Although I enjoy learning philosophy, economics, law, politics, etc, after reading sites like this, it seems as though law is a pretty depressing career for someone trying to make six figures. Correct me if what I have gleaned is wrong: It's $160,000 a year to start at a corporate law firm but one only gets this type of job if one goes to a top school with top grades. Otherwise, every other law job pays substantially lower with little chance of making a 6-figure income down the line? I am not taking into account ITE here because I'm a going to be a sophomore in college. Shouldn't the legal job market be substantially improved by the time I am out of law school?

From what I understand from websites like this, a corporate law job consists of stressful 80 hour work weeks involving doing meaningless bullshit, endless ass-kissing and a non-existent work-life balance. You constantly have to be watching your blackberry when you're off work and you get limited vacations. Is this accurate?

Also, does one get salary increases if one is not a partner at a Big Law firm? Apparently, a small percentage of associates actually make partner so does this mean that one is locked into the $160,000/yr starting salary and brutal work hours for life if one does not eventually make partner? Do the hours ever wind down?

Do people actually enjoy practicing law? My impression from sites like this and Above the Law is that the majority of lawyers are pessimistic and find law school and the practice of law to be a huge scam. However, would I be correct in theorizing that there is a self-selection bias on sites like this? A happy lawyer is less likely to go search "lawyer and misery" on Google or post on a forum about how much law sucks, right? So is this sentiment typical of lawyers as a whole? Are the majority of lawyers miserable and filled with regret? Is the decision to go to law school tantamount to putting your nuts on a stove as is depicted on these websites?

The other field I am looking at is dentistry. An average dentist in my area can get 180-200k a year with 35 hour work weeks for life once he gets his practice settled. If one is really good, one can make upwards of 500k and if one gets into certain rackets (franchising practices, doing cosmetic work, etc) one can potentially make upwards of $1 million a year. (Although a very small percentage of people actually achieve this). All the dentists I know have huge houses (at least in my eyes) and they work Monday-Thursday. I shadowed one and it seemed like a very chill job. The dentist I shadowed talked about movies with the staff and chatted with patients all day and had the TV on as he was working on teeth. The assistants did most of the work. It seemed like a very low stress environment. Plus, he had 3 day weekends. Dentists are their own bosses and can set their own hours and vacations. In fact, some alternate between a Monday-Thursday work week and a Tuesday-Friday work week so that every other week, they have a 4 day weekend. No ass kissing involved, etiher. However, the debt from a dental school is higher than law school and one has to buy an expensive practice.

Also, it doesn't matter where one goes to dental school when speaking in terms of future job success. One only needs to get average grades in D-school and if one isn't trying to get into specialties, it is not a cutthroat environment at all.

I care little about **prestige** so I don't care if I am looked down upon for being a dentist (zOMG hAve FUN WITH YOUR haNDS In peOple's moUthS all Day lawlz) if it potentially pays more for less hours, tons less stress and an ability to actually enjoy the money I am making.

Hypothetically, lets say I have the choice between going to a T6 Law school and getting good grades or going to a dental school and getting good grades. Which path makes the most economic sense (when taking into account the additional debt and opportunity cost of the extra year of dental school and the debt from buying a practice) if one has an equal interest in both areas of study? Which seems like a better deal in terms of effort/reward? Does corporate law get better after a few years in the business? Is one locked into the starting salary and brutal hours for life if one doesn't make partner? What naive mistakes have I made in my analysis?

(Sorry for the length of this post!!!)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1376209&forum_id=2#15591370)

DENTAL PLAN!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1376209&forum_id=2#15591374)

DENTAL PLAN!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1376209&forum_id=2#15591376)

Dude, read what you wrote...you answered your own question.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1376209&forum_id=2#15592458)

DENTAL PLAN!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1376209&forum_id=2#15973776)

"zOMG hAve FUN WITH YOUR haNDS In peOple's moUthS all Day lawlz" is not only a prestige thing -- it's a likely cause of hating your life. Enjoy.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1376209&forum_id=2#15975149)

It's a pretty sweet gig. If I could go through school over again, I'd probably try to be a dentist.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1376209&forum_id=2#15976062)