Should I become a lawyer? Forum

[El Greco]

I've been reading many topics (TLS, the internet, YouTube, etc.) of people who (i) advise others to not study law, and (ii) quit law to pursue other jobs, and my exposure to such content more than often makes me rethink if I should be a lawyer.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy technical writing, helping people, coming up with legal strategies, reading contracts, reading legal doctrine, etc., but, I'm also a big believer that you should listen to those who have the experience and the wisdom in order to not repeat their same mistakes, hence my doubts about being a lawyer when I watch the content pointed out in the first sentence.

So, my questions:
1) Is there anyone here who truly enjoys law and wouldn't change it for anything?
2) Would you recommend me to become a lawyer?

[CanadianWolf]

What are your other options ?

Have you taken the LSAT ?

[Anonymous User]

I love it. There are three reasons: (1) I work in a niche area of litigation with facts that I find eminently interesting, (2) I thrive on conflict and stress (it motivates me and keeps me engaged), and (3) it pays well enough for me to afford the conveniences I require to work as much as I do. Don't get me wrong, there are parts of this job that suck, but on the balance I wouldn't want to do anything else (in fact, I'd be poorly suited for lots of other jobs).

I think that matches the characteristics of others I know who like it. First, you need something you really like enough about your practice to motivate you to make a lot of sacrifices in order to keep doing it. Second, you need to like (or at least feel neutral toward) something that others absolutely hate about legal practice. And third (last for a reason), the money helps make things better for you, but it's not the sole motivator. If you want to do PI then turn point 3 upside down - you make enough in order to do what you love.

[Anonymous User]

I love it. There are three reasons: (1) I work in a niche area of litigation with facts that I find eminently interesting, (2) I thrive on conflict and stress (it motivates me and keeps me engaged), and (3) it pays well enough for me to afford the conveniences I require to work as much as I do. Don't get me wrong, there are parts of this job that suck, but on the balance I wouldn't want to do anything else (in fact, I'd be poorly suited for lots of other jobs).

I think that matches the characteristics of others I know who like it. First, you need something you really like enough about your practice to motivate you to make a lot of sacrifices in order to keep doing it. Second, you need to like (or at least feel neutral toward) something that others absolutely hate about legal practice. And third (last for a reason), the money helps make things better for you, but it's not the sole motivator. If you want to do PI then turn point 3 upside down - you make enough in order to do what you love.

This is fantastic insight. OP you should reflect about your temperament, life goals, views on work/life balance, etc. against these reasons.

(1) Do you find boring dense tedious legal facts eminently interesting? Perhaps study the back of your credit card statement or health insurance contract for 3-5 days and then write a 15 page report interpreting the provisions. If you find this kind of practicum eminently interesting, you might enjoy being a lawyer.

(2) Do you thrive on conflict and stress, or want to spend you day working with and against people, and then possibly even engaging in forced socialization at networking events, "happy" hours, and conferences, with people who thrive on conflict and stress?

(3) Do you want to work often insane hours so that you can make enough money to outsource basic life tasks to allow you to keep working insanely long hours so that you can continue to pore over boring shit and then argue about it with people who thrive on conflict and stress and have no lives outside of work?

If you answer yes to two of the three, I give you my blessing to apply to law school.

[Anonymous User]

I definitely know lawyers who love their jobs (they are almost entirely not in biglaw), though I tend to advise people against it, too. I think it can be pretty difficult to gauge whether you'll like it, in part b/c there are a lot of very different roles you can play as a lawyer that have different working conditions and favor different strengths/weaknesses (civil v. criminal, litigation v. transactional, working with rich people/companies v. working with poor ones, etc.), but in part because it's a little hard to know what it's like without actually doing the work. And getting to that point can take a lot of time and money, and if it turns out that you hate it, it can be difficult to change course (as getting a JD makes people think you want to be a lawyer and so it can be hard to convince employers otherwise).

There are folks who get enough exposure to be able to make a more informed choice - like working as a paralegal or maybe growing up with lawyer parents - but I'll admit I'm not sure how much use "coming up with legal strategies, reading contracts, reading legal doctrine" are in a vacuum (in what context are you coming up with legal strategies and reading contracts? If you're actually a legal assistant somewhere where your role involves those things, that's one thing, but I'm not convinced classes on these things are that revealing - lots of people love law school and hate practicing law - and if it's just a personal interest/hobby thing, I'm even less convinced that's representative of what lawyers do).

