If you could talk to you 2-3 years ago... Forum

[iagolives]

...would you still go to law school?

(I know we have all thought it at least once during exams; I just thought I'd make a poll out of it. And I wanted to break up the wall of exam prep questions on this topic, haha)

[dailygrind]

if i could have talked to me about 8 years ago, no. i'd be able to change my skillset so significantly that i wouldn't need law school. but 2-3 years ago, my path was already set.

[romothesavior]

...would you still go to law school?

(I know we have all thought it at least once during exams; I just thought I'd make a poll out of it. And I wanted to break up the wall of exam prep questions on this topic, haha)

I would absolutely not go to law school. I would tell my sophomore/junior-in-college-self to pick up a degree in business and try to work somewhere (anywhere) and avoid LS.

[kalvano]

I would, but I like lawl skool.

[uwb09]

I'd tell me to work harder to get top grades in undergrad so I could have a higher scholly/better acceptances

but yup i'd still be here. It's stressful as hell, drives me insane, and is giving me a stomach ulcer, but I love it, it's what i've wanted to do since I was a little kid and spent weekends at my mom's law firm hanging out with the partners there and watching them work

god I'm a nerd

[fathergoose]

I think it'd be more telling to talk to us in 3 years and ask if were still happy with going to law school.

[Connelly]

I would tell my old self to wait a year and go full-time. I'd also pass him a few lottery numbers.

[BobSacamano]

I would wait a couple years at least. I don't hate law school but sometimes I wonder if my time and energy could be put to better, more productive use. If anything I would go back to sophomore year of college and tell my past self to find something more challenging/useful than Poli Sci.

[omninode]

I would wait a couple years at least. I don't hate law school but sometimes I wonder if my time and energy could be put to better, more productive use. If anything I would go back to sophomore year of college and tell my past self to find something more challenging/useful than Poli Sci.

+1

I majored in political science because I was fascinated by the subject. Silly me. Funny how a subject can become much less fascinating after you study it intensely for years and have no marketable skills to show for it.

[keg411]

2-3 years ago, lawl school was barely on my radar and I was working FT. If I could go back 7 years, I'd tell myself to not get crappy grades in undergrad, though. I like law school, even if exams are way stressful.

[Oban]

...would you still go to law school?

(I know we have all thought it at least once during exams; I just thought I'd make a poll out of it. And I wanted to break up the wall of exam prep questions on this topic, haha)

I would absolutely not go to law school. I would tell my sophomore/junior-in-college-self to pick up a degree in business and try to work somewhere (anywhere) and avoid LS.

Do you really hate it that much?

[QandAphorism]

Well, obvious space-time continuum issues notwithstanding, I would tell myself to avoid logging into TLS at 10:45am on Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 and responding to this ridiculous thread.

Hindsight is always, umm, you know.... hindsight.

[romothesavior]

...would you still go to law school?

(I know we have all thought it at least once during exams; I just thought I'd make a poll out of it. And I wanted to break up the wall of exam prep questions on this topic, haha)

I would absolutely not go to law school. I would tell my sophomore/junior-in-college-self to pick up a degree in business and try to work somewhere (anywhere) and avoid LS.

Do you really hate it that much?

Yeah I do.

[Cavalier]

I'd tell myself to try something else first, instead of taking easy majors with the expectation of going to law school. So far law school has worked out well for me, but I often wonder if I would have been happier just finding a $50,000/year job out of college and taking things from there.

[Flanker1067]

I'd tell myself to try something else first, instead of taking easy majors with the expectation of going to law school. So far law school has worked out well for me, but I often wonder if I would have been happier just finding a $50,000/year job out of college and taking things from there.

As someone who's been there, the answer is no. You are thinking the grass is always greener... If you don't hate law school, you should be happy you are there. There is a reason entry level jobs only pay 50K, and they are primarily because the work is easy (boring), you have little responsibility, and you barely have any purpose or impact on anything.

Ok, those are my views completely. Some people probably would be happier, and depending on where you went to UG/what you majored in, you may actually be able to find meaningful work. I couldn't.

Edit: now that I read those reasons, they sound like what I imagine a job as an associate would entail too. Well, at least you would make a lot and have exit options.

[Cavalier]

I'd tell myself to try something else first, instead of taking easy majors with the expectation of going to law school. So far law school has worked out well for me, but I often wonder if I would have been happier just finding a $50,000/year job out of college and taking things from there.

As someone who's been there, the answer is no. You are thinking the grass is always greener... If you don't hate law school, you should be happy you are there. There is a reason entry level jobs only pay 50K, and they are primarily because the work is easy (boring), you have little responsibility, and you barely have any purpose or impact on anything.

