Is it worth it, considering today's job situation, to spend the time and money o

1. 71

   uNicQueposted 11 years ago

   Is it worth it, considering today's job situation, to spend the time and money on law school?
   
   I'm a senior in college, and law school was always kind of my back up if I didn't know what exactly I wanted to do. I am registered for the LSATs in the fall, and I have been preparing diligently. Then I read an article on Forbes titled "Why Attending Law School is the Worst Career Decision You'll Ever Make". This obviously scared me, and now I'm reconsidering my plans, but I don't have a ton of time.

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2. 78

   junksellerposted 11 years ago

   You could probably make that statement about a lot of fields these days. Even before these tough times, it wasn't uncommon for students to accumulate huge debts and have unrealistic expectations about what their degree would do for them.
   
   Law is perhaps worse than others because it can be very expensive, also lots of law students seem to think they will graduate and land in a top firm making big bucks, and there are only so many of those positions to go around.
   
   My suggestion would be to take the LSATs and see where your score can get you and then look for a school where that score can get you some scholarship money. A half-ride scholarship at a 15k/year school is obviously a huge difference form no scholarship at a 40k/year school. I would also pay very close attention to how well schools do at career placement. Take a look at their employment statistics for grads and just ask around.
   
   The Forbes article seemed to be focused on the attorney situation, but a law degree does not necessarily mean being an attorney. It can be a good field for many other occupations (e.g. business,writing, journalism).

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3. 48

   Bridget Qposted 11 years ago

   Wow that is scary! My daughter just graduated from law school and is now preparing to take the BAR. She has so much debt and was hoping to work as a public defender until they put a freeze on hiring. She loved doing multiple internships at the public defenders office and was really counting on working there. One of the problems is that a lot of students have the same mindset that you describe and not being able to find a job are heading to law school creating a flood of law students all competing for the same jobs. I did not see the Forbes article you mentioned, but I would have to agree that unless this is your passion I would think long and hard about your decision. And  guess what? My son graduates from law school next year....

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4. 0

   paxwillposted 11 years ago

   You might as well take the LSAT while you're prepared for now it since the scores are valid for several years.  You don't necessarily have to apply for law schools at this point.  Take some time to do more research on the market and different job opportunities for people with legal degrees. 
   
   They've been saying for years that law school is a waste of money and that there are no jobs, but they're referring to lawyer jobs, just one segment of the legal field.  There are other ways to practice law without being in a court room.

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