I do think it's a human nature thing for people on the inside to warn people away from particular careers - we know the difficulties/problems intimately and tend to think others can't really see/know them. (Does anyone know anyone who recommends that people enter their field of work? I feel like I regularly see doctors, dentists, bankers, teachers, tech people, performing arts, etc. complain about their professions. If everyone heeded the warnings there are whole professions that would die off.)

Anyway, I think the biggest downside of law is that you get trained to look for the worst-case scenario in everything, since preventing it or responding to it are pretty much what you're hired to do, which can lead to a pretty negative view of the world. Personally, I love the intellectual challenge of litigation at the same time that I can find its adversarial nature very stressful (and while I'm sure there's an intellectual challenge in transactional stuff I really much prefer creating a narrative out of things that have already happened than figuring out how to make certain things happen (or not) in the future).

The highest paid/most prestigious jobs do tend to require crazy hours, but I don't think that's specific to law - if you want to get paid 6 figures right out of grad school you're generally going to have to work a lot (please don't tell me that coders work 20 hour weeks and make a crapton of money, most people aren't deciding between coding and law).

[mardash]

This post read to me like it was generated from an AI prompt.

If you are not a computer, I recommend you to become a dentist.

[Anonymous User]

I enjoy law. I am a litigator not in biglaw. I have a competitive debate background and basically get to do that professionally. I like competition and enjoy the intellectual challenge of high-level litigation. Plus if I didn’t do law I would probably be a starving humanities prof.

[WilliamFaulkner]

I've been reading many topics (TLS, the internet, YouTube, etc.) of people who (i) advise others to not study law, and (ii) quit law to pursue other jobs, and my exposure to such content more than often makes me rethink if I should be a lawyer.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy technical writing, helping people, coming up with legal strategies, reading contracts, reading legal doctrine, etc., but, I'm also a big believer that you should listen to those who have the experience and the wisdom in order to not repeat their same mistakes, hence my doubts about being a lawyer when I watch the content pointed out in the first sentence.

So, my questions:
1) Is there anyone here who truly enjoys law and wouldn't change it for anything?
2) Would you recommend me to become a lawyer?

No. Look at El Greco's works of art. See the energy? The passion? The sense of mystery and awe and wonder? Law has none of that. And it takes up a ton of your time. Go touch grass, suppress your ego, and find something else to do.

[MrTooToo]

lmfao at anyone falling for this weaksauce flame

[Anonymous User]

I enjoy the job, but a lot of clients in the banking world are degenerates that I struggle to connect with. I think it’s like most things insofar as it’s rare that you’re a perfect fit or not suited at all for the job. We all sit somewhere along the spectrum. I also know plenty of doctors who say to never become a doctor. Best way to get a sense is through work experience.

[El Greco]

What are your other options ?

Have you taken the LSAT ?

1. My alternative option would be a career in finance. I have 2 internships at BB and 1 internship at a Private Equity fund. It's interesting overall, but I really didn't care about processing financial statements and building Excel.
2. No LSAT; I'm based in Europe and I graduated in the past month, so I'm still thinking about what path to pursue. It's either getting into the bar, going after an LLM, or going into finance.

I love it. There are three reasons: (1) I work in a niche area of litigation with facts that I find eminently interesting, (2) I thrive on conflict and stress (it motivates me and keeps me engaged), and (3) it pays well enough for me to afford the conveniences I require to work as much as I do. Don't get me wrong, there are parts of this job that suck, but on the balance I wouldn't want to do anything else (in fact, I'd be poorly suited for lots of other jobs).

I think that matches the characteristics of others I know who like it. First, you need something you really like enough about your practice to motivate you to make a lot of sacrifices in order to keep doing it. Second, you need to like (or at least feel neutral toward) something that others absolutely hate about legal practice. And third (last for a reason), the money helps make things better for you, but it's not the sole motivator. If you want to do PI then turn point 3 upside down - you make enough in order to do what you love.

Thanks for the perspective. If I chose to stay in law, I may specialize in corporate and finance law (I have an LBB in Law, LLM in Corporate Law, and an MSc in Finance - which is a nice combination for those 2 fields).

