Worthwhile to be an RA during school? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Is working as an RA worth it? I'm a 2L, and a professor asked me if I wanted to work for him this semester. I like the guy, and I like his work, but I don't really have any aspirations beyond my 100% offer SA firm. I also like getting paid, but I'm wondering if the time commitment ends up being too much of a pain in the ass. I'm also, uh, not very good at research, so I don't want to look like a moron and fuck some shit up.

[Jchance]

Worth it if you want to clerk or have academia aspiration, otherwise no.

[gregfootball2001]

Can you do it for credit? At my school you could do it for 1 credit, and it was nice not having a final. Otherwise, only if you need the money, or want a recommender for clerking.

[Anonymous User]

Can you do it for credit? At my school you could do it for 1 credit, and it was nice not having a final. Otherwise, only if you need the money, or want a recommender for clerking.

Ooh, I don't know. I'll have to ask. If I could do it for credit, that would definitely tilt the scale in favor of the RA.

[Anonymous User]

It's probably a good idea. It's usually not too demanding, and you can get a good reference if you want to clerk/lateral later on in your career.

[Anonymous User]

I just consulted with the registrar and it seems like credit isn't an option. I don't really need recommendations for anything in the immediate future. Would the later benefit for lateral/whatever be worth it?

[Jchance]

^No IMO.

[gregfootball2001]

^No IMO.

If you can't get credit, and there's absolutely no chance you'll apply for clerkships, and you don't need the money, I agree.

[Anonymous User]

Can you do it for credit? At my school you could do it for 1 credit, and it was nice not having a final. Otherwise, only if you need the money, or want a recommender for clerking.

Work dead end on-campus jobs if it's money you're after. No hassle.

[Anonymous User]

I have no idea about the value of an RA, but having worked 15-20 hours all 2L year at another legal job, I just want to say that those time constraints aren't really that bad. If you want the money, go for it.

[sublime]

..

[Anonymous User]

My prof tells me it's <7 hours/week. I think I can manage that. I'm vaguely busy with LR and a relatively full class schedule, but that doesn't seem like too bad of a commitment unless it blows up on me for whatever reason. Like I wrote earlier, I wasn't planning on clerking or anything. Still, I think it can't hurt to have a recommendation in case something falls through for whatever reason. I'm mostly loath to give up valuable time I spend sitting around doing nothing.

Thanks for your help!

[itbdvorm]

Is working as an RA worth it? I'm a 2L, and a professor asked me if I wanted to work for him this semester. I like the guy, and I like his work, but I don't really have any aspirations beyond my 100% offer SA firm. I also like getting paid, but I'm wondering if the time commitment ends up being too much of a pain in the ass. I'm also, uh, not very good at research, so I don't want to look like a moron and fuck some shit up.

100000% yes.

here's why:

a) great way to get a good recommendation from a prof
b) more importantly - great way to find out early about any issues you have with your legal writing, and improve them before you get to your firm.

[Anonymous User]

Is working as an RA worth it? I'm a 2L, and a professor asked me if I wanted to work for him this semester. I like the guy, and I like his work, but I don't really have any aspirations beyond my 100% offer SA firm. I also like getting paid, but I'm wondering if the time commitment ends up being too much of a pain in the ass. I'm also, uh, not very good at research, so I don't want to look like a moron and fuck some shit up.

100000% yes.

here's why:

a) great way to get a good recommendation from a prof
b) more importantly - great way to find out early about any issues you have with your legal writing, and improve them before you get to your firm.

Thanks! I think I'll probably end up doing it. I do my best not to be a loser striver, but I don't think there's any way I can reasonably refuse like 5 hours of work a week. Plus, I can finally get that sweet sweet $$$$ and switch from drinking Taaka to Stoli.