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Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:18 pm
by gobuffs10
3 of 5 grades back. 3 C+s. Mid-tier one, no scholly. No discernible skills. I was working retail before this, part time, living with mom and dad.

Help.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:21 pm
by bobbypin
Why are you in law school? I think your decision about continuing/not continuing your education needs to start here.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:25 pm
by rad lulz
Debt? Career goals? Connections to the legal industry? Ties to market where your school is located?

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:29 pm
by rad lulz
If you are at UW at OOS sticker and debt-financing that, then you need to drop out.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:30 pm
by suralin
Opportunity costs? You mentioned retail, but is that the best job you can reasonably get? I.e., what's your undergrad degree in and do you have any marketable skills? If you'd be doing retail instead, then that makes law school look not so bad.

ETA: Nevermind to the skills part, you already answered that.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:31 pm
by gobuffs10
rad lulz wrote:If you are at UW at OOS sticker and debt-financing that, then you need to drop out.
Yeah. This is pretty much the conclusion I've hit.

I just don't know what the fuck to do now.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:32 pm
by gobuffs10
Suralin wrote:Opportunity costs? You mentioned retail, but is that the best job you can reasonably get? I.e., what's your undergrad degree in and do you have any marketable skills? If you'd be doing retail instead, then that makes law school look not so bad.

ETA: Nevermind to the skills part, you already answered that.
Undergrad was in history, minored in philosophy. Yeah, retail is the best I can reasonably do.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:33 pm
by suralin
gobuffs10 wrote:
rad lulz wrote:If you are at UW at OOS sticker and debt-financing that, then you need to drop out.
Yeah. This is pretty much the conclusion I've hit.

I just don't know what the fuck to do now.
Wait, you're at UW at OOS sticker and you don't have ties to the Pacific Northwest (a very insular and small legal market)? Why the hell did you decide to go to UW?

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:40 pm
by gobuffs10
Suralin wrote:
gobuffs10 wrote:
rad lulz wrote:If you are at UW at OOS sticker and debt-financing that, then you need to drop out.
Yeah. This is pretty much the conclusion I've hit.

I just don't know what the fuck to do now.
Wait, you're at UW at OOS sticker and you don't have ties to the Pacific Northwest (a very insular and small legal market)? Why the hell did you decide to go to UW?
I didn't fully comprehend the regional employment concept, and I thought I had ties back home.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:43 pm
by rad lulz
Leave bro. Retail would be better.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:43 pm
by suralin
gobuffs10 wrote:
Suralin wrote:Opportunity costs? You mentioned retail, but is that the best job you can reasonably get? I.e., what's your undergrad degree in and do you have any marketable skills? If you'd be doing retail instead, then that makes law school look not so bad.

ETA: Nevermind to the skills part, you already answered that.
Undergrad was in history, minored in philosophy. Yeah, retail is the best I can reasonably do.
Man, your story is like the motivation behind me changing my major from philosophy to computer science. To be honest, both of your choices kinda suck. Not sure which sucks less.

As for alternative career paths, check out that thread (titled essentially as such). Consider being a teacher maybe? Or teach English overseas?

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:45 pm
by gobuffs10
Suralin wrote:
gobuffs10 wrote:
Suralin wrote:Opportunity costs? You mentioned retail, but is that the best job you can reasonably get? I.e., what's your undergrad degree in and do you have any marketable skills? If you'd be doing retail instead, then that makes law school look not so bad.

ETA: Nevermind to the skills part, you already answered that.
Undergrad was in history, minored in philosophy. Yeah, retail is the best I can reasonably do.
Man, your story is like the motivation behind me changing my major from philosophy to computer science. To be honest, both of your choices kinda suck. Not sure which sucks less.

As for alternative career paths, check out that thread (titled essentially as such). Consider being a teacher maybe? Or teach English overseas?
Yeah, teaching was my original choice, until I was dissuaded by my undergrad teaching department. Nobody needs social studies teachers, they said.

This is great. It's 25 years of horrible choices coming to a head. Hahaha

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:50 pm
by moneybagsphd
yeah duder, you should probably drop out. cut your losses. some people actually graduate w/ 250k+ in debt, and go onto work retail.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:53 pm
by suralin
gobuffs10 wrote:
Suralin wrote:
gobuffs10 wrote:
Suralin wrote:Opportunity costs? You mentioned retail, but is that the best job you can reasonably get? I.e., what's your undergrad degree in and do you have any marketable skills? If you'd be doing retail instead, then that makes law school look not so bad.

ETA: Nevermind to the skills part, you already answered that.
Undergrad was in history, minored in philosophy. Yeah, retail is the best I can reasonably do.
Man, your story is like the motivation behind me changing my major from philosophy to computer science. To be honest, both of your choices kinda suck. Not sure which sucks less.

