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STEM Dude considering law school
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:26 PM Author: Opaque trip temple considering a change from the soul-crushing mindless corporate existence of a STEM dude programming big data and machine learning algorithms.
excited about more meaningful legal work.. helping death row inmates wrongfully convicted, and culturally disadvantaged children fighting big corporations.
studying for LSATs and applying this fall. STEM coworkers say I'm a naive retard, so would welcome advice from public interest lawyers / students who hit jackpot in life through meaningful legal careers. |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:34 PM Author: Demanding arousing dysfunction business firm "would welcome advice from public interest lawyers / students who hit jackpot in life through meaningful legal careers."
You're not going to find many of those on here
I will say, though, that some people go the public interest route and love every minute of it. But those are also the kind of people who have been doing volunteer work since they were ten and derive immense pleasure from constantly meeting new people and helping them improve their lives. Since you're a STEM programming dude, I'm a little worried that you're romanticizing public interest stuff without ever having done it for a significant period of time.
You should also realize that you're putting a very low ceiling on your earning potential by doing that, and may well come to value money more later in life (especially once you have a mortgage and a set of kids who want to go to a good college).
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:35 PM Author: red native CR (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2545473&forum_id=2#25398228) |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 4:04 PM Author: kink-friendly french chef crackhouse no one really worries about paying for their yet to be born child's expensive private college education. really? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2545473&forum_id=2#25399321) |
Date: April 17th, 2014 12:29 PM Author: wonderful white pozpig police squad seems like a good idea (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2545473&forum_id=2#25398212) |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:33 PM Author: red native I can't remember what the statistic is exactly, but something like 40% or 50% of incoming law students say they want to go into public interest law, and when they graduate only like, what, 5% actually do at most.
Once they see how much debt they're into, and how most public service jobs pay like 40k to start and 60k mid-career, they change their tune. Of course, this demonstrates laughably poor planning on their part.
Now are you actually interested in being 250k in debt and having maybe a 1 in 3 shot at a 40k public interest job? |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:36 PM Author: Demanding arousing dysfunction business firm If you're intelligent and show a demonstrated interest from the start, your chances of getting a PI job are WELL over 1/3. Especially if you have even a moderate ability to network.
That said, I agree that paying $250k for school when your endgame is a $40k PI job is absurdly irresponsible. |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:40 PM Author: Opaque trip temple I would agree. Let's assume the worse case scenario, PI doesn't pan out, international law is always an option. Fighting Exxon at the Hague would be rewarding it itself. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2545473&forum_id=2#25398254) |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:44 PM Author: Demanding arousing dysfunction business firm Lol I love how you are just systematically running through every 0L trope. Assuming you are not flame, I guess it's my duty to tell you that international law isn't really a thing. I mean, there's a few good jobs out there that deal with matters that can fairly be considered "international law," but an insane amount of law students go in thinking they will be working those jobs and for the vast majority it doesn't end up working out that way.
I guess the general moral you should be getting from this advice is if there's a law position that sounds remotely sexy or interesting, it either pays shit or the competition for it will be incredibly fierce. So don't go into law school expecting something really interesting (unless you're willing to work for peanuts). |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:53 PM Author: Opaque trip temple Ok, lets assume international law doesn't pan out and I have to sell my soul to an evil corporation.
I think my personal characteristics make me well suited to law. I love to argue and am fairly skilled in the art of Socratic discourse. From what I've heard, law in general is an intellectually stimulating activity where your daily activities are evaluating alternative strategies in a multi-party game. Litigators also lead thrilling, high-powered and glamorous lives and on a path to guaranteed high compensation.
It's difficult to see the down side.
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Date: April 17th, 2014 1:05 PM Author: red native wtf, if you're going to flame at least make it a more interesting one (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2545473&forum_id=2#25398350) |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 3:40 PM Author: Demanding arousing dysfunction business firm Yeah I would've written this guy off as flame long ago if it weren't for the dozens of conversations I've had with REAL PEOPLE about law school that went exactly this way. It's scary but IME this is actually a very common attitude towards law school these days. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2545473&forum_id=2#25399169) |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 3:58 PM Author: Demanding arousing dysfunction business firm "I love to argue and am fairly skilled in the art of Socratic discourse."
Approximately 2% of your job will involve stuff like this. And even the parts that do involve arguing/working out complex problems/anything approaching "Socratic discourse" are done in the most stressful, time constrained environment possible, so it won't be nearly as fun as it was that one time you took an Ethics course in undergrad.
Regarding glamor, I guess there is a certain level of glamor in being a lawyer, but it wears off quickly. Meanwhile the stress accumulates and takes an ever growing toll on your physical and mental health (and personal relationships).
The "guaranteed high compensation" is anything but guaranteed. A STEM career involves a MUCH more certain stable cash flow than a career in legal private practice. Remember, most law firms are based on an "up or out" model wherein your class of compatriots is perpetually being thinned. Anyone who falls off the wagon (i.e., gets laid off) has essentially a 0% chance of ever getting back on (i.e., finding another comparable job).
Edit: Although if you're really that way you would probably love law school itself. So maybe not an awful idea to cop a full ride at a state school and just feast on some scholarship for a few years
Also, the job market is somewhat less brutal for IP Litigators so if you're into that, maybe my advice is a little overblown. But if you hitch your future to that horse, you'll have to factor in that Congress could (conceivably) pass comprehensive patent lit reform that would make you completely worthless overnight. |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:36 PM Author: Big Piazza Famous Landscape Painting Probably flame, but even if so this is worth a link:
http://autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2332605&mc=113&forum_id=2 |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 12:37 PM Author: Demanding arousing dysfunction business firm (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2545473&forum_id=2#25398241) |
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Date: April 17th, 2014 1:48 PM Author: bearded rebellious trailer park stock car Incredibly overrated. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2545473&forum_id=2#25398563) |