I love it. There are three reasons: (1) I work in a niche area of litigation with facts that I find eminently interesting, (2) I thrive on conflict and stress (it motivates me and keeps me engaged), and (3) it pays well enough for me to afford the conveniences I require to work as much as I do. Don't get me wrong, there are parts of this job that suck, but on the balance I wouldn't want to do anything else (in fact, I'd be poorly suited for lots of other jobs).

I think that matches the characteristics of others I know who like it. First, you need something you really like enough about your practice to motivate you to make a lot of sacrifices in order to keep doing it. Second, you need to like (or at least feel neutral toward) something that others absolutely hate about legal practice. And third (last for a reason), the money helps make things better for you, but it's not the sole motivator. If you want to do PI then turn point 3 upside down - you make enough in order to do what you love.

This is fantastic insight. OP you should reflect about your temperament, life goals, views on work/life balance, etc. against these reasons.

(1) Do you find boring dense tedious legal facts eminently interesting? Perhaps study the back of your credit card statement or health insurance contract for 3-5 days and then write a 15 page report interpreting the provisions. If you find this kind of practicum eminently interesting, you might enjoy being a lawyer.

(2) Do you thrive on conflict and stress, or want to spend you day working with and against people, and then possibly even engaging in forced socialization at networking events, "happy" hours, and conferences, with people who thrive on conflict and stress?

(3) Do you want to work often insane hours so that you can make enough money to outsource basic life tasks to allow you to keep working insanely long hours so that you can continue to pore over boring shit and then argue about it with people who thrive on conflict and stress and have no lives outside of work?

If you answer yes to two of the three, I give you my blessing to apply to law school.

Thanks a lot for your reply. I already graduated, so the discussion is not about applying to law school, but either to quit law before is too late. I've read somewhere that usually, people who go directly after law schools in other fields are less likely to become afterwards a lawyer, so the question revolves more around this idea because once you become a lawyer it's even more difficult to convince other employers that you really aren't into law and want to do other things and also is more likely to get recruited and trained as a fresh grad than someone who is older.

Regarding point 2, yes I do and actually, I'm very good at managing conflicts. But, as you point out, I'm not sure if I would want to be friends with other lawyers. The vast majority of lawyers who I met were, first, extremely boring, and second, somewhat not the type of person with whom I would want to be a friend because they are book-smart, but can't get shit done. Some of the interns who I met in my previous legal internships never had real work experience and were recruited solely on their GPA and extracurriculars (competitions, law review, volunteering, etc.), and it was painful to watch them manage office politics, managing deals, or general networking. Also, I'm highly inclined to believe that intellectualism is a cover-up for fear of trying and a lot of those people become highly intellectual to not go out in the world and try other things - if they might have done it, they (probably) wouldn't even be in law.

Point 3, yes I do. I come from a blue-collar family, and I'm more than comfortable with all the sacrifices to make it financially and professionally. Furthermore, down the road, I'm planning to pursue more entrepreneurial paths such as opening my own law firm or a restructuring fund, so I'm more than comfortable with the way that I've set my priorities and the sacrifice it entails.

I definitely know lawyers who love their jobs (they are almost entirely not in biglaw), though I tend to advise people against it, too. I think it can be pretty difficult to gauge whether you'll like it, in part b/c there are a lot of very different roles you can play as a lawyer that have different working conditions and favor different strengths/weaknesses (civil v. criminal, litigation v. transactional, working with rich people/companies v. working with poor ones, etc.), but in part because it's a little hard to know what it's like without actually doing the work. And getting to that point can take a lot of time and money, and if it turns out that you hate it, it can be difficult to change course (as getting a JD makes people think you want to be a lawyer and so it can be hard to convince employers otherwise).

There are folks who get enough exposure to be able to make a more informed choice - like working as a paralegal or maybe growing up with lawyer parents - but I'll admit I'm not sure how much use "coming up with legal strategies, reading contracts, reading legal doctrine" are in a vacuum (in what context are you coming up with legal strategies and reading contracts? If you're actually a legal assistant somewhere where your role involves those things, that's one thing, but I'm not convinced classes on these things are that revealing - lots of people love law school and hate practicing law - and if it's just a personal interest/hobby thing, I'm even less convinced that's representative of what lawyers do).

I do think it's a human nature thing for people on the inside to warn people away from particular careers - we know the difficulties/problems intimately and tend to think others can't really see/know them. (Does anyone know anyone who recommends that people enter their field of work? I feel like I regularly see doctors, dentists, bankers, teachers, tech people, performing arts, etc. complain about their professions. If everyone heeded the warnings there are whole professions that would die off.)

