<p>I'm a junior in HS and was seriously thinking about going to law school. Would graduating from a top law school **guarantee **me a financially secure job? My parents are very poor and I want to have a rewarding job when I'm older to take care of them. I would like to stay away from the math oriented jobs because I lack both talent and passion for it. So is Law really the best way to go? or are there other, smarter options?</p>
<p>If the only reason you're considering law is because it's lucrative, then I would encourage you to expand your options. First of all, you have no idea if law is something you would want to do in the long-term professionally. Secondly, law school is another THREE years of schooling-- schooling that can be very, very expensive. That sort of investment (both time and money) may not be wise if you're not fairly confident you'll net that lucrative job, which is by no means guaranteed if you're not either from a top-ranked law school or at the top of your class. </p>
<p>If money is really all that concerns you, I would say you should look at finance (consulting or investment banking). I realize you don't think you've got the knack for math, but math in the finance sector is not the sort of high-level, esoteric theory you'd encounter in academia. Moreover, many finance jobs are available immediately upon graduation, so there's no additional "opportunity cost" of extra schooling. I know several kids at school who are working summer associate positions at investment firms. Most of them are econ majors (most, not all), but I know the math they're doing is not that complicated. And they're each making between 10 and 15 thousand dollars...for the summer. And first-year salaries for full-time positions are usually well above 100K, a number that increases rapidly and significantly in the first few years. Think about it.</p>
<p>crnchycereal: My problem is that I haven't really done my best in high school due to some personal problems and I'll most likely end up in a mediocore state school. I was mainly considering law school because from what I hear, undergrad is not very important in getting job offers at big firms. I believe that I am driven enough to do very well in college (I hope I'm not sounding too full of myself) and plan to enter a top tier law school. Thank you for your reply and I definately will look into finance but I was wondering would I still be able to get the lucrative jobs despite the lack of prestige of my undergrad school?</p>
<p>You are correct that if you get into a top law school, the reputation of your undergraduate school will not matter a great deal to your employability.</p>
<p>But nobody is guaranteed a high paying job based upon where they went to school. Keeping any high paying job requires a sustained, high level of effort.</p>
<p>Even if you land the top paying job at a competitive firm, it is up or out at these firms and partnership is an elusive reward. I can't tell you how many resumes I get each year from attorneys who did it all right and still end up in dead end and fairly low paying jobs. They graduate from the top universities, go to the top law school, go to the top law firm, don't make partner after the requisite number of years, and all of a sudden, they have no idea what to do with themselves.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Would graduating from a top law school guarantee me a financially secure job?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, but it's the closest thing to a guarantee you can get. It's still not a reason to go to law school, though. You only get one life to live. </p>
<p>
[quote]
So is Law really the best way to go? or are there other, smarter options?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I would consider starting a business. Even if it's not the next Microsoft, there are plenty of non-sexy businesses that make excellent money. Plenty of low-tech businesses can be started part time on a shoe string budget.</p>