Absolutely Terrified of Graduating

<p>I'm going to be graduating from Central Washington University in two quarters with a BA in Economics and a minor in Philosophy. My GPA as of right now is a 2.5. It should go up because I've been doing very well in my economic classes. Many of my friends that are already out of college are waiting tables, working for casinos or doing some other mind numbing non desk job for well under fifteen dollars an hour. Unlike them however, I am willing to move anywhere for a decent 30k job. Anywhere, I love being overseas and don't particularly mind it being too cold or hot. I have a small criminal record with a possession of paraphernalia.Which I realize sounds horrible, but, like every criminal, I swear its not my fault. Long story, my neighbor, invited over via my roommate, left a bong on my living room table and since it was on my property it was "mine". I asked the officer to do a blood test or finger print the bong to prove I didn't use marijuana and was not associated with the bong in any way shape or form. He refused. Thank God I have police to serve and protect me! So What I really want to know is am I destined like my friends to wait tables? Where is the best place to move to find a job for people with BAs right now? Should I even bother because of my criminal record? Am I out of luck until I can get it expunged? I've been very interested in being a Lawyer since i was young. Without funding and a mediocre GPA is this even worth taking the BAR exam or pursuing? Any answers to these questions would be of great assistance.</p>

<p>You said in your private message to me that you should go to law school because the economy is so bad and extra school would be good. </p>

<p>1) Law school is read read write write. If you struggle with these things this is the LAST thing you should do. </p>

<p>2) Law schools have GPA requirements. Which you do not meet most likely. </p>

<p>3) Foregoing income for school just for the sake of staying in school is a mistake SO many students are making. </p>

<p>The hiring for new grads is up 50% over the last year. </p>

<p>Since when is a 2.5 not that bad? That means you made more Cs than As. Every job I applied to required a 3.0. </p>

<p>You’re asking what city to live in for a job tha pays 30k? Anywhere…A 30k job isn’t special. You’re friend waiting tables could make more if they were good.</p>

<p>I have horrid dyslexia and disgraphia. I struggle with school. How on earth did i make it through? Lots of work. I’ve had my papers edited time after time. I know 30K isn’t that much. I don’t want anything special. But I’d like to be in an office itleast and not doing grueling manual labor. My gpa will hopefully be around a 2.8 or 9 by graduation as I’ve been getting A’s and B’s in my upper division Economic classes.</p>

<p>As I said in my message. My girlfriend has a 3.99 and suffers from the same conditions. I’m guessing the difference lies in work ethic. </p>

<p>You seem to make a lot of excuses. Whether it’s “dyslexia ruined my gpa” or “it was my friends bong”. Step 1 should be growing up.</p>

<p>Why should I avoid something simply because its difficult? I understand law school is a absolutely ludicrous amount of reading and writing. I struggle with graphs and yet after I study enough I am able to master even the most complex economic graphs. Iv’e talked to a friend of mine in law school who has told me a 2.8 is the minimum for her school. Provided I did well on the LSAT( thanks for the correction) and put a enormous amount of time into an admission essay I could get in. Even if hiring for new grads is up 50% from last year my GPA isn’t the best, and I will have a criminal record for two more years. If the alternative to law school is fast food or a minimum wage job it would make more sense to go to law school. A job that pays this low decreases the opportunity cost of law school and makes it much more attractive.</p>

<p>Or your girlfriend could just be smarter than me.</p>

<p>Congrats on feeding the ■■■■■.</p>

<p>=) ■■■■■■ gotta eat 2</p>

<p>Lol. The guy studying economics doesn’t understand opportunity cost?</p>

<p>If you get a 2.8 gpa you would have a good shot at a sales job paying (potentially) 35k. If you go to law school youre talking about 40k debt extra. So youre foregoing much more than salary. Just something to think about. </p>

<p>Also you’re main concern is the job market. The job market for lawyers is AWFUL. </p>

<p>Edit: Nom nom nom.</p>

<p>no i get opportunity cost lol. i was seeing foregone income around 13 or 14 k and wasn’t really thinking I’d get a shot at a sales job. Thats why I had the comment about minimum wage. So assuming law school takes three years.14k in forgone income plus 30k law school tuition brining you to 44k opertunity cost a year. times three for the three years puts you around 132k. In fact with how much studying it takes I’d probably be able to have two jobs with that time so you could argue it’s even higher. If i was able to get a 35k job of coarse the Opportunity cost would go way up. That was my point… That if I couldn’t get a job for 30 or 35k the opportunity cost would drop as it would be replaced with a minimum wage job. From my understanding even an “awful” market for lawyers isn’t a bad one. Lawyers are sought after at all times. Like a career in the medical field it is one that is generally recession proof. This is good to know though. That’s the kind of information I needed!</p>

