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I have been contemplating starting school to become my lawyer. I'm a bit scared to be completely honest because I'm 30 years old and I don't know if that means anything within law school or the job market.

Any advice or insight would be very appreciated as I am a bit lost with this

Hi, I was accepted into law school at 30 years old as a non-traditional student. DM me if you want to ask questions I’d be glad to help.

Rysukosan wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 14, 2020 12:29 am

I have been contemplating starting school to become my lawyer. I'm a bit scared to be completely honest because I'm 30 years old and I don't know if that means anything within law school or the job market.

Any advice or insight would be very appreciated as I am a bit lost with this

I went to law school in my early 30s. Unless you look all old and used up or something, nobody is going to even know how old you are. The only difference at school is that you'll probably (1) drink less and (2) try harder...both broad generalizations, I know.

I found my prior work experiences and age to be a benefit in the job hunt, if anything. It gave me and the interviewers something different to talk about than the scores of 22-24 year olds.

Finally, there were students in their 60s (and maybe even 70s, one dude was very old looking) and they seemed to get along/exist at school just fine.

What in particular are you scared of?

I am primarily a scared of going to law school and graduating with of course a lot of student loans and then not being able to actually get a job in any capacity.

I'm not scared about being judged because I do actually look kind of young so I'm not worried about that but I am worried about after law school that's what I'm primarily worried about.

I'm just starting school in general I'm not going to law school right now I would be literally starting from scratch which means that I would be in school for another 7 years or so maybe last maybe more but regardless I would be in there until my late 30s and that scares the shit out of me.

Thoughts?

Rysukosan wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 16, 2020 4:33 am

I am primarily a scared of going to law school and graduating with of course a lot of student loans and then not being able to actually get a job in any capacity.

I'm not scared about being judged because I do actually look kind of young so I'm not worried about that but I am worried about after law school that's what I'm primarily worried about.

I'm just starting school in general I'm not going to law school right now I would be literally starting from scratch which means that I would be in school for another 7 years or so maybe last maybe more but regardless I would be in there until my late 30s and that scares the shit out of me.

Thoughts?

Your age shouldn't be an issue for getting a job. Student loans are another story, but you'll likely have the advantage of better financial aid, since there won't be a parent contribution factored into your aid package. But the bigger issue is this is all still very speculative for you - who knows what the situation will be like 4 years from now. If I were you, I'd keep law school in mind as a possibility, but wouldn't give it any more thought at the moment. Focus on undergrad, and take it from there.

But doesn't undergrad have to be very specific when wanting to go into law school?

Rysukosan wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:22 pm

But doesn't undergrad have to be very specific when wanting to go into law school?

No. You can major in literally anything.

I am 33, just graduated college with two kids, and I'm going for it! Don't worry.

I started at 30 (graduated now). There were several people in my age range. Clerkships/Biglaw were not a problem. We all had the exact same options that our younger classmates had.

Occasionally someone will tease you with an old-person joke, but that’s about it.

You’ll have to make the call on the finances. It depends on many factors and could be anywhere from a great financial decision to a catastrophic one.

Finally, this is purely anecdotal, but I’ve observed (and talked with a few others who have also observed) that the older folks perform quite well in law school. FWIW.

I was older than 30 when I started. No one cared. I got good jobs.

Just don't be one of those older students who starts every comment in class with "In MY experience at [some job no one else cares about]..." and you'll be fine.

Worrying about graduating with a lot of loans and not getting a job is fair, but since you haven't even completed undergrad yet, you have plenty of opportunities to avoid that:

1) do really well in undergrad
2) get a good LSAT score
3) get scholarships
4) go to a school with great employment prospects

Besides, if you haven't even started undergrad yet, you absolutely don't need to worry about this. Four years from now you may be very happily following some other, completely different career path. As people noted above, you can major in absolutely anything and go to law school; you don't need to specialize.

Considering you will be practicing law for the next 25+ years I don't see why a few years will make a difference. Use the skills you learned working and dealing with real life circumstances to your benefit.

Enjoy the process, get good grades and kill the LSAT! If you do all that you will be employed with a great job and doing something you love.

Starting at 30 shouldn't be a problem at all. The only people in law school who really stood out as "non trads" were the over 50 set. And nothing wrong with the over 50 set either, although the financial ROI is less likely to be there at that age.

I started Law School at 31 years old, just graduated and (circumstances permitting) will be starting a biglaw job in the fall. You can totally do it, and ask others have said, your experience will likely be an asset as opposed to hindrance.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

I’m a midlevel/senior Big law associate who started law school at 33. Feel free to DM me.