<p>Well,I did great for several years, but with two in college, and a tanking local economy, I had to go back to working for “the man” part time. </p>
<p>SOOOOO glad I have that option. It is pretty bad around here. I can’t believe my good fortune, including that I chose medicine. And yes, I know disaster can strike me too.</p>
<p>“the Basic Health Plan (for the working poor) is about to be eliminated, and there is a proposal to eliminate all pharmaceutical payments for Medicaid clients for the next 18 months.”</p>
<p>Wow! I have been intrigued by your posts about health care there for awhile. I am at a conference in Canada right now, and it is interesting to hear how different countries and states are managing mental health in these times. But thats for another thread.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think that anyone who suggests that someone be ‘encouraged’ to be a doctor as an alternative to a PhD in Literature to be a reasonable suggestion for someone who is obviously very bright— is not a doctor themselves. </p>
<p>I would never encourage anyone to be a doctor who didn’t want to be a doctor. I can’t speak for any of the other professions listed by the OP in her first post as alternatives to getting a PhD in English, but I do not think that medicine is a great career for someone who is not truly motivated. Believe it or not, the two skill sets (being a doctor or getting a PhD in Literature) are not interchangeable nor are the motivations. Being ‘smart enough’ is the beginning of a long list of attributes that make someone capable of being a doctor… Do you really want your doctor to be someone who wanted to be an English Professor but became a doctor because it was a ‘safe career’? </p>
<p>My son’s girlfriend is getting her PhD in Comparative Literature and is well aware of what this means for her professionally. Her degree itself is being paid for as she is a T.A. It was very competitive to get into a grad program in spite of being Phi Beta Kappa from an Ivy as an undergrad…(so maybe the OP will be off the hook worrying since her daughter won’t even get into a PhD program- that would solve the problem, right?) She is completely passionate about what she is learning and doing and will make a great Prof. someday- anyone would be lucky to learn from her. </p>
<p>Parents need to raise their kids to be tough enough to do what they want to do and do a great job at it. No job is going to be completely without risks over the long haul of a career. Show a little confidence in a very bright kid… and get out of the way already.</p>
<p>Maybe you think she has the smarts and talents but the important thing is whether or not your daughter actually has the passion to become a doctor, lawyer, or whatever. Medical school and law school are both no joke. Would you really want to put someone through that when they didn’t really want to be there? That’s a huge investment of time and money into a career she doesn’t really want to be in. If your daughter has passion for a certain career you should just be proud that she has discovered what she wants to do with her life. A lot of people never find that passion- or they’re not brave enough to pursue that goal, and they pursue a career they don’t even really like. Your daughter is at a great point of her life where she can do anything. She only has one life to live- doesn’t she deserve to live it doing what she wants to do?</p>
<p>True passion is rare but can be extinguished. Those who had passion for something but “settled” may even have more difficulty “cashing in” when pursuing more lucrative careers in comparison with those with less talent but didn’t abandon their true love. They are more likely to be the unemployed engineer or lawyer, since they abandoned their true love and can’t muster the discipline to force themselves to do something they never really chose.</p>
<p>You are better off letting her have her own discomfort if she fails to realize her dream; at that point, she can choose a different, more practical career with her heart intact.</p>
<p>I would be honored to have any one of my daughters become college English professors. I think it sounds prestigious! Also, we can all use good instructors who can teach English, whether it be literature, creative writing or the bonehead courses. I haven’t read past the first few posts, but I have to agree that with our economy, who knows WHAT career will be lucrative anymore. And, it’s not all about the money. If she loves her job and the students love HER, I would say that’s worth a lot. And, hopefully, she’ll find a school where she thrives and her colleagues and superiors appreciate her.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about job prospects for current law school grads. Do law graduates from Harvard, Yale, Stanford have trouble finding jobs they feel are appropriate? Or any job at all in the field? Do those on Law Review from those schools have difficulty finding jobs they want? How difficult is it to get a job teaching at a law school if you have the best academic credentials possible - and the best recommendations from the most important people in the field?</p>
<p>In other words, if you are at the very top of your field in law, could you feel confident of finding the sort of job you had hoped for – or not?</p>
<p>I have thought a lot about this thread. This is my opinion - lol She seems to be at least somewhat interested in being a lawyer. If law school seems to her like a possibly fun experience, and if she thinks she might enjoy the work a lawyer does, I would encourage her to go to law school. If she feels like she would have missed out on the dream of life time by passing on grad school – if it makes her upset and weepy to discuss alternatives – then she should go to grad school She can still go to law school after the PhD. And who knows where the world will be seven or eight years from now? Keep saving money ;)</p>
<p>edit: I also think it is desirable and appropriate to have a discussion with her about how much income she thinks she needs to be comfortable. As serious a discussion as is possible with someone this age. But I am guessing that is already happening.</p>
<p>Law has a very high burnout rate and there are MANY attorneys who were always at the very top of their game that are struggling to pay their bills. When I was in law school, most of my peers had never been around so many others who were always the top of their school before and it was shocking to them, whether they were on law review or elsewhere. Many of my nieces classmates struggled to find jobs after they graduated from law school, even before the downturn in the economy.</p>
