If law is failing, what would be my best alternative? Forum

[AlabamaIceman]

Edit:

tl;dr I'm being whiny and am not sure if law school is for me, rabble rabble.

[paulinaporizkova]

oh boy.

[grobbelski]

This forum has been a wellspring of information for me as a long-time lurker, but as the pressure of my June LSAT approaches and my senior year looms on the horizon, I only see to be able to find the completely fucking depressing parts of the forum regarding the future of the legal profession.

A bit of background: Big surprise, I was a public speaking/competitive debate kid in high school and even the first part of college, and while me and my peers were busy giving speeches on the history of Snickers bars and thinking we were the shit for doing so, the legal profession seemed to be my natural idol for a wealthy future. The reality started to set in that it was going to be a lot of work, but I just futzed around during my first two years, changing from one useless liberal arts major to another, until I settled on Political Science and brashly began proclaiming myself to be "pre-law."

Truth is, I'm an academic mutt, and I'm the stupidest smart person you'll ever meet. I didn't work or retain anything at all during my primary education, I just faked my way to a 33 on the ACT and then proceeded to binge cram and shit out A's during my undergraduate career thus far, to this moment I still feel like I have a nonexistent repository of factual knowledge, I'm the liberal arts major that the science majors actually have good reason to mock, seeing as I know little to nothing offhand about the subject matter of any of the various majors I have been under.

But still, I'm decent at logic and linear thinking, and because I tend to feel like I would be diagnosed with ADHD should I ever get myself looked at, I tend to favor less of the reading and writing and more of the public speaking and bullshitting. I'm an intelligent person, but not a smart person. Law school has until recently been my ivory tower in the sense that I thought "well once I kick the LSAT's ass and get there, I'll get real, learn a bunch of good shit, and then graduate and make bank." But this forum is telling me more and more of the opposite, basically that I'm a loon, and that I deserved to be laughed at to my face.

So yeah. If not lawl school, then what for me? I'm not dense to the point of ignoring the reality of the posts the decry the future of the profession, but some part of me still wants to make a wager of some sort and hope that the hell I would be forcing upon myself would be better than trying to wave my undergrad degree in the face of a corporate employer and then end up as a Costco manager.

Sorry for the pissy post, but I'm really curious if following this path is unequivocally a mistake. I don't want to be one of those people coming back here in two years and saying "you were right TLS, I'm saddled with debt and giving a blowjob to a Beretta."

Doesn't help that I have no social life here in my current setup, and I'm getting intoxicated alone tonight in front of my computer.

retake

[AlabamaIceman]

retake

Reading comprehension broski, I haven't taken it yet. If you're talking about the LSAT.

[nygrrrl]

Why do you want to go to law school?

[paulinaporizkova]

retake

Reading comprehension broski, I haven't taken it yet. If you're talking about the LSAT.

GOD BROSKI HE HASN'T EVEN TAKEN THE LSAT YET

[AlabamaIceman]

Why do you want to go to law school?

It seems like the natural progression of the skillset, albeit limited, that I have displayed in the past consisting of public speaking, logic, and argumentation skills.

GOD BROSKI HE HASN'T EVEN TAKEN THE LSAT YET

What's the point of mocking my sarcastic answer if I intended it to be self-depreciating?

[nygrrrl]

Why do you want to go to law school?

It seems like the natural progression of the skillset, albeit limited, that I have displayed in the past consisting of public speaking, logic, and argumentation skills.

Don't go to law school.
Take a few years off, work, make sure this is what you want. Seriously.

[Patriot1208]

Sounds like you will fit right in at Harvard or Columbia.

[AlabamaIceman]

Why do you want to go to law school?

It seems like the natural progression of the skillset, albeit limited, that I have displayed in the past consisting of public speaking, logic, and argumentation skills.

Don't go to law school.
Take a few years off, work, make sure this is what you want. Seriously.

I hear that in different ways, but somehow I'm always suspicious of that. I had friends who got a job with a plumbing company out of high school and then decided that college really wasn't what they had wanted all along, because now they were making $17 an hour, and like, what could be better than that, right?

Perspective is a damnable thing, I suppose.

[PKSebben]

Moved to on-topic forum.

[paulinaporizkova]

What's the point of mocking my sarcastic answer if I intended it to be self-depreciating?

i must have missed the sarcasm in your answer, perhaps because it wasn't actually there?

i do love me some RDJ though, so *high five*

[nygrrrl]

Moved to on-topic forum.

haha - thank you. Had just noticed that and was about to do it. Speedy.

[PKSebben]

It seems like the natural progression of the skillset, albeit limited, that I have displayed in the past consisting of public speaking, logic, and argumentation skills.

I'm a lawyer and don't really use any of these things. How good are you at three-hole punching? Do you know how to use the find and replace feature of word? Can you stomach working 60-80 hours a week doing repetitive tasks? Would you be able to live with the feeling that you and your ilk are a drain on the economy?

[AlabamaIceman]

Moved to on-topic forum.