<p>Law school is a scam at this point. If you go to any school outside the top 20, you’ll most likely end up either without a job or making $40k with $100k of debt. Even the kids graduating at the bottom end of top 11-20 end up with ****ty jobs or no jobs at all. Do not go to law school unless you get into a top 10 or a top 11-20 with a nice scholarship. And with your current scores, this seems extremely unlikely.</p>

<p>

I would say it would be OKAY to go to a top 50 law school (outside of the top 14) if you’re going for free - time is your opportunity cost.</p>

<p>What kind of internships/leadership experience do you have? Going by what I’ve read it seems like it will be hard to get a job but getting a 30k job shouldn’t be that difficult as an admin if you have some basic skills. I know some people with 2.2 gpas making 38k doing accounts receivable or accounts payable. Doesn’t take a college degree to do those but they are jobs. So I would recommend applying for either admin jobs or associate jobs like A/P or A/R. </p>

<p>As far as law school goes, if you really want to go, I would suggest you take the LSAT and see how you do. It is true that these days law school isn’t really worth it and is basically a scam. Lots of lawyers can’t get jobs and the supply is way higher then the demand. Read the following blog about law school:</p>

<p>[But</a> I Did Everything Right!](<a href=“http://butidideverythingrightorsoithought.blogspot.com/]But”>http://butidideverythingrightorsoithought.blogspot.com/)</p>

<p>Law school admissions are based on GPA and LSATs. Assuming your LSATs aren’t exceptional (let’s just assume you can pull a 165), the law schools willing to admit you will not be able to place you in a real job. A huge number of law graduates from mediocre schools end up doing temporary document review, which pays about 30k per year and has no benefits. If no T14 or so law school is willing to accept you, you are better off trying to get a job. </p>

<p>Have you looked into business analyst positions?</p>

<p>Sorry, I was not aware anyone else replied. Thank you all for your help. I don’t have any intern experience and am trying to get involved with some currently. My adviser has told me that until next quarter it’s unrealistic to expect an internship. Is he just full of shenanigans? Should I start looking now? I haven’t looked at any jobs yet and don’t really even know where to start. I have a resume typed up from the job hunting I’ve had to do over the years. I have not looked into business analyst positions. I thought this sort of position would be ideal but unrealistic given my GPA and criminal record. Is this possible assuming I land a decent internship in the next year? Would a job in sales be easier to get if this falls through? Thank you so much again for your help.</p>

<p>I don’t know who is going to hire you:</p>

<p>I have a 3.4 GPA, 2 internships, 4 other jobs, time abroad, a much higher maturity level, and I am having a hard time finding employment at above $15 per hour. Why do you think you will automatically get the business analyst position or the sales position? Last time I went in to interview I was competing against a worker who was forty years old and laid off(As in, he had over ten years of experience and was applying to the same entry level position for a $35,000 salary). You are being completely childish/naive to think you deserve to be hired in the position or that you deserve to get into Law school. It doesn’t matter if you understand this right now because you will understand after you graduate. Your future is going to be no different than your friends unless you get absurdly lucky.</p>

<p>^^I remember you mentioning you got a BA in Econ from a Tier 2 school. THAT’s why you’re not getting a job. Good luck getting a job with a degree no more useful than Pokemon Studies. </p>

<p>This guy here is a prime example of why if you got a a tier 2 school you should avoid ANY BAs. You’re going to be wasting your time.</p>

<p>It is part of the reason why I am having a hard time but it is certainly not the only reason. Employers want graduates with skills so I just need to make the other parts of my resume different from the masses. You are correct in the fact that a BA from a Tier 2 university is virtually useless.</p>

<p>Wow *** Op, you dug yourself into a deep hole. Surround yourself with more successful people. You are a product of your environment.</p>

<p>big4bound: I have read 1000s of posts since first discovering CC. And I must say that, based on what I have read here, yours are the most mean-spirited by far. It’s sad how little compassion you have for other people. Obviously you obtain great pleasure from deriding others and your anger seems to ooze from every word you write. I believe in karma; and I am confident you will get what is due to you.</p>