Biglaw_Associate_V20 wrote:A. Nony Mouse wrote:Biglaw_Associate_V20 wrote:snagglepuss wrote:I know that at least 1/4 of people attending WM intend to return to a business / JD-advantage job upon graduation. The school attracts way more of these types than any T1 or T14 school I know of. WM's brand continues to take a hit each year, but the school was once well-respected and still is to a degree in Minnesota. However, I would not advise someone without a significant scholarship and years of work experience to ever attend the school, but it makes sense for a number of people (particularly through their part-time or online programs) especially when you consider most students are not incurring any additional, law school-related cost of living expenses.
We need to do a better job of tailoring advice to thread OPs. This online WM program may very well be a great option for Jaydee.
I will not believe that this or any other crap school is worth it until someone cites to me, with specificity, at least one job that 1) requires or strongly prefers a JD, 2) would not typically be filled by one of the many desperate under- or un-employed graduates of better law schools, and 3) would provide better pay/job security than whatever job a typical prospective student with many years of experience would otherwise continue working.
I'm pretty sure the point is that for someone who already has a job, and who can move up in that job if they get a JD, and doesn't want to quit their job and move but has no part-time LS local to them, an online program would be fine. It's the theory behind the California-only-accredited online programs in California, but available to people who want to be barred elsewhere than California. Given that situation, one ABA accredited online program seems perfectly fine. It's not nearly as much of a ripoff as the full time brick/mortar TTTTs who act as if they're competing with top schools. It would be better if it were cheaper and it sounds entirely unsuitable for anyone who wants the outcome of a traditional law school, so it needs to market itself appropriately, but I don't think it's a ripoff the way that Cooley or TJSL are.
To me, none of them are worth it. I do not understand how or why someone would need a JD to "move up" in a non-legal job. It makes no sense. I understand that compliance jobs and the like may draw upon some very limited amount of background knowledge that you pick up in law school, but I find it very hard to believe that you couldn't move farther along in your career by simply working more diligently at your actual job rather than wasting an inordinate amount of time getting a JD.
Well for that matter, few if any jobs, does it make sense to require any type of academic degree.
Do you think that the specific skills and abilities gained in pursuing a BS or an MS or an MBA directly changes someone in a fundamental way that could not be achieved through other methods? Yet these credentials, any many others like them, become key differentiators, if not out and out requirements in tons of jobs.
I will tell you without hesitation that the best pentester/overall security professional I know did not complete high school, but he is brilliant, he has found tons of vulnerabilities in a wide variety of platforms desktops, servers (Win, Linux, Unix, Mac), networking equipment, mobile equipment, the list just keeps going. He presents himself well, and frequently travels to present at security/hacker conferences all over the place. We have worked together for years, and although he is well compensated, there are roles that he will simply not be considered for (at least not in this current org, and likely the industry). It does not matter that he is better than almost everyone else, as there are hoops that need to be jumped through, even if the impact of the specific hoops are minimal at best. It is simply the cost of a seat at the table.