Anyway, I think the biggest downside of law is that you get trained to look for the worst-case scenario in everything, since preventing it or responding to it are pretty much what you're hired to do, which can lead to a pretty negative view of the world. Personally, I love the intellectual challenge of litigation at the same time that I can find its adversarial nature very stressful (and while I'm sure there's an intellectual challenge in transactional stuff I really much prefer creating a narrative out of things that have already happened than figuring out how to make certain things happen (or not) in the future).

The highest paid/most prestigious jobs do tend to require crazy hours, but I don't think that's specific to law - if you want to get paid 6 figures right out of grad school you're generally going to have to work a lot (please don't tell me that coders work 20 hour weeks and make a crapton of money, most people aren't deciding between coding and law).

Thanks a lot for the perspective. Regarding the penultimate paragraph, I would view that as a benefit. If you're in a transactional role, and you find ways to consider all the risks that may arise and come have planned some solutions on how to solve some of those risks without litigation, but with more business-focused roles (where and how to move assets, how to write clauses to allow some flexibility in the future, what to insure and what not, etc.) then it's extremely handy. With everything else I agree.

This post read to me like it was generated from an AI prompt.

If you are not a computer, I recommend you to become a dentist.

Sometimes I have an automatic grammar corrector activated, but yes, it makes the text extremely dull.
Not interested in medicine or taking care of others' health, but thanks for your advice.

I've been reading many topics (TLS, the internet, YouTube, etc.) of people who (i) advise others to not study law, and (ii) quit law to pursue other jobs, and my exposure to such content more than often makes me rethink if I should be a lawyer.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy technical writing, helping people, coming up with legal strategies, reading contracts, reading legal doctrine, etc., but, I'm also a big believer that you should listen to those who have the experience and the wisdom in order to not repeat their same mistakes, hence my doubts about being a lawyer when I watch the content pointed out in the first sentence.

So, my questions:
1) Is there anyone here who truly enjoys law and wouldn't change it for anything?
2) Would you recommend me to become a lawyer?

No. Look at El Greco's works of art. See the energy? The passion? The sense of mystery and awe and wonder? Law has none of that. And it takes up a ton of your time. Go touch grass, suppress your ego, and find something else to do.

I'm sure that 90% of people go to law school to either (i) keep their options open, (ii) have no clue what to do, (iii) have useless degrees in arts or humanities, or (iv) follow what parents or society expects from them, (v) expect easy money. You seem depressed, are you sure you don't fit in one of those 5 types of people?

lmfao at anyone falling for this weaksauce flame

Thanks for your input, but not for the result.

[Anonymous User]

No. Stay in finance. I basically ruined my life by going into law (even though I’ve been successful in law, elite clerkships and very selective firm where I’m well regarded) and am on the brink of killing myself from the regret. It’s a miserable profession. Stressful, full of miserable anti social people. Money is much worse than finance and painfully flat during your associate years with no potential for promotion or incentive comp. You might think the work is more interesting and perhaps at an abstract level it is. But even as an elite clerk or whatever, most of what you end up doing is boring process oriented shit. All my friends who suffered through banking are making a lot more than me, despite worse grades / credentials / banks when we were all doing that, and are a lot happier and more engaged.

[lavarman84]

No. Stay in finance. I basically ruined my life by going into law (even though I’ve been successful in law, elite clerkships and very selective firm where I’m well regarded) and am on the brink of killing myself from the regret. It’s a miserable profession. Stressful, full of miserable anti social people. Money is much worse than finance and painfully flat during your associate years with no potential for promotion or incentive comp. You might think the work is more interesting and perhaps at an abstract level it is. But even as an elite clerk or whatever, most of what you end up doing is boring process oriented shit. All my friends who suffered through banking are making a lot more than me, despite worse grades / credentials / banks when we were all doing that, and are a lot happier and more engaged.

Eschew the money and come join the cool kids in public interest impact lit. Yeah, there's some tedious BS you have to deal with as part of the job (discovery, depos, etc.), but it's outweighed by the fun stuff, assuming you're a nerd like me.

