Between my junior and senior years of college (at a SLAC) I got a paying internship with the state of MA where I worked with a bunch of 2d year law students. I had been thinking seriously about law school, but every single one said “don’t do it” so I didn’t. Have never regretted it!
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You are one lucky person! Most feel this way, only a few are so candid.
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It’s interesting to see the different perspectives here from people who are in different careers. I’d also guess that most of us aren’t struggling so we tend to be content with the choices we’ve made. It doesn’t mean, however, that a different college wouldn’t have made a difference. Over the years, I’ve become familiar with a few colleges (all supposedly among the most “elite”), but differences between them are actually quite significant. A couple of them offer meaningful advantages over others in a number of different ways. Whether someone can take advantage of the differences is a different story, however.
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One of the major reasons I felt compelled to leave home and my state was to get away from a BF who was in a toxic situation I couldn’t help. (His dad was sole breadwinner who quit his job one day so my BF in HS was responsible for supporting the family—he went from straight As 1st semester of college to straight Fs.)
Being away from home let me create a new circle of friends and try out new personas. My local flagship U mostly people stuck with friend groups from HS. Joining the sorority freshman year was a huge mistake and I quit during finals week.
I only applied to one U as an exchange student and liked it so well, became a transfer. Being 2500 miles from home was a great breather and let me figure out what I wanted to be as an adult in terms of personality.
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I tell everyone who asks. And have done so for a long time now. Felt bad when a kid of one of our friends (was a couple years older than my kids) went to law school. I didn’t find out until he was in the middle of his first year. He hated it, couldn’t find a job and only now a couple years past graduation found a job that barely pays him anything. He isn’t happy. Had they come to me before he started, I would have told him to take a different path.
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My suspicion is that this would be highly dependent on the field one is pursuing. I can say with good authority that it makes little to no difference in healthcare. I work among Ivy and Podunk U grads.
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Are you an attorney and if so what practice area? Thing is that kid still had a chance when you found out. I regret not dropping out 1L winter break, 1L summer, even 2L winter break. It may have even made sense after collecting my check 2L summer. I was top 10% too and on law review. A law degree is a massive scarlet letter on a resume. When I tried to transition while an associate one recruiter at a bulge bracket investment bank said point blank “you threw it all away for law school.” Fortunately I am an entrepreneur and my resume does not matter unless I am asking for a loan/investment for a proposal
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NESCAC grad here. Accepted into and began attending a PhD program right out of undergrad. Left after the first semester as I realized that while I loved the subject, I didn’t love the career paths ahead of me. And so then needed to find a job. Any job. Started as the receptionist at an ad agency and found myself in the C-Suite after a number of years. Then took some time to teach full-time at a University and now consulting.
I can say that the schools I attended had nothing to do with my career but the whole winding road part of it has shaped me as a person and makes me very comfortable telling my kids that their job is to choose the next right step. You’ll only know where it’s leading when you look back in 20+ years.
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I am in a healthcare field that required a degree from accredited university and then passing the licensing exam. I don’t believe going to a more or less prestigious university would have made much difference for me.
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You’re right. It probably depends on a lot of things, including one’s field. Moreover, I’m not even talking about outcomes necessarily. It’s more about experiences (including academic experiences) some students may enjoy and the potential for better outcomes if these students can take advantage of them.
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Never mind - I forgot where I was - cc where few can see beyond their privilege.
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Not about me but my niece and her boyfriend.
Neither graduated from a prestigious university, I don’t think either of their universities is ever talked about here. Both were religion affiliated.
Both work in investment banking. Both are very successful, both are in a big city, not New York. Niece started out there, hated it. Loves her new big city. Loves the atmosphere there.
Boyfriend was an athlete, niece made some great contacts that turned into great internships. Ones she initiated
So no you do not have to go to an Ivy to go into investment banking. There are other paths.
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I’ve often suspected the lack of interaction with grad students plays a role in the overrepresentation of LAC grads in PhD programs. Many students at schools without graduate programs are unaware of the relatively high rates of depression and anxiety among PhD students and the abysmal state of the academic job market.
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That could be true. It was eye opening for me to talk to actual law students and hear what they had to say about their experiences – largely negative. Most of my friends who went on to attend law school didn’t like being lawyers and very few stuck with it over the long haul. Many went on to entirely unrelated fields and a few went into corporate law which had more reasonable hours. The few people I know who enjoy their work as lawyers are in the public sector where the work is interesting but the pay is terrible. My corporate law friends are mostly in it for the $$$ (nothing wrong with that, but they have low job satisfaction).
Shhh! Don’t say that too loud on here 
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This is interesting. It was always crystal clear the job prospects were bleak even eons ago (now non existent) because of our TAs, who you’d occasionally see inappropriately intoxicated for a late 20 something on a campus. Getting duped into a PhD program due to a lack of exposure is depressing to think about.
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In house has better hours but you take a paycut often surprising 50%. The work is monotonous.
Public sector can be interesting, but that is increasingly hard to get and it is often insecure. ADAs get fired all the time due to political changes.
Corporate law pay well compared to your median American household. But it doesn’t pay well compared to investment banking or asset management. And the latter two options don’t require advanced degrees.
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I practiced law for 6 years until I took time off to raise a family. I then was part time special Ed hearings officer then part time judge. The last 15 years, have been running a nonprofit focusing on folks with lung disease.
My older brother practices law a little but devotes a lot more time & energy to buying and developing properties. My younger brother went from insurance defense law to being corporate counsel for a bank. Niece went from employment law to doing HR for judiciary.
They’re all happy enough with their chosen fields, as I am. My niece’s job and younger brother’s job and my current job could all be done without law degrees, but the degree and training help. Glad none of us had massive ed debt.
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This was one of the reasons I chose to be a paralegal instead of going to law school. Worked mostly with in-house counsel my entire career. When I left to raise my youngest daughter, I was shocked at how many recent law school grads were competing for my job. I was happy to be able to get my legal fix without law school loan debt and insane working hours.
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I have a different perspective on this issue. I think the overrepresentation of LAC grads in PhD programs is the result of the lack of more in-depth specialization at LACs.
I think a student should only pursue a PhD degree if s/he is deeply interested, has a great academic prospect (e.g. being in the top x% academically with significant research experiences), and is practically required in the field.
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