<p>AHL–There never is any GUARANTEE that a law graduate from any school will necessarily find law job (much less a “good one” that “pays well,” especially in this economy. </p>
<p>I have heard of law school described as many things but rarely a “possibly fun experience.” It is good for her to continue her studies and figure out whether law and/or grad school figures into it. I agree that the OP needs to keep saving money as these years of schooling will definitely be costly and may be difficult to get any merit aid towards.</p>
<p>Maybe I am just easily entertained. During the late 70s I spent a short time in law school and although I didn’t think it entertaining enough to complete the degree, I did find at least two of my courses fun. And I found several professors lectures fun and a few of my classmates fun. But still, it wasn’t for me.</p>
<p>While yes, there can be some fun profs and classes, in general the law school experience is often described as other than “fun.” I actually did enjoy much of it, but I was considered very unusual in that regard.</p>
<p>I loved law school - hated practicing law. Perhaps it was because I already one advanced degree and had worked for 3 years before going back to law school, but I had a great time in law school. Had I enjoyed practicing half as much as I enjoyed law school, I would still be practicing.</p>
<p>If someone doesn’t find law school at least a little fun, is there any chance that person will enjoy being a lawyer? Studying and working hard on something you don’t enjoy so that you can spend the rest of your life earning a living doing it, seems fairly counterintuitive to me.</p>
<p>I am not trying to be snarky. Maybe people enjoy practicing law but not learning it? Maybe they enjoy being able to do something for the greater good?</p>
<p>I’m not sure whether or not you enjoy law school has any bearing on whether you will enjoy practicing law. They are completely different experiences. I enjoy academic pursuits generally and would gladly just stay in school if someone would pay me. I didn’t find practicing as intellectually stimulating. I particularly enjoyed being on the moot court team in law school but there is little correlation with practicing law. I’m sure there are people who don’t enjoy the “academic” part of law school who may well enjoy practicing law.</p>
<p>If you go to Harvard or Yale Law School, I think getting a law job is fairly assured. I think that is relevant to mention here, since it is probably realistic for the OP’s daughter to get into Harvard/Yale for law school.</p>
<p>catera - What criteria would you use to advise a young person whether to go to law school and/or pursue a career in law? </p>
<p>I don’t think this is completely off the topic of the OP’s question.</p>
<p>collegealum - this is what I wonder … Harvard & Yale Law school graduates vs. Harvard & Yale English PhDs… do the law grads have better job options? and if so how much better?</p>
<p>I would say that the law school graduates have better job options, seeing as law firms recruit from Harvard/Yale. Also, I think these schools are on pass/fail so it’s not like a poor performance in law school can hurt job prospects.</p>
<p>I heard that this was actually somewhat common trap among many law students which blinds them to the realities of practicing law…especially those who go straight to law school from undergrad with no internship/work experiences at an actual law firm where they think they may want to work. </p>
<p>Several attorney colleagues have said they enjoyed/loved their intellectual experiences in law school…but hated the tedious high-stress lifestyle which comes with the profession…especially the long hours and the unpredictable nature of when those hours are assigned. A major reason for the high career dissatisfaction rate along with why so many leave the profession. </p>
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<p>Not necessarily as I’ve heard from several lawyer relatives and friends who do hiring that even lowly paid/low status jobs(i.e. Local DAs) once shunned by Yale, Harvard, and Stanford graduates are now being swamped by resumes from them because the legal industry is in THAT bad of a shape. Also, know several HLS graduates who are unemployed atm. </p>
<p>Also, considering the OP’s daughter is a college sophomore, it is still far too early to tell whether she’s a shoo-in for Harvard or Yale Law. Even with a high GPA, she still needs to take the LSAT and in Yale’s case…hope she passes muster with their “black box” holistic admissions. </p>
<p>Knew far too many friends from high school, college, and from post-college friendships who believed the same about themselves during their freshman and sophomore years of college whose hopes were dashed when their GPA took a slight dip, found the LSAT is not like the SAT/GREs and didn’t perform to attain the high minimums to even “audition”, or bad luck. </p>
<p>As several lawyer friends have said to my high school friends on the law school path, don’t start predicting your admissions chances until you’re close to graduating/graduated from college AND you have an actual LSAT score in hand. Even then…it can still be a crapshoot…especially if you’re talking Yale.</p>
<p>We had plenty of top-14 law school grads (and I presume some from H and Y) REJECTED in applying for that $42k job in our Attorney General’s Office. The fact that they even applied is telling. (I think they gave the job to a UW Law School grad.)</p>
<p>Well, I heard Harvard Law is more predictable due to their larger class size. The LSAT is important, but people generally know if they are good at standardized testing by the time they get to college.</p>
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<p>Hmm… well, I have no experience with the LSAT. I assumed that if one was good at the verbal SAT/GRE, you could at least train yourself to do well on the LSAT.</p>
She seems to be at least somewhat interested in being a lawyer. If law school seems to her like a possibly fun experience, and if she thinks she might enjoy the work a lawyer does, I would encourage her to go to law school. If she feels like she would have missed out on the dream of life time by passing on grad school – if it makes her upset and weepy to discuss alternatives – then she should go to grad school She can still go to law school after the PhD. And who knows where the world will be seven or eight years from now? Keep saving money ;)</p>