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For the past two years I've been working for a start up in Silicon Valley as a Product Manager. Unfortunately, the start up failed and I quit after I stopped getting paid. I had already decided beforehand that I wanted to go to law schools to continue studying trade law, which I focused my undergraduate degree on. I had planned to just stay at this job until I left for school, but now I'm at a crossroads when it comes about what to do next.

My question is this, do I continue trying to find another job as a product manager, or should I try to something more focused in trade policy? Which would be more helpful in getting into law school? Are the effects negligible, even if I want to focus my personal statement on my love of trade policy? It would be a lot easier to find a product manager job since I have more immediate experience, and I wouldn't need to relocate, but a trade policy might get me connections, especially if I find a job at either Cal or Stanford.

If you can get something in trade policy that is impressive and prestigious enough to meaningfully boost your application, you probably shouldn't go to law school for a career in trade policy, as you'd already have one.

As long as you're not "doing nothing," it probably doesn't matter which job you have. Spend your excess energy retaking, instead.