[Anonymous User]

Hey OP, I read every word ever written on the Internet about why not to go to law school and how miserable everyone in this profession is (TLS, Reddit, Tucker Max article, etc.) and then went anyway. Now I am in my second year of law school and really enjoying it. I like learning the content and the people in school really have not lived up to the "everyone is an asshole" thing, they are actually generally nice and normal enough. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that people's complaints on the Internet are not a realistic sample. However, I have not set foot in a biglaw firm yet so maybe I haven't gotten to the part where everyone becomes miserable/divorced/alcoholic.

Also, I was a humanities major who had basically no career prospects and no money and now after taking a standardized test and 1 year of school, I am set to start making $4,000 a week, which in my opinion is cool. YMMV if you have actual career prospects in finance, not that you sound like you want to do that anyway

[Anonymous User]

Just b/c I feel compelled to nitpick strangers on the internet, I don't really know anyone who says "don't go to law school" b/c law school itself is so awful ("law students are assholes" is a weird trope that has no basis in reality). The issue is that after law school, you generally work as a lawyer. Doing so bears almost no resemblance to law school itself. So I hope you end up loving it, but I think it's way too early to tell.

[Anonymous User]

M&A Midlevel here who enjoys his job.

I like the autonomy, the pay and the flexibility (ie I can just go do my errands in the middle of the day if needed / I come and go into the office when I please). I wouldn't say the job is "exciting" but it can give you an adrenaline/endorphin rush at times. The people are intelligent and the standards are high, which I like.

It's also a secure job that honestly, just isn't that difficult (if you're okay with long hours + little sleep).

It's not a dream job. I'd rather be an astronaut, or a screenwriter or a professional athlete. I'd also like to be 6'4" and look like Brad Pitt.

But, you know, I'm just working with what I've got, and the only real skill I have is that I got a lot of energy, and I can process information quickly/efficiently. Pretty good job for what it is.

If you have other marketable skills - don't do this. If you don't - this is probably the best gig you can get.

[El Greco]

M&A Midlevel here who enjoys his job.

I like the autonomy, the pay and the flexibility (ie I can just go do my errands in the middle of the day if needed / I come and go into the office when I please). I wouldn't say the job is "exciting" but it can give you an adrenaline/endorphin rush at times. The people are intelligent and the standards are high, which I like.

It's also a secure job that honestly, just isn't that difficult (if you're okay with long hours + little sleep).

It's not a dream job. I'd rather be an astronaut, or a screenwriter or a professional athlete. I'd also like to be 6'4" and look like Brad Pitt.

But, you know, I'm just working with what I've got, and the only real skill I have is that I got a lot of energy, and I can process information quickly/efficiently. Pretty good job for what it is.

If you have other marketable skills - don't do this. If you don't - this is probably the best gig you can get.

Thanks for the perspective.

Two questions:
1) Would you say that your colleagues also share the same sentiment as you towards their career choice?
2) If there are mixed feelings on point 1, in your opinion, what would be the differences between those who enjoy their careers and those who don't (based on your observations around your firm)?

Hey OP, I read every word ever written on the Internet about why not to go to law school and how miserable everyone in this profession is (TLS, Reddit, Tucker Max article, etc.) and then went anyway. Now I am in my second year of law school and really enjoying it. I like learning the content and the people in school really have not lived up to the "everyone is an asshole" thing, they are actually generally nice and normal enough. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that people's complaints on the Internet are not a realistic sample. However, I have not set foot in a biglaw firm yet so maybe I haven't gotten to the part where everyone becomes miserable/divorced/alcoholic.

Also, I was a humanities major who had basically no career prospects and no money and now after taking a standardized test and 1 year of school, I am set to start making $4,000 a week, which in my opinion is cool. YMMV if you have actual career prospects in finance, not that you sound like you want to do that anyway

I agree, studying law is interesting and I also enjoyed it a lot. But my point is that satisfying your intellectual curiosity by studying something for the first time doesn't resemble the day-to-day life of a lawyer and also its evolution during its career (negative outlook of the world, pushing paper, ticking checklists, etc.).

Of course, don't be demotivated by what you read on internet. First try it, see if that's your thing, and if yes, go after it. Considering you come from humanities, I agree, law may be the most lucrative option out there, but do your research because many people choose law for the wrong reasons, including but not limited to: Money, limited options, prestige, etc. and those are the ones who are more predisposed to become depressed down the road, so just be careful as going to law school because (i) "coming from humanities without prospects", and (ii) "I am set to start making $4,000 a week", may already raise some concerns.