Ok, those are my views completely. Some people probably would be happier, and depending on where you went to UG/what you majored in, you may actually be able to find meaningful work. I couldn't.

Yeah, it depends on the field. Certainly a lot of people I know left those types of jobs, where the work was meaningless and there were no real prospects for advancement, but I still wish I had that experience.

[KMaine]

As a teacher I had meaningful and interesting work for a number of years. I am happy for the experience. As a Dad, I could not support my family. Now, after LS, it looks like I will be able to. Am I happy about the number of hours I will have to work? Not exactly. Am I happy that being a lawyer will allow me not to have my house foreclosed on? Kind of. Would I do it again? In a heart beat.

[keg411]

I'd tell myself to try something else first, instead of taking easy majors with the expectation of going to law school. So far law school has worked out well for me, but I often wonder if I would have been happier just finding a $50,000/year job out of college and taking things from there.

Change that to 25k if you want to be realistic.

[romothesavior]

I'd tell myself to try something else first, instead of taking easy majors with the expectation of going to law school. So far law school has worked out well for me, but I often wonder if I would have been happier just finding a $50,000/year job out of college and taking things from there.

Change that to 25k if you want to be realistic.

+1. I don't think I know more than two or three people who made $50,000 right out of undergrad. The vast majority make like 25-35k (the ones who aren't waiting tables).

[omninode]

I'd tell myself to try something else first, instead of taking easy majors with the expectation of going to law school. So far law school has worked out well for me, but I often wonder if I would have been happier just finding a $50,000/year job out of college and taking things from there.

Change that to 25k if you want to be realistic.

+1. I don't think I know more than two or three people who made $50,000 right out of undergrad. The vast majority make like 25-35k (the ones who aren't waiting tables).

True. It seems like a Bachelor's today (depending on the field of course, but in general) is worth what a high school diploma was twenty years ago. The bare minimum for employability. Graduate school is where things get real.

[romothesavior]

I'd tell myself to try something else first, instead of taking easy majors with the expectation of going to law school. So far law school has worked out well for me, but I often wonder if I would have been happier just finding a $50,000/year job out of college and taking things from there.

Change that to 25k if you want to be realistic.

+1. I don't think I know more than two or three people who made $50,000 right out of undergrad. The vast majority make like 25-35k (the ones who aren't waiting tables).

True. It seems like a Bachelor's today (depending on the field of course, but in general) is worth what a high school diploma was twenty years ago. The bare minimum for employability. Graduate school is where things get real.

Eh... I dunno about that. The overwhelming majority of grad school programs seem like money pits that do little for your job prospects.

[thexfactor]

i would have went to the carribbean for med school.
Fun and sun for 4 years + awsome job prospects.

[180orbust]

...would you still go to law school?

(I know we have all thought it at least once during exams; I just thought I'd make a poll out of it. And I wanted to break up the wall of exam prep questions on this topic, haha)

I would absolutely not go to law school. I would tell my sophomore/junior-in-college-self to pick up a degree in business and try to work somewhere (anywhere) and avoid LS.

Do you really hate it that much?

Yeah I do.

why?

[ToTransferOrNot]

This is a tough question.

I mean, I have very good things lined up, and 3 years ago, I had no other prospects (it was entirely clear that teaching was not going to work out). So, law school ended up being a gamble for me. But jesus fucking christ, was it ever a gamble.

[JCougar]

I'd tell myself to try something else first, instead of taking easy majors with the expectation of going to law school. So far law school has worked out well for me, but I often wonder if I would have been happier just finding a $50,000/year job out of college and taking things from there.

As someone who's been there, the answer is no. You are thinking the grass is always greener... If you don't hate law school, you should be happy you are there. There is a reason entry level jobs only pay 50K, and they are primarily because the work is easy (boring), you have little responsibility, and you barely have any purpose or impact on anything.

Ok, those are my views completely. Some people probably would be happier, and depending on where you went to UG/what you majored in, you may actually be able to find meaningful work. I couldn't.

Yeah, it depends on the field. Certainly a lot of people I know left those types of jobs, where the work was meaningless and there were no real prospects for advancement, but I still wish I had that experience.

If you've had that experience, you'd wish you didn't. And making $50K/year is on the good side of things. Starting salary for those kinds of jobs is more like $35-40K. And they're more boring and existentially damning than you could possibly imagine -- to the point that the prospect of getting stampeded by a herd of wild buffalo will seem like a glorious vacation.