The answer to this question might not be as simple as it sounds. Many people pursue a law school degree for the wrong reasons – whether as a stop-gap measure between an undergraduate degree and the real world or because working as a lawyer will afford them the kind of lifestyle they’d like to have. However, a law degree is not something to be taken lightly. If you’re unsure about whether law school is the right path for you, read on:
Career Concerns
Perhaps you have some idealized vision of yourself as a courtroom lawyer, clearing the good names of innocent victims and sending the bad guys away for good. However, working as a lawyer is so much more than this. Before applying to law school, you need to be very clear about what you’ll do with the degree and if it’s really necessary. Law school represents three long, hard years of your life and an amazingly large amount of student loans, so it’s best to be absolutely sure it’s what you need to pursue your career goals.
For example, if you’d like to work in public policy, there might be a different degree that better suits your needs. Many major universities offer programs in public policy that are shorter and easier to complete. If you’re planning to work in environmental policy, you may be able to reach your career goals with an advanced degree in resource management – saving you time and thousands of dollars.
In addition, you should consider whether or not the salary of your potential career will be enough to pay off the student loans you’ll accumulate as a law student. Most private law schools cost upwards of $30,000/year, which doesn’t take into consideration the amount you’ll need to borrow to cover your living expenses during this period. If you take out $100,000 and pay it back over 30 years at 6%, your monthly loan payment will be over $600/month. If you’re planning to enter a career where you’ll only make $2,000-3,000/year, you may need to consider a different path.
Lifestyle Considerations
Once you’ve got an idea of what you want to do with your law degree, make another list of the type of lifestyle you’d like to have when you enter the working world. If your dream future involves a highly stressful, but rewarding career with potential monetary payoff, you might be a good fit for the field of law. On the other hand, if you’d like to eventually be a stay at home mom, you may not be able to balance the demands associated with the field and a family life.
If you find that your ideals are incompatible, you may need to reevaluate whether you’ve chosen the best career fit or not. Being a high-powered lawyer may sound exciting, but the reality involves many long, stressful hours of climbing the corporate ladder and working in frustrating situations. Many people accept this as part of a career they love, but others find that it isn’t worth the trade-off. You’re the only one who can decide whether a law career really makes sense for you or not.
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