Apologies, I wasn't sure where this went.

i must have missed the sarcasm in your answer, perhaps because it wasn't actually there?

i do love me some RDJ though, so *high five*

Well I THOUGHT it while I was typing, damnit. And yes, I just had a RDJ mini-thon last night with the Iron Man flicks and Tropic Thunder.

[AlabamaIceman]

It seems like the natural progression of the skillset, albeit limited, that I have displayed in the past consisting of public speaking, logic, and argumentation skills.

I'm a lawyer and don't really use any of these things. How good are you at three-hole punching? Do you know how to use the find and replace feature of word? Can you stomach working 60-80 hours a week doing repetitive tasks? Would you be able to live with the feeling that you and your ilk are a drain on the economy?

Depends. I have no delusions of being a prosecuting attorney who gets all the play like the ones on TV, but the better question to me is this: does passing up law school really mean that I have a "better option" for something that's going to be fulfilling for me? Or am I just scared of it, even if for good reason?

[shoeshine]

.

[Maleficient]

It seems like the natural progression of the skillset, albeit limited, that I have displayed in the past consisting of public speaking, logic, and argumentation skills.

I'm a lawyer and don't really use any of these things. How good are you at three-hole punching? Do you know how to use the find and replace feature of word? Can you stomach working 60-80 hours a week doing repetitive tasks? Would you be able to live with the feeling that you and your ilk are a drain on the economy?

Must rethink future career plans

But in all honesty, don't be one of those people who think "oh em gee I can talk pretty I MUST be lawyer material." Research what lawyers really do.

And undergraduate liberal arts curriculum isn't exactly designed for retention, don't worry so much about not remembering anything.

[tourdeforcex]

If not lawl school, then what for me?

what else are you interested in? there are plenty of jobs out there that could use a great bullshitter. take business. sales. see mad men. and many of these jobs have the potential for bank, though it is not guaranteed (but then again... that's kind of the point, if everyone could make bank, then bank would not be bank.)

finally, there are plenty of people who "fall back" on law though it is not the most recommended path, especially if it comes w/ debt.

in the end, i say, if you still have any inclination to study law (review course descriptions, talk to lawyers), take the LSAT, if you do well, still want to study law, get some scholly money (as insurance against a debt burdened future w/ diminished job prospects), go to law school. if not, work 3-5 years. doing something productive w/ your life. if you're the type that will push him or herself, you won't fall into $17/hr jobs.

hope this helps

[AlabamaIceman]

But in all honesty, don't be one of those people who think "oh em gee I can talk pretty I MUST be lawyer material." Research what lawyers really do.

Perhaps I worded that part poorly: I didn't think that that's what lawyers actually "do," but the profession of law is still what I keep arriving at when I question what exactly it is I could do with what I have, considering med school or savant-style investment banking are right out.

[AreJay711]

OP, Im considering cutting my losses right now and foregoing my deposit to work as a bartender at the beach. It might not pay a lot but I bet it would be a lot more fun and fulfilling. That might be one better option you should look in to.

[AlabamaIceman]

OP, Im considering cutting my losses right now and foregoing my deposit to work as a bartender at the beach. It might not pay a lot but I bet it would be a lot more fun and fulfilling. That might be one better option you should look in to.

The point of this is what? I'm not simply trying to play host to dry wit for its own sake, I'm weighing my own career options here.

But if you were serious, by all means, go ahead. By I don't know how to make many mixed drinks, so sadly that's not an option.

[Patriot1208]

OP, Im considering cutting my losses right now and foregoing my deposit to work as a bartender at the beach. It might not pay a lot but I bet it would be a lot more fun and fulfilling. That might be one better option you should look in to.

The point of this is what? I'm not simply trying to play host to dry wit for its own sake, I'm weighing my own career options here.

But if you were serious, by all means, go ahead. By I don't know how to make many mixed drinks, so sadly that's not an option.

except, you haven't told anyone what your career options are

[AreJay711]

OP, Im considering cutting my losses right now and foregoing my deposit to work as a bartender at the beach. It might not pay a lot but I bet it would be a lot more fun and fulfilling. That might be one better option you should look in to.

The point of this is what? I'm not simply trying to play host to dry wit for its own sake, I'm weighing my own career options here.

But if you were serious, by all means, go ahead. By I don't know how to make many mixed drinks, so sadly that's not an option.

You act like law school is the only option you have when, in fact, it is not. I think you are limiting yourself if you couldn't at least imagine any other possible careers.

[northwood]

Don't go to law school.
Take a few years off, work, make sure this is what you want. Seriously.

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take some time, do some soul searching and figure out what it is you think you want to do with your life. Research waht you need to do to get there, and compare the pros and cons of each job with what you want and need out of life. Then give it a try for some time, and if you dont like it- and realize you want to be a lawyer- then go to law schoool. If you are happy, dont go. Law schools will be there for you in the future if thats what you really want. But dont rush into this hoping that it works out and is what you want. Thats a gamble thats too expensive to mess up.