[Anonymous User]

M&A Midlevel here who enjoys his job.

I like the autonomy, the pay and the flexibility (ie I can just go do my errands in the middle of the day if needed / I come and go into the office when I please). I wouldn't say the job is "exciting" but it can give you an adrenaline/endorphin rush at times. The people are intelligent and the standards are high, which I like.

It's also a secure job that honestly, just isn't that difficult (if you're okay with long hours + little sleep).

It's not a dream job. I'd rather be an astronaut, or a screenwriter or a professional athlete. I'd also like to be 6'4" and look like Brad Pitt.

But, you know, I'm just working with what I've got, and the only real skill I have is that I got a lot of energy, and I can process information quickly/efficiently. Pretty good job for what it is.

If you have other marketable skills - don't do this. If you don't - this is probably the best gig you can get.

Thanks for the perspective.

Two questions:
1) Would you say that your colleagues also share the same sentiment as you towards their career choice?
2) If there are mixed feelings on point 1, in your opinion, what would be the differences between those who enjoy their careers and those who don't (based on your observations around your firm)?

Hey OP, I read every word ever written on the Internet about why not to go to law school and how miserable everyone in this profession is (TLS, Reddit, Tucker Max article, etc.) and then went anyway. Now I am in my second year of law school and really enjoying it. I like learning the content and the people in school really have not lived up to the "everyone is an asshole" thing, they are actually generally nice and normal enough. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that people's complaints on the Internet are not a realistic sample. However, I have not set foot in a biglaw firm yet so maybe I haven't gotten to the part where everyone becomes miserable/divorced/alcoholic.

Also, I was a humanities major who had basically no career prospects and no money and now after taking a standardized test and 1 year of school, I am set to start making $4,000 a week, which in my opinion is cool. YMMV if you have actual career prospects in finance, not that you sound like you want to do that anyway

I agree, studying law is interesting and I also enjoyed it a lot. But my point is that satisfying your intellectual curiosity by studying something for the first time doesn't resemble the day-to-day life of a lawyer and also its evolution during its career (negative outlook of the world, pushing paper, ticking checklists, etc.).

Of course, don't be demotivated by what you read on internet. First try it, see if that's your thing, and if yes, go after it. Considering you come from humanities, I agree, law may be the most lucrative option out there, but do your research because many people choose law for the wrong reasons, including but not limited to: Money, limited options, prestige, etc. and those are the ones who are more predisposed to become depressed down the road, so just be careful as going to law school because (i) "coming from humanities without prospects", and (ii) "I am set to start making $4,000 a week", may already raise some concerns.

On your two questions for me:

1) Would you say that your colleagues also share the same sentiment as you towards their career choice?

It's really difficult to gauge. All lawyers love to bitch and moan. I have a group of 10 or so friends from undergrad and we're all attorneys in biglaw. We always shit on the job. Yet, 9/10 of us are still in biglaw even though we're now 5th+ year associates.

When people ask me if I'm gunning to make partner, I jokingly respond "if I do, please take me out back and put me out of my misery." But, I could also easily see myself being complacent enough with this job to just keep chugging along until I make either income partner or counsel.

So, it's really difficult to tell how much people truly hate it. I'll say this, when you're billing 35-45 hours a week, this job is fantastic, and I think 75% of attorneys would agree. When you're billing 60+ and entire weekends are blown up, this job becomes unbearable and only 5% of people will say they enjoy it. It's a deeply unsatisfying answer, but your attitude and sentiment toward the job will be deeply affected by how much work you have.

2) If there are mixed feelings on point 1, in your opinion, what would be the differences between those who enjoy their careers and those who don't (based on your observations around your firm)?

I grew up in NYC to immigrant parents who never made a lot of money. They raised a family of 4 on an income of less than $100k/year. My first paycheck as a summer associate was larger than any paycheck my mom had seen in her life.

The biggest difference I've seen between people who "enjoy their careers" vs. those who absolutely loath it, is that generally the people who "enjoy it" are keenly aware of how much shittier it could be.

A lot of my friends from high school are working long hours to make between like $130-190k. Those that aren't working 50+ hours/week are making typically under that.

There's of course unicorn cases where you don't work that much and still make a lot, but it's not that common and doesn't really exist in finance, law or medicine.

I'm just glad to be here and have the money the money to enjoy life (ie eat out wherever and whenever I want, go on any kind of vacation I want, etc.)