health lawunemployment. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services)la-la-land. Which is better:I want the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

fixed to be as preposterous to read as it is to consider

Wow, guano, you're extremely rude. Actually, I AM ALREADY EMPLOYED. I have zero debt from undergraduate (University of Florida) and graduate (University of Miami). I asked which doctorate was better due to the fiscal implications tied to each degree.

P.S.
"La-la-land" shows your gross ignorance on the field of mental healthcare.

Actually, I was only commenting on the law school aspect. Going to a tier 3 and expecting any real employment options coming out of it is, well, not smart

Regardless, you still came off as a douche and it was very hard to tell what exactly your point was. If you're trying to give advice, try giving it in a way in which people might be even the least bit receptive to it.

Aroldis105 wrote: Regardless, you still came off as a douche and it was very hard to tell what exactly your point was. If you're trying to give advice, try giving it in a way in which people might be even the least bit receptive to it.

Here, this is a less douchey way to say the same thing:

OP, don't go to TTT law school if you expect to get the job you want. Retake and go to a better school, or don't go.

No JD is going to give you the tools to understand a system. Getting a job in that system will. Specialty programs are flame to entice students to schools with otherwise horrible job prospects.

deputydog wrote:

Aroldis105 wrote: Regardless, you still came off as a douche and it was very hard to tell what exactly your point was. If you're trying to give advice, try giving it in a way in which people might be even the least bit receptive to it.

Here, this is a less douchey way to say the same thing:

OP, don't go to TTT law school if you expect to get the job you want. Retake and go to a better school, or don't go.

+1

One of the best ways to achieve your goal is to go to University of Minnesota-- the best MHA program in the U.S.. The JD won't likely be necessary. If you attend there you will get a top-level health care system internship. If you want one of the few best in the program (e.g., Mayo), your advanced degrees may help you.

The ONLY way a JD will help your path is if you go to a school with legitimate ties to D.C. policy (e.g., Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Georgetown, UVA, Berkeley). However, these are long-shot at best.

You have a masters in public health already. Get a job, stop avoiding life by wasting years in school.

^ This. A thousand times ^ this. I did what you are proposing, and it may even work out for me in the end, but there are much easier ways, and you already have a degree better suited to your goals.

cinephile wrote:You have a masters in public health already. Get a job, stop avoiding life by wasting years in school.

but education can be fulfilling!

Deciding to gain further expertise in his/her field of study is not "avoiding life by wasting years in school"

edit: also s/he already has a job, that they aren't leaving

^ This a thousand times ^

It is likely a waste of money if it doesn't serve to benefit their career. If it can be explained how a JD will work to further those goals, I'd love to hear. From my experience, a JD does not make someone more viable for an administrative position in healthcare.

jmk88 wrote:Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhD. I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However, I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health law. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services). Which is better: the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

The cost isn't the issue so much as the "Why are you getting a law degree?" Is it going to help you in your current career? You haven't given us enough information to really know that, and that's something you have to figure out for yourself. If the JD can help you in your career, it sounds like it wouldn't be a bad option to go PT to the local T3. But you need to make sure you're not just wasting your time and money.

jmk88 wrote:Hi! I am ambivalent as to whether or not I should get a JD or PhD. I have a master's in public health, which is needed to get into a PhD program in Health Policy and Management. However, I am considering a Tier III law school with a focus on health law. I can pursue it part-time at 12K per year and maintain full-time employment. My end goal is to work in mental healthcare reform (evaluation and services). Which is better: the JD or PhD? Thank you!!

I would hope you can determine which would be more advantageous pretty easily. Have you checked for jobs/places you would like to work after you have earned your next degree? In their qualifications/preferences what degree(s) do they list? No one would know better than the parties hiring.