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I was hoping someone here has experience (or knows someone who has experience) with this. If I take an alternative career path for a year or two after graduation (a job that is wholly business-related and in the retail industry, not legal in the slightest), what are the chances that, if I dislike this alternative career path, I can go back into law down the line? Would it completely destroy my chances?

I have an opportunity to take a position that would involve me in purchasing and marketing decisions for a retail company. To each his or her own, but I find the job intriguing, and I would love to take some time after graduation to see the inner workings of this industry and how everything comes together inside of it. I will get paid much less than I would in a legal job, but this is okay, as my fiance makes enough money to make us comfortable, no matter how little I get paid.

Unfortunately, to take this position would take me off the legal track for some time. I would like to jump on this adventure, just to have this life experience, but I don't want to botch my chances at a legal career either - I've worked so hard these last years making the academic portion of my resume really strong, and I have opportunities in the legal field right now as well (and, yes, I feel blessed).

Would it be idiotic to take a job that just piques my curiosity for now, thinking I can go back to law a year or two after it all - or can I go back to law? Any advice would be so much appreciated!

Raima wrote:I was hoping someone here has experience (or knows someone who has experience) with this. If I take an alternative career path for a year or two after graduation (a job that is wholly business-related and in the retail industry, not legal in the slightest), what are the chances that, if I dislike this alternative career path, I can go back into law down the line? Would it completely destroy my chances?

I have an opportunity to take a position that would involve me in purchasing and marketing decisions for a retail company. To each his or her own, but I find the job intriguing, and I would love to take some time after graduation to see the inner workings of this industry and how everything comes together inside of it. I will get paid much less than I would in a legal job, but this is okay, as my fiance makes enough money to make us comfortable, no matter how little I get paid.

Unfortunately, to take this position would take me off the legal track for some time. I would like to jump on this adventure, just to have this life experience, but I don't want to botch my chances at a legal career either - I've worked so hard these last years making the academic portion of my resume really strong, and I have opportunities in the legal field right now as well (and, yes, I feel blessed).

Would it be idiotic to take a job that just piques my curiosity for now, thinking I can go back to law a year or two after it all - or can I go back to law? Any advice would be so much appreciated!

If you have legal options, it would be idiotic to take a non-legal job hoping you could re-enter later. Beyond the anecdotal discussions I hear that the only way to re-enter law from another field is coming back into law from a political position, why would a legal employer want to hire you when you haven't been using your legal skills, don't have legal experience they can use, and are more likely than someone who has stayed in law to jump ship for a non-legal opportunity?