As for alternative career paths, check out that thread (titled essentially as such). Consider being a teacher maybe? Or teach English overseas?
Yeah, teaching was my original choice, until I was dissuaded by my undergrad teaching department. Nobody needs social studies teachers, they said.

This is great. It's 25 years of horrible choices coming to a head. Hahaha
Go try teaching. You seem sufficiently smart, and becoming a teacher is probably easier than becoming a lawyer at this point, particularly if you aren't that interested in legal stuff.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:58 pm
by cinephile
It's my understanding that C+s are rare at tier 1 schools. Given that you have 3 of them, you should definitely drop out.

But I don't get why you and others are being so fatalistic about your major or skills. I don't know anyone who majored in anything useful and all my friends from high school and college are gainfully employed. Like my high school bff was a history major and now she's a claims adjuster. She hates it, but she makes around 40k and has no undergrad debt so she's comfortable. You just have to apply for positions that you don't think you're qualified for. Sure you'll get a lot of rejections, but someone will eventually take a chance on you and train you for it.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:00 pm
by dextermorgan
Drop out. Go back to retail. Figure out where you are going next without incurring debt by the minute.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:04 pm
by stillwater
a big skill in life is knowing when to fold them. this is one of those times.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:09 pm
by noleknight16
Become a high school history teacher. Better than retail.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:14 pm
by gobuffs10
Okay. The decision should be pretty clear-cut. Thanks everyone. I don't know how this happened, and I'm mortified. But it's probably time to figure out where to go from here.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:17 pm
by noleknight16
gobuffs10 wrote:Okay. The decision should be pretty clear-cut. Thanks everyone. I don't know how this happened, and I'm mortified. But it's probably time to figure out where to go from here.
I know that feel bro. I got top 45% at a borderline T1/T2 and I'm dropping out too. We're making the smart move.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:17 pm
by Merylian
noleknight16 wrote:Become a high school history teacher. Better than retail.
People with a degree in history can't generally just roll up to a high school and become a history teacher. Pretty sure you need the teaching degree and the relevant licensures/certifications, and even then, there are about a billion recent education graduates for every available teaching job. It's kind of like telling someone "go be a lawyer, it'll definitely turn out well."

At least, that's the case here in PA/NY. I admittedly know nothing about teaching jobs in the rest of the country.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:20 pm
by gobuffs10
noleknight16 wrote:
gobuffs10 wrote:Okay. The decision should be pretty clear-cut. Thanks everyone. I don't know how this happened, and I'm mortified. But it's probably time to figure out where to go from here.
I know that feel bro. I got top 45% at a borderline T1/T2 and I'm dropping out too. We're making the smart move.
You really didn't do that poorly. Why not stay and make some changes?

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:21 pm
by noleknight16
Merylian wrote:
noleknight16 wrote:Become a high school history teacher. Better than retail.
People with a degree in history can't generally just roll up to a high school and become a history teacher. Pretty sure you need the teaching degree and the relevant licensures/certifications, and even then, there are about a billion recent education graduates for every available teaching job. It's kind of like telling someone "go be a lawyer, it'll definitely turn out well."

At least, that's the case here in PA/NY. I admittedly know nothing about teaching jobs in the rest of the country.
True. He could be a substitute teacher for multiple counties surrounding him and still be better off than retail though. Maybe work on an education degree (or minor if that's all that's required) and certificates as he substitutes.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:22 pm
by noleknight16
gobuffs10 wrote:
noleknight16 wrote:
gobuffs10 wrote:Okay. The decision should be pretty clear-cut. Thanks everyone. I don't know how this happened, and I'm mortified. But it's probably time to figure out where to go from here.
I know that feel bro. I got top 45% at a borderline T1/T2 and I'm dropping out too. We're making the smart move.
You really didn't do that poorly. Why not stay and make some changes?
Biglaw or bust. I need top 15% to even be in the running. Isn't a realistic situation. Plus my debt would be 100k and my likely salary 40-55k. Not worth it.

Re: Another dropout thread

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:23 pm
by gobuffs10
noleknight16 wrote:
gobuffs10 wrote:
noleknight16 wrote:
gobuffs10 wrote:Okay. The decision should be pretty clear-cut. Thanks everyone. I don't know how this happened, and I'm mortified. But it's probably time to figure out where to go from here.
I know that feel bro. I got top 45% at a borderline T1/T2 and I'm dropping out too. We're making the smart move.
You really didn't do that poorly. Why not stay and make some changes?
Biglaw or bust. I need top 15% to even be in the running. Isn't a realistic situation. Plus my debt would be 100k and my likely salary 40-55k. Not worth it.
Fair enough. Good luck to you.